Background story

This is a fundraising blog for Iveth and Joselin Betancour, my former host sisters in the town of La Unión, Nicaragua. Iveth is 24 years old, and Joselin is 22. Over the course of the last nine years, our friends and family members have joined together to raise close to $10,000 to help send Iveth (and now Joselin) to school. Now a student at the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Nicaragua (UNAN), Iveth is working on a social work degree, and Joselin is pursuing a degree in nursing. This is a blog dedicated to helping them achieve their goals.

The background: In the summer of 2001, I spent a summer working with community-based health initiatives in a hurricane resettlement town in rural Nicaragua. During that time, I lived with the family of Marlene and Marvin Cortez-Ramos and their three children, and grew close to all members of the family.

In 2003, I returned twice to visit the ever-expanding Cortez-Ramos family and see the progression of the town. La Unión (so-named because it's a union of politically and geographically disparate hurricane victims) is a town of between 500 and 600 people. In recent years (which were economically bad ones for the country as a whole), many of the men of the town have taken to spending seasons as undocumented agricultural workers in Costa Rica to make ends meet.

Iveth and Joselin are special in a town where few people—and fewer women— attend school past fifth or sixth grade. Their family has emotionally supported their ambitious educational plans but has been unable to provide the financial means to do so.

Over the last few years, our family and friends have contributed to an education fund that enabled Iveth to continue her education. This year we are hoping to raise enough money to help Iveth and Joselin continue their journey.

Public schooling in Nicaragua is actually free of charge, but the daily transportation needs and costs associated with attending school in the city have become too great a burden for their family.

Below you can read her breakdown of costs. Annually, it costs around $1500 to send them to school. Please consider donating to this cause by clicking on the Dwolla donation button.



Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Letter from Ivette - 2014

Hello Tim, Kendra, and esteemed “godparents”:

I hope that you are enjoying good health and feeling the blessings of God!

I write to you again this year for the purpose of asking your help in finishing my educational career and the ongoing studies of my brothers and sister. I thank you in advance for your great support in previous years.  We would not have been able to study without your help because, as you know, we come from a humble family with poor parents who work hard on the field but, unfortunately, their academic level does not allow them to acquire a better job and this reduces the possibility of supporting us financially.

I want share what we have done with the money you sent in early 2013.  My sister started her first year of a nursing degree at a private university where the registration cost is $84, with a monthly fee of $30 dollars, plus the added cost stationery and passage every Saturday at the city of Leon, 47 kilometers from the community where we live.  As you already know, I study at a public university where education is free. Apart from the cost of travel, I pay for my course packs and copies.  I should mention that in the last three months of the year, I was working in social services in a hospital where I had to buy all the material I used (white coat, shoes, pens, table).  This was my fifth year [of my social work degree]. Thanks to God and to you, everything has gone well to date in 2014.  I was assigned a tutor and I have six months to work on my thesis, which is to be defended in July.  Then I will have a right to my licensure in social work.   My graduation is scheduled for December, and I expect that costs of preparation to be large.

Now, in 2014, my brother Eddison started his studies at the Institute in Telica, where I got my high school degree. He travels there daily.  The ticket costs 15 córdobas ($0.59) and he spends another 40 córdobas ($1.58) on lunch.  He leaves home at 5 in the morning and returns at 3 p.m. because it is the only bus that travels to where we live.  Classes started there in February.  His education is otherwise free.

I hope I can count on your support again this year.  I know that we are now three and maybe we are many for you, but we all want to overcome [our circumstances] and lead a better life ...

Thank you very much. God bless you all.

With affection,

Ivette Betancourt

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hola  timo ,kendra y  estimados padrinos espero  esten gozando  de  mucha  salud y  esten siendo  bendecidos  por  la  gracia  de  Dios

Esty dirigiendome  a ustedes  nuevamente  este  año  con el  proposito  de pedirles  ayuda  para  culminar  mi carrera  y  mis  hermanos  estudien  , agradezco  de  antemano  su  gran apoyo en años  anteriores  de  no  haber  sido asi nosotros  tristemete  no  hubiesemos  estudiado ya  que  como  sabran procedemos  de una  familia humilde  de escasos  recursos  con padres que  trabajan mucho en el campo  pero  su  nivel academico  lamentablemente no  les permite adquirir  un mejor  empleo  y esto reduce la pòsibilidad  de apòyar economicamente  a nosotros  sus  hijos

les  comparto lo  que  ha  pasado con nosotros  y el  dinero  que  fue  enviado a  inicios  del 2013   mi  hermana  empezo  su  primer año de enfermeria  en una  universidad  privada donde  la matricula  costo 84 dolares y  paga  una  mensualidad de  30  dolares  a  esto   se le  suma el gasto  en papeleria  y pasaje  ya que viaja  todos  los  sabados  a la  ciudad de leon a 47 km  de la  comunidad  donde  habitamos ,  yo  como  ya  saben estudio en una  universidad publica  donde la  educacion es gratuita  ocupe  dinero  para  mis  pasajes  pago de folletos  o copias ya  que  libros  no es posible  compralos ,  cabe  mencionar  que  en  los  ultimos  3 meses  del año estuve  dando servisio social  en un hospital   donde  me toco comprar  todo el material  que  utilizaria  par ello (gavacha blanca , zapatos , lapiceros , tabla.)  ya  fue  mi quinto año gracias a Dios y austedes   todo  ha  marchado  bien  a  hora  en el 2014   se  me  asigno un tutor  y  me  dieron de plaza 6 meses  para  trabajar en mi tesis  y sea  defendida  en  julio  y hasta  entoces  podre tener  derecho a mi titulo de licenciada  en trabajo social   para  en Diciembre  esta programada  mi graduacion donde   los  gastos  para  mi seran grandes   para  los  preparativos .

Hoy  en el 2014 ya   se nos  suma Eddison mi hermano  quien inicio  sus  estudios  en el istituto  donde saque  mi secundaria  en telica  y el  esta  viajando  diariamente  donde  el costo del pasaje  es de 15 cordobas  y  gasta 40 en almuerzo  ya  que el sale  de casa  a las 5 de la mañana  y  regresa  a las 3 de la  tarde por lo  que es un unico  bus  el  que  viaja  hasta  donde  vivimos  el inicio  las clases en el mes de febrereo ai  la educacion es gratuita  .

Espero  poder contar  con su apoyo este año nuevamente  se  que  ya  somos  tres  y quizas  seamos  muchos para  ustedes  pero  si tenemos   todo el deseo de superacion para  poder  llevar una   mejor  vida ...

muchas gracias  que Dios  los  bendiga  a todos  con cariño

Ivette  Betancourt



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