Nicaragua

Opportunity to Succeed

Fundación Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos-Nicaragua has been serving children and adolescents in Nicaragua since 1994. At the beginning, a house was rented in the department of Granada with the support of the congregation The Missionaries of Charity. During that same year, two properties were purchased on Ometepe Island, Rivas; years later, another was bought in San Jorge, Rivas. These properties were called Casa Santiago, Casa San Marcos and Casa Asís respectively. Casa Santiago was for more than fifteen years a place of beautiful memories for the children and adolescents, Casa San Marcos was used as a farm for the self-sustenance of the family and Casa Asís was the home of the youngest children for many years, children from 0 to 5 years old. 

Due to the constant seismic activities caused by the volcanoes on Ometepe Island and the high costs of transporting products that were moved to cover the needs of the home, it was necessary to look for a new property with lower risk conditions, and therefore safer. In 2010 we proceeded to move our entire population to the new property acquired in the municipality of Santa Teresa, Carazo, naming it “Casa Padre Wasson”. It has a quiet environment, a warm climate and surrounded by a lot of vegetation, where children and adolescents study, grow and recreate in a healthy and safe way. 


For 27 years NPH Nicaragua has provided care to more than 1,000 children and adolescents, providing a comprehensive education to students who attend our school under Catholic Christian principles in the modalities of: initial education, regular primary, high school, vocational workshops and EJA (youth and adult education). 
 High school students have the opportunity to choose a vocational technical workshop endorsed by the National Technological Institute (INATEC), either: welding, textile clothing, Communicative English, electricity, microcomputer operator, shoemaking, art and jewelry. 

NPH-Nicaragua is currently working with Preventive and Preparation programs.  With the Preventive Program 88% of the families in communities and municipalities surrounding NPH are being benefited and 22% correspond to young high school and university students through the Preparation Program. 

NPH-Nicaragua programs are categorized as follows: 

External Community Program
Children and adolescents who come from dysfunctional families, live in situations of poverty, vulnerability and social risk in communities and municipalities surrounding Casa Padre Wasson are benefited by this program, which contributes to the development of each of them and change of lifestyle; making an impact not only to them, but also to their families, and therefore to their communities. A certain population of this program belongs to the ¨Love Program¨; directed by the Nicaragua Government, who since 2016 began a preventive work in conjunction with NPH. 

The Good Samaritan
Through this program, care is provided to children and adolescents who suffer from some type of disability. Its beginning was in 2010 on Ometepe Island led as a project by three NPH-volunteers, and by 2015 it was officially consolidated as a program. Later in 2019, it expanded to Casa Padre Wasson and Casa San Jorge-Rivas, in 2021. 

One Family
This program allows to continue with the adaptation process of children and adolescents in the course of family reintegration. NPH, from its environment, provides infants resources, school materials and psychosocial assistance. In the psychosocial assistance visits topics associated with: the philosophy of our NPH Family, the student progress, management of the resources granted and counseling in general are addressed. Likewise, they are invited to participate in the celebrations and activities carried out at Casa Padre Wasson. 

Scholarship Program
Composed of children and adolescents who attend to school in their communities. This population is provided with financial aid to cover school expenses on a monthly basis. They are provided with uniforms and school supplies at the beginning of each year and are given social follow-up. In the social follow-up visits topics associated with: the philosophy of our NPH family, the student progress and counseling in general are addressed. Likewise, they are invited to participate in the celebrations and activities carried out at the Casa Padre Wasson.  

Preparation Program
Program integrated by young people who study high school and university, through which they can continue with their academic and professional preparation. Likewise, they are provided with tools and resources to help them in their transition to an autonomous and independent life for their integration into society.   

NPH Nicaragua is led by Bladimir Ruiz (National Director) and more than 120 workers. 

Opening: 1994
Main House: Casa Padre Wasson
Distribution: School (from Kindergarten to eleventh grade of high school), workshops, El Buen Samaritano Program, clinic, kitchen, chapel, houses, farm, sports courts, gardens and offices. 

“‘A child is good because of someone.’

This phrase from our founder Rev. William B. Wasson has marked the work that I have done at NPH throughout these years. I have a great responsibility in the education of my other younger brothers and sisters and I welcome it with humility and love so that I can help and guide them on their path as professionals and good Christians.”

– Jader Rayo, National Director

Values

NPH Nicaragua works every day so that Nicaraguan children and adolescents who attend each of our programs feel safe in a family and healthy environment. This work is governed by Catholic Christian foundations inherited by our founder Father William B. Wasson, for this reason our focus is mainly in the areas of: Special Needs, Prevention and Spiritual Development. 

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SPECIAL NEEDS

NPHNicaragua through the program “The Good Samaritan” that is developed in the communities of Ometepe Island, San Jorge and Casa Padre Wasson provides children and adolescents with disabilities physical, motor, intellectual and sensory therapy. In addition, it instructs parents to carry out physical therapies in their homes and provides them with psychological care to reinforce the treatment plan proposed by the therapists; favoring them in the improvement of their life quality. 

Through this program NPH provides care, well-being and safety to students who come from different communities and nearby municipalities, as well as those who are cared for in conjunction with the Nicaragua Government through the Family Ministry (MIFAN). This population is provided with  student scholarship, morning and evening snack, lunch, school materials, palliative and psychosocial medical assistance. All these benefits for free. 

With the purpose of strengthening the family environment in the student’s homes, the different teams (Psychosocial, Family Service, Medical Services and Religion) under a developmental approach carry out counseling for parents and individualized attention. In the same way, it supports the population that belonged to the Protection Program and that recently returned with biological relatives, being now supported through the One Family Program.   

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PREVENTION

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SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT

Spiritual growth is fundamental for the NPH-Nicaragua Family, being the main inheritance received from our founder through the teachings that Jesus manifested in the Gospel according to St. Matthew chapter 25:40 

Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me” 

Faith is lived and manifested through practice! That is why NPH instructs this value to students in school through: faith education classes, Atrium for the little ones, catechesis for baptism, communion and confirmation, weekly masses, spiritual retreats,  among other religious activities. All this, respecting the religious ideologies of each individual.  

NPH Nicaragua Timeline

In 1994 the first children arrived at home in Granada

Breaking generational poverty begins with helping a child.

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