Life for Our Scholars

VISEDAL Families

Our scholars live with their families—some with one or both parents and some with extended family. Most VISEDAL families live in three neighborhoods in the greater Managua area. These neighborhoods, or “barrios,” are among the poorest and most dangerous in the city. Many children in these neighborhoods drop out of school to work in order to financially support their families.

Most of our scholars’ parents have not completed school beyond the 6th grade, and some have not received any formal education. Many of them work in Managua, where they sell goods at intersections, clean houses, or work as security guards, while others are unemployed.

Obstacles Facing Our Scholars

Poverty and negative cultural, family, and peer influences present major challenges for many of our scholars. In addition to overt challenges such as difficult living conditions and limited resources, less visible issues such as low expectations and a lack of support at home, gang influences, and the prevalence of drugs of abuse make it difficult for young Nicaraguans to reach their full potential.

76% of the population lives on less than $2 per day.

Life in Nicaragua

Home to about 6 million people.
Largest country in Central America.
Poorest country in Central America.
76% of the population lives on less than $2 per day.
GDP per capita of $2,086.90 (compared to $57,466.80 in the United States).
The average Nicaraguan has 4.6 years of schooling.
Nearly 25% of the population lives without electricity.
42.2% of the land is used for agricultural purposes, and 70% of the population engages in agricultural activity.

Other Challenges in Nicaragua

Teenage pregnancies account for 1 in 4 births.
54% underemployment.
14% of children ages 5–14 are involved in child labor.
17% of children under the age of 5 suffer from chronic malnutrition.
52% of women have experienced domestic violence.
17.2% of the population is illiterate.

Our scholars also face challenges related specifically to their schooling. For example, outside of Casa VISEDAL, the vast majority of our scholars do not have access to a physical space that is conducive to studying. In addition, many scholars do not have a family member at home who is capable of helping them with their homework. Furthermore, several scholars are years behind in school because they had dropped out to work with their parents or beg for money on street corners before joining VISEDAL.

Every scholar faces different challenges, and our staff maintains close relationships with each scholar to provide the encouragement, accountability, and resources necessary for the scholar to overcome every obstacle and reach his/her goals.

Learn about a day in the life of Winny, a VISEDAL Scholar.
Video credit: Maryvale Preparatory School VISEDAL Interns

Life in Managua

Managua has been Nicaragua’s capital since 1852 and is home to almost 1 million people. In actual area, Managua is larger than New York City; however, its neighborhoods are spread far apart.

In 1972, Managua suffered a devastating earthquake that left the city in ruins. Because Managua lies on a fault, it experiences a major earthquake at least every 50 years, a troubling reality as the city attempts to constantly rebuild its infrastructure. In 1998, Hurricane Mitch further devastated much of the infrastructure and economy. Despite its poverty, Managua remains Nicaragua’s political, social, cultural, educational, and economic center.

Education in Nicaragua

500,000 children between the ages of 3 and 12 are out of school entirely.
There are six years of primary school and five years of secondary school.
While public schools do not charge fees, costs such as school supplies and uniforms can make school attendance impossible for some families.
30% of primary school children do not attend school, even though it is required by law.
48% of students graduate from primary school.
53% of primary school students are over-age for their grades.
47% of girls and 35% of boys attend secondary school.
9.5% of primary school students fail their grade and have to repeat the year.
8.2% of secondary school students fail their grade and have to repeat the year.
7% of Nicaraguans have a college degree.

Sources

Life in Nicaragua
CIA. “The World Factbook.” https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/nu.html.
World Food Programme. “Nicaragua.” http://www.wfp.org/countries/nicaragua/.
World Bank. “GDP per capita (current US$).” http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GDP.PCAP.CD.
USAID. “Model Schools Break with Tradition.” https://www.usaid.gov/results-data/success-stories/model-schools-break-tradition.

Other Challenges in Nicaragua
Manna Project International. “Nicaragua.” http://www.mannaproject.org/nicaragua/.

Education in Nicaragua
Unicef. “At a glance: Nicaragua.” http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/nicaragua_statistics.html.
Unicef. Nicaragua: Country programme document 2013-2017. http://www.unicef.org/about/execboard/files/2012-PL31_Nicaragua_CPD-final_ approved-English.pdf.
Asla Foundation. “Nicaragua.” http://aslafoundation.org/more-info/nicaragua/.