Posts of News

Gear up for 2012

2012-01-25T17:15:18.977Z

As the new 2012 calender comes out I reflect on our past year and year to come with pride and excitement.
Last year Adelante had many successes worthy of sharing.
- Volunteers and board members were able to visit Leon and partake in our programs while living with local families and getting a real taste for what it's like to live in Nicaragua.

- We continued to support two single mothers who are attending local universities. They hope to finish school soon so as to be able to support their family with a better income.

- Demand for English classes maintain strong and student enrollment high.

- Collaboration with two local non-profits here in Leon extend our reach and impact

- 1st ever Adelante medical brigade with sponsors/organizers/board members Jay Sueno and Megan Arhart. Veterinarians saw over 200 animals, dentists treated over 100 patients and doctors/nurses saw over 200 patients. All medical personal volunteered their time free of charge and medical materials were provided free thanks to the fundraising Jay and Megan did.

- Board member Amanda Rough visited Leon and taught a highly requested free Microsoft Excel and Word class

- Both Nicaraguan English teachers hired did an excellent job this year, and fulfilled all requirements asked of them.

In 2012 our goals in general are to expand our programs while maintaining our current level of sustainability.

- Continue and delegate more work to our new accountant

- Give more classes and responsibility to the two Nicaraguan teachers

- Vecinos project will be done entirely by Nicaraguan support staff in collaboration with Polly and Myra, leaving director Mateo Garibaldi out so they can begin doing the project on their own and relying more on local support

- Search for Nicaraguan to teach upper level English classes to begin phasing out the necessity of an American English teacher

- Continue to use volunteers to offer unique community classes.

- Expand english classes through more advertisement

A big thank you to all of our wonderful donors!

Mateo Garibaldi
Executive Director

May update

2010-05-26T14:08:33.192Z

Hello Friends of Adelante,

I thought it was about time for an update on our progress here in Leon. We have had lots of exciting things happening here that I would like to share.

English classes are going great! We consistently have full classes or near to full classes. One of the teachers, that I am currently training, is teaching a first level class completely by herself! I am there to answer any questions, but she plans and teaches the entire class herself which I am very happy about. Our Saturday classes in Telica are also going very well and our teachers plan on opening a childrens English class too. This idea stems from the fact that residents have been asking for it and have even organized enrolling all the students themselves.

To the left is a picture of our intermediate class with our two Vecinos directors Myra, Polly and volunteer Nik.

The After School program still remains a very busy program. With almost 50 elementary school students daily, our tutors are kept very busy. Last week, for one special boy who in 13 years had never celebrated his birthday, the whole program decided to buy a piñata and celebrate his first birthday. He was very surprised to say the least.

Our Single Mothers program is going well, and our sponsored students are very grateful for the opportunity this has given them.

Two Adelante alumni have begun their own private English tutoring classes. They give private English classes to adults and children and are kept very busy. The demand on their time is more than they have.

The general response in the Leon community here has been overwhelmingly positive to the organization and the programs we offer, which is very noteworthy and exciting. I think this acceptance is mainly a result of our creating programs from the communities input and need.

We are still working on organizing one of Adelante's teachers to study in the US for a semester, but are confident it will work out. Donations can be made by clicking on the Donate Now! button. We are also looking for room and board near Bellevue. Contact me for more info.

This month and next month we are excited to be getting a couple volunteers from the United States including long time friend Ann Griego who will be helping strategize for a free medical clinic we are proposing to open this year.

If you have any questions or comments please don't hesitate to contact me:

Mateo Garibaldi

Executive Director and Adelante founder

mateo.g@adelantenow.org

Thank you!

2012-01-25T17:20:36.909Z

A big thank you to all of our wonderful donors and event planners and organizers this year! Without you, the work that we do on a daily basis would not be possible. We look forward to another successful year in fundraising to secure Adelante's future in Leon!

On behalf of Adelante's board of directors, the community we serve in Leon, and Nicaragua,

THANK YOU!

Haircut day at Carita Feliz

2010-02-19T22:04:27.164Z

On Friday two English students of Adelante's decided that they would donate their hair cutting services. The two barbers came to the after school program and cut most of the boys hair. They even attended some children who weren't in program but were siblings of kids in the program. We now have enrolled 50 children who attend daily here.

The two barbers were Hariton Aburto, a long time friend of Executive Director Mateo, and Jonathan Damian, both of whom are enrolled in English classes.

Adelante 2010

2010-02-06T17:22:36.422Z

2009 was an incredible year for Adelante, and I would like to thank all of those who collaborated, supported and worked so hard to make it possible. Thank you! With the closing of 2009 and the beginning of 2010 we have many things to look forward to.

Last year our after school program created an incentive program which rewarded students at the end of the year for their good grades. We are proud to say that not one student failed their classes and they all participated in an exciting excursion to a local water park. As of today our after school program has enrolled 36 students - that's 15 more than we usually have. We have increased from 4 university tutors to 7 and are very excited about the growth and the challenging year to come.

English classes started 1 week ago and it has was been great to see the students' enthusiasm. Our beginners class filled up very quickly with 15 students (1 full scholarship, and 1 partial scholarship awarded). This class also features 2 advanced student teachers. It's fun to see them interacting with students in a completely different role. They aren't used to being called "professor" but they are enjoying getting used to it. For these students it is a very good segueway to putting into use what they have already learned. Our level 3 intermediate class enrolled 7 students (with 1 full scholarship, and 2 partial scholarships). Although a small group they are very energetic and always looking to make the class dynamic. Next week my student teachers and I will begin 2 Saturday classes, with 20 students in each, located in a neighboring city.

The Vecinos group (Myra, Polly and Nik), now in their third year, are Nicaragua bound and touch down in Managua February 26th. With them they will bring funds to support 450 elementary school students and teachers in the area. During the week that they are here we will buy and deliver school supplies to the 3 schools and complete various capital improvement projects.

This year Adelante will be visited by various volunteers who will help Adelante with their programs as well as take advantage of the homestay opportunities that are available. We look forward to seeing Leticia, Michelangelo, Emily and possibly more.

Other projects that we are continually working on are a Spanish teaching program through Skype that Adelante's English students will run, a free medical clinic, as well as sending a student to the United States for 2-3 months to study English. These are projects that I am working on throughout the year and would appreciate input from anyone with expertise in these areas.

Adelante's current needs

1. School supplies (colored markers, spiral notebooks, pens, pencils, erasers, sharpeners)

2. Childrens story books in Spanish

3. A household that is willing to sponser a Nicaraguan student for 2-3 months

4. Volunteers interested in working with kids and adults (Spanish a plus, but not necessary)

Please feel free to contact me with any questions regarding any of these projects.

Mateo Garibaldi

Executive Director/Founder of Adelante

mateo.g@adelantenow.org

Executive Director Report

2009-10-15T14:59:48.093Z

The programs operating through Adelante showcase sustainability at its best. I’m very excited to report that two of our initial programs are completely self-sufficient and are now run by Nicaraguans teaching Nicaraguans. Every NGO knows that when implementing new programs it is of the utmost importance to always think about sustainability. I’m happy to say that this has been one of the most important things that I have focused on during my time in Leon. It’s so exciting to see former students teaching new students. Three of my former students who completed all their appropriate courses are now teaching children from 1st to 6th grade. It’s amazing to see them teaching and seeing things they picked up from my own classes. Also, Adelante is becoming very well known in the community as schools are now approaching me looking for teachers. Next month two of my students will hopefully gain employment at a pre-school teaching English. Additionally, the after school program has become completely financially self-sufficient.

Program Updates

Word by Word: Three students from my advanced English class have organized themselves and created their own curriculum to start teaching their own class for kids from 1st –6th grade.

English Classes: English classes are progressing very successfully. There is one class in the morning and one in the evening. Plans to add a Saturday course in a neighboring city are in the works.

College Bound: Sponsored students are finishing their first quarter and will be turning in grades in the next few weeks.

After School Program (Carita Feliz): The after school program, locally known as “Carita Feliz” (Happy Face), presently has 19 students enrolled. The tutors have brainstormed various ways they could make the program sustainable. They now sell chips and popsicles during the program to all people using the facility. 100% of the proceeds go towards school supplies and the kids’ monthly fun activities. The exciting part is that this program is now financially stable enough to run whether Mateo is present or not.

July tutor spotlight - Yesenia Isabel Cisneros Martinez

Hello my name is Yesenia Isabel Cisneros Martinez, I am 20 years old and a single mother of a beautiful 2 year old. I live with my mother Maria Dolores Martinez in the city of Leon. I work as a volunteer tutor in the Carita Feliz project and I love it because we work with children and we help them with their homework. I am a high school graduate, and am taking a computer operation course. I have faith in God that I will accomplish my goal of attending the University next year and getting a degree in Social Work. In our country there exists a lot of physical and psychological abuse towards women and children, and I would love to help these people by being a social worker. My goal is to become a professional alongside the most beautiful things I have, my mother and my daughter.