Latin America
Panama
Bocas School Project: Bocas del Toro
The indigenous Ngobe-Bugle Indians live on the islands of the archipelago of Bocas del Toro, Panama, where many schools lack running water, electricity or sanitation facilities. Children are often malnourished and may not attend schools beyond the fourth grade. The mission of the Bocas School Project is to provide quality education to these underserved children and to build the capacities of their schools. The Project also funds the salaries of the teachers, provides healthy meals to the students and supplies water and electricity to the schools. This project is championed by Rob Steig, Kai Frykman and Margo Carey who live in Panama and the United States.
Argentina
Fundacion Gente Nueva: Bariloche, Argentina
Fundacion Gente Nueva serves disadvantaged children who live in the slums of Bariloche, Argentina. The project advances literacy among children and addresses their healthcare needs. Gente Nueva reaches out to nearly 800 families and also runs 15 small projects such as a nursery, primary and secondary schools and health and family support services for children and their families. This project is championed by Sharmon Hilfinger and Luis Trabb-Pardo who grew up in Argentina and now resides in Palo Alto, California.
Nicaragua
Fundacion Denis Ernesto Gonzales Lopez (FDEGL): San Ramon, Nicaragua
FDEGL is a nonprofit founded in 1989 to serve Nicaragua's youth and peasant population through the development of projects such as sustainable agriculture, women's empowerment and drug-use prevention, among others. FDEGL's goal is to improve the living and working conditions of the most vulnerable sectors of the Nicaraguan society and to reduce poverty, hunger and unemployment rates.
FDEGL has supported children and teenagers from poor families in different districts by funding and developing athletic and cultural activities. FDEGL has also worked with young drug users in rehabilitation centers and has been successful in integrating them into school districts and keeping them drug free.
