News from the Dianova Nicaragua Foundation

The Dianova Nicaragua Foundation continues to support efforts to strengthen the country’s education system

Activities of the Dianova Nicaragua foundation

Physics/chemistry and computer labs and view of the Europeo hotel and practicum students

The Dianova Nicaragua Foundation founded the Esther del Río-Las Marías Dianova Comprehensive Education Center (CEID in Spanish) in March 1998. The Center’s mission is to provide an educational alternative for rural children and adolescents facing social risks. The Esther del Río Las Marías Centre is located in Santa Teresa, Carazo, 46 ​​kilometers from Managua. The Centre opened its doors to provide a free, high-quality educational programme while meeting the needs of pupils for food, housing, medical and psychological care, recreation, and cultural activities.

Although the CEID ended its school programmes in 2014, it still pursues its mission of providing high-school pupils with training through its physics, chemistry, and biology labs. To complement these activities and benefit the local community,  a computer lab opened in early August. More than 120 residents from the town of Santa Teresa will attend specialized courses to learn word processing and how to use Excel at basic and advanced levels. Each course is endorsed and certified by the National Technological Institute, and supported by the Dianova Nicaragua Foundation.

Five private high schools use the Centre’s physics, chemistry and biology labs, allowing 600 pupils to strengthen their knowledge in these fields during the time prescribed in the schools’ curricula.

The Dianova Nicaragua Foundation collaborated with the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and the Japanese embassy to provide essential supplies and basic infrastructure for the three science labs. These partnerships will help new generations of local pupils achieve more successful futures.

The Dianova Nicaragua Foundation promotes the self-confidence of future professionals

 

The Foundation has a partnership agreement with the University of Managua (UdeM in Spanish) as part of the Responsible Tourism Project. Pursuant to that agreement, the Foundation is sponsoring two Accounting students who will complete a 380-hour internship in accounting and operations at the Hotel Europeo, which partially funds the Foundation’s programmes.

Heimy Fonseca, a third-year student at UdeM and one of the two interns at the Hotel Europeo, has high expectations of the opportunity to use the knowledge she has gained at university.

The other intern is Ashley Álvarez, who is also in her third year at UdeM. Ashley is diligent, enthusiastic, and grateful for the opportunity to develop professionally while still at university.

“Here I can take on professional responsibilities and practice what I’ve  learned in the classroom. I am extremely grateful to the Dianova Nicaragua Foundation and to the Hotel Europeo for giving us the opportunity to work here.”

By supporting these two students, the Dianova Nicaragua Foundation and the Hotel Europeo continue to enhance the education of future professionals. Young people are essential to the Foundation’s mission, to strengthening its work, and to reinforcing its moral and human values.  To date, 60 students have benefited from short-term internships  and six have interned for longer periods.

Hotel Europeo

Hotel Europeo reopened its doors after a 9-month renovation period – view of garden and dining room