I really need to update this blog

Julie and I are getting ready for our Spring trip to the states. You know, tax time and all. This has been our first full year working independent of other organizations (until the end of 2009 we had always partnered with orphanages). With our focus on the extreme poor in Nicaragua through feeding programs and student homes, we have found a niche that is meeting an important void in our area.

I've been lame about updating this blog and our ministry blog, Nica Impact. I hope to update both during our time in the states. At least I can say my excuse has been that I've been very busy with construction at our new project location, along with the operations of the student homes and the feeding programs.




We've had visitors on a regular basis over the past six months.









We had a team from Ames Iowa, Harvest Vineyard who helped us out with a feeding program lunch. They are one of a number of groups that have done this over the past year.







Plates of food getting ready to distribute.










We plan to hang out at the Tupilapa beach during the Easter week. Nicaragua shut down during that week, so we hope to enjoy the time before we leave to be with family in the states.



You can get updated at our new ministry blog at: www.nicaimpact.org

Marta Ligia Rodriguez Ruiz

The following story profiles one of the young adults in our student home program. At least once a month we will try to profile these young people to spotlight their background and goals for the future. This is the fourth in the series.

Name: Marta Ligia Rodriguez Ruiz

Age: 19

Time in Program: 7 Months

Educational Focus: Secretary Technician and Computer Operator

Marta was referred to us from the manager at the Monkey Hut, a tourist center at the edge of the crater lake Laguna de Apoyo. She was working part time in housekeeping at the lodge to earn money to help out at home. She had already graduated but had no money to continue her education. She lived at home with her mother and six brothers and sisters. Her boss knew of her desire to study and that there was no way for her family to afford sending her to school, so she asked if Marta might be a candidate for our program. After contacting the house director, Marta easily qualified and over the past 7 months has shown her dedication and desire to get ahead in life in order to help her family.

In Nicaragua it is very common for family members who work to pool their funds to help out with living expenses. Marta was working part time in the lodge to help the family when she could, but work wasn't full time. So when this opportunity presented itself to study she was torn but decided to advancing her career possibilities by getting more education. She has entered a vocational school for secretaries and takes computer classes. She also wants to study english, which she hopes to start at the beginning of 2011.

Marta is a model student and person. She is quiet, constantly studying, and very friendly. When she is not studying for her class she likes to read her bible and other books that relate to the scriptures. Her biggest concern is for her mother and her family. They have very little money and often times there is no food in the home. Marta has a chance to make a big difference in her family through this program.

She has expressed her gratitude many times for the opportunity to be in the program, but not just for her, but for all the girls of Casa Esther and guys in the Casa Juan Marcos. She is a unique young lady that consciously thinks about others as well as herself.

Photos:
Top - Marta
Center - Studying at Casa Esther
Bottom - Marta with Nelly at Casa Esther

Osmany Jose Ramos

The following story profiles one of the young adults in our student home program. At least once a month we will try to profile these young people to spotlight their background and goals for the future. This is the third in the series.

Name: Osmany Jose Ramos

Age: 20

Career: Nursing/Medicine

Osmany is one of our students that really stands out in the program. He has been participating for about 10 months now. Since joining the student program he has been hit with a couple of setbacks, but due to his perseverance he has been able to continue forward with his plans without major problems.

He came to us wanting to study Nursing at the local public school, but was unable to get into the local nursing school because the national political party offered the majority of the openings at the school to youth that supported the party. As a result he was denied enrollment. Needless to say, he was disappointed. The director of Casa Juan Marcos investigated options and found a school in private Nursing school in Masaya, about an hour bus ride away. The only openings were on Saturday because he applied late. The caveat is that the school has a three day a week internship at a hospital in Granada, also about an hour away. Osmany fills out his time volunteering at the old folks home and helping out with the feeding program.

When we make food deliveries in the feeding program, Osmany is often asked to speak to the kids before the distribution. He is very comfortable with public speaking. He can preach and teach and sing very well. Prior to coming to our program he was a leader in an HIV/AIDS awareness program in his community.

Osmany doesn't know his father, who left the family when he was very young. He always worked to help his mother and 5 of his 11 brothers and sister. His entry into our program has been a hardship for his family but he and his mother both realize that by taking advantage of this educational opportunity, he can return home in a few years with the ability to earn a good salary with a professional career.

Photos:
Top - Osmany helping at a food distribution
Center - Helping at a rural medical clinic
Bottom - Studying at Casa Juan Marcos.

Maria Isabel Somarriba Gonzales

The following story profiles one of the young adults in our student home program. At least once a month we will try to profile these young people to spotlight their background and goals for the future. This is the second in the series.

Name: Maria Isabel Somarriba Gonzales

Age: 19

Time in Program: 1 year

Educational Focus: Finishing High School

We met Isabel while working in feeding programs we facilitated in San Marcos. Isabel is second of 7 girls in her family. All but the oldest girl lives in the home. Isabel's mother volunteered to cook for the feeding program and through that relationship we met Isabel.


Most young people who attend school in Nicaragua will graduate at age 17. Isabel, because of the extreme poverty in her family, was not able to begin her education with her peer group. She is a couple years behind. She will graduate this year at age 20. Still, she has aspirations to learn a career that could help her family. And she would like to be an example to her five younger sister that they can break the cycle of poverty given the opportunity.

Isabel has not chosen her career choice yet. She is pondering her options and counseling with the director of the girls home to select a career that will fit her skills set.

When we asked Isabel what she thought of her opportunity to participate in the student home, she responded, "I'm always thankful for all that you are doing for me and this opportunity that you are giving me." And, "This is good for me because it helps me in my classes and in other areas of my life."


Isabel has a strong personality and has the potential to be successful in anything she puts her mind to. In the year she has been in the program she has matured immensely. We are excited to see the future that God has for her.

Photos:
Top - Isabel with Julie
Center - Studying at Casa Esther
Bottom - With her parents and her younger sisters at her sister's 6th grade graduation.

Franklin de Jesus Garcia

The following story profiles one of the young adults in our student home program. At least once a month we will try to profile these young people to spotlight their background and goals for the future. This is the first in the series.

Name: Franklin de Jesus Garcia.

Age: 20

Time in Program: 5 months

Educational Focus: Agricultural Technician.

Franklin is the second of six brothers. He was referred to our program from his youth pastor. Franklin has worked to help his mother since childhood. He doesn't know his father. When he found out about our programå he couldn't believe such an opportunity was available. His family lives in a small home in one of the underdeveloped barrios of Jinotepe. Since he moved into our student home, he has lost his bed in his home. In fact, on Sunday after church, his younger brothers come to our student home to hang out with their brother. He is an example to them.

Franklin came into the program knowing exactly what he wanted to study. He loves agriculture and he understands there are job opportunities in this agrarian society. He has chosen to study Agricultural Technology. In order to study his career, he has to wake up at 4 am, catch a bus by 5 in order to arrive to class by 7 am in Rivas, a city about 80 miles south. Class ends at 4 pm and he is back in Jinotepe around 6 pm. He does this five days a week. His weekends are filled with studying and church activities.


It was his church that noticed Franklin's focus and leadership. In Casa Juan Marcos he has already demonstrated those qualities. When asked about his opportunity in the program he says, " I think that this is the best opportunity that I have had in my life to go forward and I feel very proud to part of this program".


To those of you who have supported this ministry through donations or prayer, thank you. We hope you will see value in the work we are doing.

Blessings,

Doug and Julie Effinger
Global Orphan Fund, Inc.
Jinotepe, Carazo, Nicaragua.



Donations to the work:
GO Fund, Inc.
PO Box 67 Bingen, WA 98605

GO Fund Student Homes in Nicaragua.

For years we had worked with orphanage organizations which invested in young children, abandoned, abused, and neglected. After many years of seeing these children receive large amounts of attention by well intentioned foreigners, buying clothing, bringing gifts, and taking kids out on group activities, we had an epiphany moment. For every child we took to the pool for a swim day, or the beach, there were many others "outside the fence" looking in, dreaming what it would be like if it were them on the inside. This evolution of thought eventually led us in a new direction in early 2008.

The GO Fund's flagship program in Nicaragua has become it's student homes. These homes provide educational opportunities to young adults finishing up High School, or entering Vocational Education or University.

We operate a home for young men called Casa Juan Marcos (House of John Mark) and a home for young ladies named Casa Esther (House of Esther). Each home has capacity for 8 students. Acceptance into either home is based on applicants level of poverty and motivation to study and achieve a higher standard of living for themselves and their families. Each student agrees to follow certain rules and take on responsibilities. They are required to maintain a full schedule filling their time in three basic areas: 1) Studies, 2) Be involved in spiritual development/church, and 3) Volunteerism. Once a student is accepted, they attend local schools where they will learn a trade or University degree and round out their studies learning computer skills and English language.

Our house Directors provide career counseling for the students. They also screen the applicants and provide guidance in their studies. In addition to a house directors, we also have a hired cook in each home. This allows the students to focus their time towards their goals. Students are required to participate in the upkeep and maintenance of the home, respect the other members, and do their chores in a timely manner.

We presently have students from as far as five hours north of Jinotepe, an hour to the west, east, and south. And even a couple from around Jinotepe proper.

For the participants in the student homes, this opportunity is most likely the only chance they would have to learn the skills required to escape poverty. Our hope is that through this program, these young people would set a new course for themselves, their families, and their communities. And that they would no longer be on the outside, looking in.


Over the next few weeks and months we will profile the students on our program. If you'd like to donate to this ministry please send your tax deductible donation to:
GO Fund, Inc.
PO Box 67 Bingen,
WA 98605

Photos:
Top - Julie in front of Casa Juan Marcos
Center - With Cook at CJM
Bottom - With Isabel at Casa Esther

Latest GO Fund News.

(sign posted inside the old building we just purchased)

Been a while since our last post.

Things never seem to get boring around here or in our ministry. The GO Fund is in the midst of a transformation. For 7 years we worked closely with orphanages assisting in funding and constructing projects. As of December 2009 we have decided to work independent of other organizations. Nearly two and a half years ago we opened up a home to help young men aging out of orphanages so they could continue their studies. During the first year we assisted three young men from orphanage backgrounds. In every case, we were able to help them in their transition to independent life, but they fell short of acquiring a career through our program.

At the same time, we began working feeding programs in rural poor communities and found many poor teens and post teens who had to stop their studies due to lack of funds, yet still had the desire for higher education or vocational training. As a result, we modified our transition homes to become student homes. The focus of these homes now is to offer educational opportunities to the motivated poor. We presently have six young men and 5 young women in our program, with new candidates being screened for the 2011 school year.

As a result of all the changes that have transpired in this ministry, we are in the process of changing our ministry name and official focus. We are presently called the GO Fund, which stands for Global Orphan Fund. Since we are neither global nor do we work with orphans specifically any more, it is time to upgrade our name to match the work we do. Or at least to be less restrictive by name. Our board has been mulling over name ideas and we hope to have a new name registered before the end of the year. Along with the new name we will update our bylaws which will then allow us to register properly in the country. These are things we didn't have to do before since we always partnered with other organizations. Now it's time.

We recently purchased a half acre of property within the city of Jinotepe. On it we hope to build a facility which would serve as a ministry center, a library, a student resource center, and a teaching facility. It would become ground zero for our students and an outreach to the local community. We could eventually offer classes including, english, mathematics, and sex education, as well as bible studies and Christian leadership training.

Also on the property we hope to build a visiting team facility for short term missionaries and longer term volunteers, a directors house, and round out the property with a greenhouse and fruit trees and bushes. This property will be home base for the ministry, but the work needs to be reaching out into the local communities, like the feeding programs that we support. We presently supervise meals for 400 children and elderly people daily in three local towns. We would like to expand that number in the future. We would also like to host dental and medical teams that would visit the rural villages and provide much need care.

The fundamental program under our watch is the student homes. This is where we believe we can make the biggest difference in Nicaragua. It is because the young people in our program, given the opportunity, can impact the lives of their families and friends in their home communities much more than we ever could. Over the next few months I will try to highlight each one of our students, provide a picture and some background. We are very proud of these young folks. We hope you will be too.

To those of you who have supported this ministry through donations and/or prayer, or are considering partnering with us, thank you. We hope you will see value in the work we are doing.

Blessings,

Doug and Julie Effinger
Global Orphan Fund, Inc.
Jinotepe, Carazo, Nicaragua.



Donations to the work:
GO Fund, Inc.
PO Box 67 Bingen, WA 98605