La Chureca, Nicaragua
One would be hard-pressed to find a more apt and powerful symbol of the hopelessness of a poverty cycle than the community of nearly 175 families living on the edge of the Managua city dump, also known as La Chureca. While the dump provides ample opportunities to scavenge for metal and plastic to sell, it also serves as a food source for the impoverished families who subsist in the area.
What the dump cannot provide is an opportunity to break free from the cycle of poverty; to learn other skills which will enable its residents to break free from their dependence on its trash as a means of food and profit. It is an environment which breeds all kinds of disease - physical and societal - and brings out the worst humanity has to offer.
Beautiful World is partnering with NICA Hope, an organization whose mission is to “equip, educate, and motivate impoverished communities in Nicaragua for socially-responsible and sustainable income-generation opportunities.” NICA Hope is working with the children of La Chureca to improve their education, provide them with practical job skills, all while providing a daily lunch to over 500 students at the local public primary school. www.nicahope.org
Lamothe, Haiti
Haiti is one of the poorest nations in the world, with an average Haitian earning an average annual income of approximately $400 (USD). About half of Haiti’s population is illiterate, and it is a country which is ravaged by political strife which further feeds instability and compromises the health and well being of its citizens.
Beautiful World is partnering with Haiti Charity Hope Foundation to impact the community of Lamothe, a small village east of Port au Prince in the Croix-des-Bouquets region. The foundation’s mission is to “fulfill the educational, physical, and spiritual needs of the children and the community of Lamothe”. On an ongoing basis the foundation supports 9 children in the local schools, provides food for the village, and provides art and music education to 50 local children. In the future, the foundation is working towards digging a well to provide clean water to the village, building a school with a kitchen, and establishing a medical clinic to serve the health care needs of the village. www.hchf.org