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 Some of our kids in the courtyard of Casa Nuevo Amanecer in Managua. This building was financed in large part by a donation from the British Embassy. It has dorm space for 15 boys, kitchen, bath rooms, dining area, classroom, office and woodworking shop. |
The Nicaragua Street Kids Project ¡Sí a la Vida! (Yes! to Life) began in 1994 when Jonathan Roise, a Seattle Quaker*, and Nicaraguan social activist Mercedes Guido first befriended homeless, glue-sniffing boys in the big Montenegro Public Market in Managua. When a number of the kids responded, choosing to leave the street life and give up "the glue," neighbors in the barrio offered food and support. Cash donation from U.S. and British friends enabled Jonathan and the local volunteers to establish ¡Sí a la Vida!'s small center, Casa Nuevo Amanecer (New Sunrise House). At Casa Nuevo Amanecer, up to fifteen youngsters at a time receive counseling and learn the meaning of respect for others and respect for themselves as they share in work, study, and recreation and begin to take charge of their own lives. In the five years since ¡Sí a la Vida!'s founding, hundreds of street kids, ages nine to fifteen, have been residents or daytime participants at Casa Nuevo Amanecer. The boys are taught literacy and math skills, and have opportunities to learn carpentry or mechanics. Whenever possible, youngster are reunited with their families or placed in another long-term care arrangement. Contributions from groups and individuals in the U.S. and other countries have provided on-going support for the work of ¡Sí a la Vida! Now, with generous gifts, large and small, of caring friends, ¡Sí a la Vida! is expanding its Managua center to serve more kids from the streets. A second center for older youth is located on Ometepe Island in Lake Nicaragua, where ¡Sí a la Vida! has acquired land for new facilities and a farm. The first building, a dormitory and dining hall, is completed. Eighteen boys are now residing at this new building, which has been named Casa José María in honor of a Spanish friend and benefactor of the project A new dormitory is planned and we expect construction to begin early in 2006. ------------------------ * Jonathan is now a member of Agate Passage Friends Meeting on Bainbridge Island, WA, across Puget Sound from Seattle. * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* * Si a la Vida - Managua Sí a la Vida - Ometepe Island Center Sí a la Vida - Development Plan
Contact us at bomiki@bainbridge.net |
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 First contact with the boys was in the Montenegro Market, often through first- aid that Jonathan administered. |
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 The site of the new center on Ometepe Island is a plantain farm in Altagracia. Some of the plantings will be continued for the cash income they bring. |
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