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Sending Nica Kids to School
Submitted by aklauren on Wed, 2008/09/10 - 11:26.
I just wanted to alert the wide-flung world of NicaLiving readers that a new non-profit has been founded to provide academic scholarships and financial support to Nicaraguan kids who would like to continue their education beyond the 8th grade. We're called SPROUT Nicaragua, we're based in Buenos Aires, Rivas, but we'll be open to kids from all parts of the country. You can learn all about us, including (drum roll please) how to help, on the website: www.sproutnicaragua.org. We will be back in Rivas by Sunday 9/14, and starting the process to get things rolling. Wish us luck!
Social entreprenuers
The new breed of NGO is usually started a by social entreprenuer, someone who wants to make the world a better place, sees a need not met by a government or other organization, not able to be met by those who need it, and that person fills that need.
I have long been in awe of my friends who started Building New Hope 18 years ago. These were just 2 people, who began working, got some volunteers interested, and never took a salary.
I have been amazed at their efforts, how much a very small group can do.
Now, many people in El Salvador in Nicaragua have clean water, education, a clinic, a way to support themselves. Teenagers who lived in the streets of Granada and were using drugs and being sexually abused are now learning trades which will support them, and some are going to college.
NGOs used to number in the 100s, worldwide. Now they are in the thousands, usually small groups like this, filling a need somewhere in the world. Mohammed Yunis of Grameen Bank is often credited with this beginning of social entreprenuership. He went back to his home of Bangladesh after living abroad and saw that people just needed a little help, credit, in the form of loans to start small businesses, or buy seeds to plant, etc. He felt powerless, how could he help? He began to ask and found that most people only needed about $20.00. Twenty dollars! He beagn to lend to these people and they were very honorable, accountable not only to him, but to their community as they took loans out in groups. The repayment rate was at or close to 100%
I don't know about you, but if I have enough to share with a starving person, I will do that, and then help them become self-sufficient. We all need a leg up sometimes.
At my college graduation the president of the university said, " All of you who had help from parents, spouses, frinds, or others please raise your hands. (many hands went up.) Those who did it all alone, raise your hands ( a few hands went up). Now if not you're not lying stand up (no one stood up).
Let there be peace on Earth and let it begin with me.
WHAT ARE THE DIRECTORS SALARIES?
how much are the nica staff being paid? how much do the "executive directors" get paid? inquiring pinoleros want to know!
there is no business like ngo business!
Another repuesta to Guegense.
Dear "Gueguense",
As someone who has dedicated her life to helping others I take a bit of offense to the implications. Your questions are definitely fair, yet the manner the were addressed were frankly a bit rude. 990's are available on Guidestar and also available by law directly from any NGO in the USA. You will see that most grassroots orgs pay less than $10000 a year to anyone, even if living the USA (poverty level in any state). Most founders and or ED's in Nicaragua, like myself, are living on a shoestring and get paid nothing or just basic living costs. I used to make a 'high' salary by Nica standards and moderate by USA standards, but chose to say good bye to it, my home (sold at a loss), my material possessions (including a car) and more to help and empower others who truly need and want help. While it may seem extreme, I happen to have several other friends in the 'ngo business' who have chosen the same path.
Our staff is mostly volunteer (over 20 people from all over the world volunteer for us both on site and virtually). We have only 2 paid Nica's. One has been with us for 3 years and is now making 'executive' pay of $330 a month. The other is at a whopping $110 a month and I feel badly we can't pay her more at the moment(she used to be a part-time volunteer).
You are right, there is no business like the ngo business. We work very long hours. We work because we love it, not for money. Burn out is high in our field and my personal biggest challenge is finding balance so I don't burn out anymore than I have. One gives up a lot but we do get a lot. The gain is not monetary but when one sees and participates in changes in lives of those less fortunate there is a gain that goes beyond anything money can buy. On top of that, watching lives of volunteers and donors transform by the interactions and humbleness they discover within themselves is priceless.
Kathy Adams Director/Founder Empowerment International www.empowermentinternational.org
CRY ME A RIVER=NGO's, AND PERPETUAL UNDERDEVELOPMENT
I have been critical of the "development racket" that profits of the misery of the third world.
The "international development" racket has not brought any substantial improvement in the conditions of the third world. Quite the contrary, they have undermined state sovereignty, created a culture of dependency, and prevented local initiatives.
It angers me to see Nicaragua essentially made into an occupied nation under an alphabet soup of organizations whose staff roam around like roman proconsuls in their fancy SUVs and enjoy the good life while "helping" the Nicaraguan people.
NGO's in Nicaragua took off in 1990 after the sandinistas made a basket case of the country. Since 1990 we have seen an avalanche of NGO's who purportedly came to help Nicaraguans. The current state of Nicaragua shows they have failed miserably.
I have Nicaraguan friends who have worked at NGO's and what they showed me was the inner workings of how these things are setup.
For the most part these NGO's are essentially cliques of connected individuals who were able to obtain government funding or get grants from the wealthy foundations of Europe, USA, and CANADA.
These people get these block grants after writing a proposal and describe their "pet project". For example, a crafty gringo could say to the Sierra Club or Audubon society:
"the nicaraguan zopilote is a rare bird whose habitat is being encroached by brown people. In order to preserve the zopilote for future generations, we need to purchase beachfront real estate in San Juan del Sur, the preferred habitat of the nicaraguan zopilote. The Save the Zopilote Organization will monitor the habitat of the zopilote by 1)raising awareness of the zopilote, 2) patrol the beachfront and prevent any excursion of brown people into the birds habitat. 3) build a "training center" in order to house the staff and multimedia center.
Save the Zopilote organization expects to eventually acquire 1000 hectares of vulnerable land in San Juan Del sur and keep it off limits to poachers and brown people. In order to achieve the first 3 goals outlined above, the zopilote organization would require the sum of U$500,000.00 per annum. This sum would encompass the conception and "mis en marche" of the above described tender."
The sad fact is that the main people who benefit from NGO's are the executive directors themselves. You will hardly EVER see a local nica administer the money or being named chief of party or mission. Nope. The Nica will only do menial to low level work which is the brunt of the work.
The rest of the money is essentially a "consultoria" where the money is squandered in "feasibility" studies, "environmental impact assessments" etc.
I have seen documents (request for proposals, tenders, etc) from several ngos in Nicaragua. The salaries for the executive directors are exorbitant. In many cases the upper echelon salaries were 30-50% of the budget alone. The budget for "transportation" was sizeable. How many Yaris do you see being driven by these NGO's??? they will claim that they NEED luxury suv's given the local road conditions.
I commend AKlauren for her candor, in that they sense my cynicism. Sadly the road to hell is paved with good intentions, and the Nicaraguan people are used as a way to line the pockets of the executive directors.
Obviously I do not know anything about AKlauren or even "empowerment international", but Katica's posting was like shakespeare's "methinks the lady doth protest too much". The defensiveness of her posting, is almost an admission of the low reputation that NGO's have in Nicaragua. Why is that?.
That is not to say that all NGO's are evil. But in my opinion truly good ones are few and far between. My favorite type of charitable groups are those doctors that do eye surgeries and cleft palate surgeries. That is direct action providing a direct service to needy people.
There was this Spanish dentist NGO who went and did dental work on people.
My pet peeve with NGO's however is that they create a sense of dependency on the people. The NGO has a vested interest in keeping their constituency dependent. Otherwise they cannot justify their existence.
http://www.asiatradingonline.com/un.htm
This guy writes from an Asian perspective and he decries the same things I see in Nicaragua!.
Surprisingly we may be in agreement on some things. :-)
While I only typically pop in once in a while on here I welcome discussion on how we all can create positive change for the locals, so thank you for your interest in this as it seems you do wish for the same thing!
It is my belief there is a new breed of NGO's developing not just in Nicaragua but in the world. It's a great thing. The old school 'charities' don't work. It's a proven fact. As I mentioned in a previous post there is an excellent book on called Forces of Good which to me is a great summary of what some of the most effective organizations have in common.
Dependency is the last thing we strive for. Our staff and even kids and parents know the goal is to put the entire organization in their hands. Then the next goal is to remove the organization from the community as it will not always need us (ideally). As their skills grow they have proven they are able to take more and more of it on.
Our Nicaragua Program Director has augmented her skills and world view on so many levels in just three years. I am not sure who is more amazed at her growth, her or us. She used to be a school teacher and today she proudly and confidently runs the bulk of the program. If she was not so passionate about her position, we could easily lose her to a higher priced NGO, I am sure. Our newest employee also feels ownership of the program and even our older kids do. Our first high school graduate is currently working in the office and in the field 4 hours a day in exchange for tuition to college and a stipend. She loves it and often stays longer than she is 'needs' to. Parents are now eager to volunteer anytime we need them These are the kind of things that thrill me and make me realize we are making a difference. Have we changed Nicaragua? Nope. But we have been making a difference in two communities in the country.
You may wish to invest some time to read our website and ask questions, not every organization fits your projection of what you think NGO's are. Some of us put a lot of thought into how to do things the very best way we can the most 'effective' way. How we can get the most change for the least amount of money and stimulate the locals to create their own changes. Over the years I have morphed and shifted my ideas on what right and effective mean and I am sure those ideas will continue to morph.
Brigades that come, while with great intentions, in my humble opinion, create more dependencies if they only come to help. Brigades that come to help teach locals new skills while also helping are the ones creating the biggest lasting change on the brigade front.
It's true that there seems to be a long history of dependent type aide in Nicaragua. It's something that can easily happen if one builds their entire identity from their work or if they are in it for the money...which I still honestly do not see at the grassroots level.
To me I think handouts are necessary in times of famines, floods, wars, earthquakes, but after that it's time to help people find their way to the lake to fish...and beyond.
It's easy to sit back and be a critic or a cynic. Have you considered sharing with us some of your personal insights on what are some ways to create long term solutions for locals? How do *you* suggest creating lasting positive solutions for Nicaragua? Perhaps this is an opportunity for you to share your wisdom to help us figure this all out collectively. This is a sincere request and I hope for a sincere response. I sense a lot of anger and resentment in your responses and find it is not necessarily productive to the real issues at hand.
Kathy Adams
Director/Founder Empowerment International www.empowermentinternational.org
My perception
From the NGOs I have worked with, watched and been scared by, this is my perception.
A lot of people identify a problem and sincerely want to help. Those that get their act together actually do help. But all too many evolve into "a big business". That is, the people involved realize that if they don't grow/find a new project/... then they won't have a job anymore. So, they find something that either really doesn't need to be done or, more often, can be done much more efficiently another way.
One specific example is an educational cooperative I did some work with. Among other things, they were running a preschool. As they had construction skills, they decided to build another preschool for, a small group. What they then observed was that that group was able to run the preschool at a much lower cost than the cooperative-run one.
Money/financial efficiency aside, I see the big NGO issue as whether the NGO helps build independence or dependence. Building necessary infrastructure (the hospital in Estelí built with funds donated by the Spanish government is a good example) and pretty much anything that addresses educational needs is a good thing.
For bad things, an example we have been victim of is a "feeding the poor" program. In this specific case, "the poor" seems to have been defined as any head of household living in a particular area that could show up to pick up free food on Monday. The result is that lots of the "poor" have decided standing in line on Mondays is an easier job than working for us. So, we are now importing workers rather than using locals.
well said Kathy
it had to be said. There are more Bozo's (My Word) like Gueguense with a knee-jerk, jerk, cynical attitude you need to try and put straight. I would like to recommend a book for anyone that is interested in providing solutions with respect to poverty, by a Canadian namely Paul Polak, his book is "Out of Poverty" published by B.K. (Berrett-Koehler Publishers,San Fran) ISBN 978-1-57675-449-8, www.bkcurrents.com very informative book by an experienced (25yrs) recent recipient of millions from Belinda and Bill Gates foundation..not an easy achievement in of itself..has quite some insight as to the billions of dollars donated and subsequent failures, in some cases where poverty has actually gone up.
Other great books
John, Thanks for the recommendation! There are some exciting books out lately on world change. I have added your recommendation to my list. Right now I just got a hold of "A White Man's Burden" and will let you know how that is. So far the first pages are great.
Another great book is "Forces for Good" which is about a study on several NGO's that are doing great work that is effective and what commonalities makes all of these very different NGO's successful. Great for anyone who is running or working in the field or wishing to donate to cause that are making lasting differences.
Take care.
Kathy Adams Director/Founder Empowerment International www.empowermentinternational.org
Some NGO's
May have their heart in the right place. (So far I had a difficult time finding one...)
Many of the directors live on outrageous salaries and expense accounts. There is no way that I would ever contribute to their lifestyle.
I would hope that some honest desire to help out exists somewhere in that industry. I use that word because that is what it is: "An industry"!
I find that I can help out in many little ways without having to pay for administrators or other "Experts".
Here is just a little example:
Some of my neighbours have a difficult time crossing a river during the rainy season. Next week we all get together and we'll move a whole bunch of rocks and boulders to build a simple footpath for safe passage. In addition we'll get the added benefit of protecting one fisherman's property from constant erosion.
Total cost: Time and whatever it costs me to provide the equipment.
Benefit: Everyone will have a safer passage and we'll have spent a day together working, getting to know each other better and having fun.
IMO there are many ways to help out. Not all of them are intended to make money.
Good for you!
Jon, How you helped your neighbors is how Empowerment International started. Me helping 2 kids go to school. Then more folks asked for help in the same slum in Costa Rica. It kept growing and growing, quite organically. Never did I have an intention to start an NGO! It took 5 years before it finally occurred to me I should probably get tax exemption since friends were starting to contribute. So, be careful....you never know where your small projects may lead to. :-)
Again, from my perspective and experience there is no money making to be made from where I stand. We (I can only speak from the small point of view of my own organization) give all we can back to the community. For 8 years I worked 2 jobs, one that paid me and one that I did from the heart in all of my spare time). After I moved back to the states from a 4 year assignment in Costa Rica as an technical person for Intel, I ended up spending all of my time off in Central America, working and working hard on the program. In the states I also worked on the program and I burned out and knew something had to give...my life in the states, or the program that had been created.
Well, my heart would not let the program go....so I was going to move into our office in order to afford to live there and do just one job. A BOD member offered to pay my living expenses so I would not have to live in our office as she felt I would not be productive not getting space from the staff or kids ever. I have no car, just a bike and for my personal use that works just great. We need a vehicle though due to logistics of a new community that has requested our program implementation...and we can't reach them on foot, bike, bus, or sometimes even 2wd car.
There are many things that we carefully think about...and implement. Some examples are: only allowing locals to work with us (instead of paying for things like 'volunteer living expenses' as some orgs do...which BTW cost the same as a local salary and then the locals never gain skills or employment), volunteers come on their own dime and often stay heavily involved when their go back 'home'. We have our kids shoes, backpacks and uniforms made by locals (instead of having brigades come and deliver them after collecting supplies in their own countries). We are not perfect but we try hard to do the right thing and really try hard to make this a local program in all ways possible. I am sure there are other organizations that have similiar values and I am guessing that the woman Lauren who posted here announcing her new organization has similiar values.
There are several foreign industries in Nicaragua. I noticed yours is Real Estate. If it were my goal to make money and live in Nicaragua, I would certainly head over in that direction before joining the NGO world and trying to help 250 kids on $40k a year. Or maybe I would use my tech background and open a factory. Those would be a much easier directions to go in for making money and having a retirement fund or nest egg. Yet, that has never been my personal goal (foolishly perhaps) and I am pretty sure others in this line of work could find easier ways to make money for their own personal gain as well. There is nothing wrong with making money, and I know that most of my grassroots friends of forgone that lifestyle for a different one with different end goals in mind. On the contrary to the implications here, we have been accused by friends and spouses etc of not taking enough for ourselves. As a matter of fact someone just asked me recently if I would ever be able to make a salary with Empowerment International and live in the states at some point......I said I doubt it.
Truly it makes me sad that some bigger NGO's have given us all a bad rap when so many of us work so hard to do the right thing. So, changes have to start somewhere. It is great you have found your way to contribute (truly admirable that you are mixing and working with the locals). Some of us wish to take on things in slightly larger scale. How can you fault us for that? Especially when we are making a difference.
Give me a call next time you are in the Granada area and I would *love* to show you our program and present you to our team. It would be a pleasure and an honor.
I don't often take this much time to write in forums but feel that perhaps if I can help shift some peoples obviously mistrusting sentiments towards all NGO's it may be worth the time investment and energy. To me it's like buying a car...you need to shop around before you invest your time or money in one. There are better brands then others and some have more marketing hype than others...but really don't perform that well.
Kathy Adams Director/Founder Empowerment International www.empowermentinternational.org
Thanks for taking the time
to explain your position!
I appreciate the fact that you have many other things to spend your time on. Yet you took the time and made your point. You made it well and your passion shows in your words!
I promise to get in touch with you prior to my next trip to Granada. I'd love to spend some time learning more about your project and explain a little what work I do in our community and why.
As you point out so eloquently, money isn't all that important but is sure is a great vehicle if applied well.
All the best,
Jon
Looking forward to it Jon!
Jon,
Thank you for your response. It is my hope we can meet. I am not in your neck of the woods all that much but we have an art exhibit we may be doing there in January of the kids work so I may be getting there a few more times...I will look you up as well if I am coming. Be sure to do the same for Granada!
Have a great weekend.
Kathy Adams Director/Founder Empowerment International www.empowermentinternational.org
Salaries, etc
At this point, all operating expenses are out-of-(our)-pockets. We plan to hire at least two locals, one bilingual, to help run the office, etc. Their salaries have not yet been decided, and will be based on their experience, and the amount of time they are required to work. I can assure you, they will more than fair. As for the 'director' (me), I won't earn a centavo from donations; only if I am successful grantwriting to some of the big-boy funders, such as The Gates Foundation, The Kellogg Found., etc, will I write in an amount for operating expenses/director's salary, and even then, it will be minimal. It's sure as hell not that we have a lot, or really, any, of our own money, beyond what we earn when we're out of country; it's just we still seem to have enough to get by. I hear your cynicism regarding NGO's, and agree with it entirely. But if I were in this for the money--well, I wouldn't be in it.
This Lady
I know personally and have been to her modest home in B.A. You couldn't find a more genuine and generous soul. Of course, She is extremely fortunate in that her young Lover and Partner is a handy, handsome Scotsman. Hi Lauren! safe Journey and "Scots Wha Hae".
Gracias!
Hey John, thanks for the generous words. My "young" Scottish lover was particularly amused!
Hope we see you down there again soon-- Lauren
Fair question
Congratulations!
Hi Lauren,
Your news is wonderful. Education is such an important piece in the productive growth of Nicaragua. Can you share with us what your capacity will be to start? You said all over Nicaragua? What is your selection process and criteria exactly? Do you plan to partner with existing organizations?
There is a group I started awhile back to encourage the sharing of ideas and collaboration of efforts. It is: http://nicaraguangos.ning.com/ I hope you join!
Kathy Adams Director/Founder Empowerment International www.empowermentinternational.org
Thanks!
Hi Kathy, Just visited your site and signed up--thanks for putting that together; it looks like an excellent resource! I'll check in when I'm not up to my armpits in packing, cleaning, all the fun chores before leaving your house for 6+ months! Lauren
Lauren, Great! Please
Lauren,
Great! Please spread the word! My true dream is to get NGO's to work together more so that we don't duplicate efforts but fit like pieces of a puzzle to create a stronger solution. The site is my humble attempt to get this going...though it is just a start it is something!
It would be great to meet once you get down south to see what we can share and perhaps do in unison. Regardless, I am pleased to see another self-less person helping in a country that has grabbed my heart.
Kathy Adams Director/Founder Empowerment International www.empowermentinternational.org