A Busy June for Amigos en Acción

May and June have been very busy months for us at Amigos en Acción; we have continued to learn and grow together with the children who participate every weekday in this program. This month, we would like to recognize all of the different people and organizations that collaborate with us to help us to make this program a reality, and such an amazing program at that!

First, Journeys of Solutions deserves a huge thank you for all of the support in managing donations, the administrative work, and helping us with publicity, to name a few. Ciudad Hermana Rochester-El Sauce has also been very generous in supporting this program as we have gotten it off the ground and kept growing since last year. Many of the children who participate in Amigos en Acción receive a scholarship through the Ciudad Hermana scholarship program, and their participation in Amigos en Acción has helped them to continue growing and learning. We would also like to thank Fundación por la Vida de la Niñez y la Mujer (FUVINIM), a Nicaraguan NGO that has donated the use of their building in El Sauce to Amigos en Acción; without their support, we wouldn’t have the wonderful classroom or access to the kitchen that allows us to provide a healthy snack to the children every day.

We have also received incredible support from various individuals and groups that have both donated to the program and come to El Sauce to share their knowledge and love with our children! Among them are Alica and Jesse Kinne, who taught English and music classes to the children last summer; Dr. Dan Yawman and his incredible daughter Alice; Hilton High School students, who volunteered at the program and helped run a vet clinic to spay and neuter local cats and dogs; Flagstaff Arts and Leadership Academy students, who taught art classes; and Lou and Carole Colca, Teela Gajewski, and Tara Petty who led English and team-building activities at our January camp. We have also had visitors stop by for a day to see what we do and to meet our students, which is always a wonderful experience for students and visitors alike!

We would also like to recognize El Sauce Peace Corps Environmental volunteer Lindsay Slautterback, who has been working with our program on a weekly basis since last year to teach the students about science and the environment. Since she also works with many of the students in the public schools, her involvement with Amigos en Acción has allowed her to build on what they have been learning at school with additional activities. Recently, they have started a nursery where they planted Caoba seeds that are quickly growing! Plus, they made signs about protecting the environment and participated in a march through the neighborhood to encourage community members to take care of our precious Mother Earth. We are excited to see what other activities Lindsay has planned for the rest of the year!

Please enjoy some pictures from this month’s activities, including our celebration of Children’s Day!

Thank you to everyone who has supported us in any manner to allow us to make this amazing program a reality for all of the children who participate.

As always, if you would be interested in volunteering with us, please contact Ashley Sullivan at [email protected] for more information.

In order for the program to keep functioning, we are always accepting donations to cover our running costs (water, electricity, etc), daily snacks, supplies for our English class and other activities. To donate, please visit: http://journeysofsol.wpengine.com/make-a-donation/ and designate Amigos en Accion.