At Club Esperanza we have a fully functioning Primary Education School called Illeana’s School. The story of Illeana’s life, her beautiful smile and the hardships she endured leave a big impact on your heart. Our goal is not just to educate with Ileana’s School at Club Esperanza…it is bigger than that. We are a refuge of God’s love and protection for the most vulnerable. Below is a testimony about one of our students this school year…
Aracelly is 13 years old, she did not know how to read or write when she started this year in the First Grade at the Ileana school. She lives in the Villa Guadalupe neighborhood that was constructed as a refuge for families living in the dump seven years ago. She has five other siblings, her mother cares for them while her stepfather works at the recycling center that is at the entrance to the trash dump.
When she was young she missed classes very often and didn’t even attend school on some days. As a result, she did not manage to learn to read and write at the usual age. Because of this difficulty with school and the hardships of daily living she was at risk of her life becoming one of the many kids who leave school and spend their days on the streets. There are too many horrors to share about that sort of life, but Aracelly’s life did not take that turn. Praise Jesus!
She is now at Ileana’s School from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm all day. The Nicaraguan school day is only a half day but because Club Esperanza is more than just a school we are able to keep the doors open for Aracely and other’s like her for the entire day. She has teachers who love her and are taking care of her. Because of this she is already having more success with her schooling. At the beginning she came to class disheveled and she was aggressive with her classmates…adjusting to a safe school environment took a little while for her.
But, her behavior at school has improved dramatically and now she gets along and socializes well with her classmates. She is a very responsible student with her homework, she likes to attend class daily, and she even helps her younger classmates. At other schools in Nicaragua she would not be accepted into lower grades because of her age, but at Ileana’s School we are able to make exceptions to help individual students advance. Our teachers and staff are working individually with her to support her in her learning. Today Aracelly is progressing in reading and writing and she feels motivated to continue advancing, which is awesome! Her physical appearance and nutrition have improved as well….at Club Esperanza every students has a meal twice a day. The significance of that cannot be overstated. All the families we serve live paycheck to paycheck and some of them don’t even have that. God is so good to provide for his children in this awesome way!
We appreciate your help to continue supporting Aracelly to have a better future, to dream big dreams and achieve her goals. Aracelly is just one of hundreds of children coming in and out of that little white gate in front of school everyday. God is doing special things…we love to be doing it together with you all!
Thank you church family for your prayers and support for us in Nicaragua!
Chris & Krista Farrington
