Sí a la Vida rescues homeless kids in Nicaragua and helps them move from the world of the streets to a world of respect -- respect for themselves, for others, and for the environment. We invite you to learn more about Sí a la Vida and How This Project Works.

Current Updates

• New Photo Gallery
  Alexis Bonoff shares two new sets of pictures:
  Some of the boys on the first day of school, and SALV's 18th Anniversary trip to the beach. Photo Gallery

• 2011 Winter Appeal Letter
  Jonathan Roise, currently visiting in Seattle, provides a brief update about the project in Nicaragua: "As I write this, I’m back in Seattle on a visit. Here in the U.S., I’m struck by how little $8 can buy … perhaps a movie ticket, or a few lattes. At Sí a la Vida, $8 would cover all the expenses for one day of a boy’s care." Read more

• 2011 Fall Newsletter
  In our just-released newsletter, you can read about an amazing young enrollee at Si A La Vida, project updates from Managua and Ometepe Island, stories about Si A La Vida leadership, and a description of the scholarship program. Compelling reading! Download

• Capoeira
  In August, the US-based Ale’ Ale’ Foundation gave a workshop at Sí a la Vida on the Brazilian art of Capoeira. The boys participated in the warm-ups and stretching, then faced off to compete with high kicks and fluid movements. Thanks Ale’ Ale’ Foundation!
  See pictures in our Photo Gallery

• Pulsera Project Fun-Day
  The US-based Pulsera Project sponsored a day of activities for the boys of Sí a la Vida and also for the boys of Los Quinchos, a street kids center in Granada. Fun activities included games, a soccer match, and a pulsera competition. The boys played hard all day and enjoyed a chicken barbecue. Thanks Pulsera Project! (www.pulseraproject.org)

• Painting
  After cleaning the computer room on Ometepe, we were inspired to give the place a facelift. Using left-over materials and paint from the construction of Casa Mariano, the boys re-painted two walls of the computer room with a mural and a free-for-all experiment. Our new computer room is filled with color and imagination!

• 2011 Summer Appeal Letter
  Alexis Bonoff reports from Nicaragua: "As I scrape the last bit of Nicaraguan dirt from beneath my fingernails, I reflect on the changes at Sí a la Vida over the past years..."
  Read more here

• Sí a la Vida is now on Facebook
  We've finally decided to join the 21st Century: you can now see recent pictures of the SALV boys and participate in Facebook discussions about the project. You need to be a Facebook member to see the our page (it's easy to join, but this is not an endorsement of Facebook.) See it here:
  http://www.facebook.com/pages/Si-a-La-Vida/169695049745687

• Meet Sí a la Vida's new Volunteer Coordinator
  ASALV welcomes Alexis Bonoff as our new Volunteer Coordinator. She is already doing outreach to recruit new volunteers, coordinating the work of volunteers in Nicaragua, and volunteering herself at the project on Ometepe Island. Thank you, Alexis!

• News from Ometepe Island in Nicaragua: Yay team!
  Sí a la Vida kids are avid baseball players and this year won the island beisbol championship.... Ten kids -- the most ever in the history of Sí a la Vida -- are enrolled in the local high school (instituto) on the island.... Six older boys are already living in the new dorm.... And, over the past 12 months, the project shipped more than 8,000 pulseras to the Pulsera Project for sale -- proceeds provide spending money for the boys who weave the pulseras, are used for outings and special needs like band uniforms, and to partially fund operating costs of the new dormitory.

• Gracias to our young amigos on Bainbridge Island near Seattle.
  Third grade students in Boo Schneider’s class at Ordway Elementary School again did a masterful job of producing and marketing their "Kids Can Make a Difference" calendars. Profits are distributed as grants, and Sí a la Vida was again an honored and grateful recipient. Muchas gracias!

• A message from the co-founder of Sí a la Vida:
  "On February 20, 2011, we celebrated 17 years of incredible work with Nicaragua street kids. We would like everyone who has supported this project over the years to know you are in our hearts as a huge and essential part of all that we have accomplished. On behalf of the kids and staff, I thank you. Con mucho carino." ~ Jonathan Roise

• Friendship Bracelets. Check out our Friendship Bracelet (pulsera) webpages. The pulseras are produced by the boys of Sí a la Vida as a fundraising activity for the organization.
  In 2010 Sí a la Vida expanded sales by partnering with The Pulsera Project, a non-profit organization that supports young Nicaraguan artists of Los Quinchos and Sí a la Vida children's shelters through sales of their handmade bracelets. The relationship continues to be fruitful – generating, for example, $4,000 for the Si a la Vida boys and project in January 2011. The Pulsera Project references the handicrafts of the SALV boys at www.pulseraproject.com

Last updated February 22, 2012