"After seeing the level of poverty and economic desperation throughout Nicaragua, I think the boys and young men at the Ometepe site are some of the luckiest kids in the country! They are able to complete their education and move on to a variety of job possibilities, they find companionship and adult support, they have an active life with other kids in the village, and thanks to cellphones they’re able to keep in touch with their families. Throughout Nicaragua are tons of NGO programs from countries around the world – but for my money, the Si A La Vida project has to stand as one of the most impressive. "

— Therese Ogle, summer 2009.

"On December 1st of 2008 I arrived in Nicaragua ...my third trip to Sí a la Vida. I found Managua every bit as poor and desperate as it had been ten years before ... more kids on the streets and in the markets than ever, with the addition of gangs involved in increasingly serious crime. I visited our Sí a la Vida center and came away with a profound respect for our dedicated staff. They live and work in this difficult place day after day. Without them there would be no way to take boys from Managua's chaotic streets ... and give them a chance for a decent life."

— Bob Royce, long-time supporter and co-founder of the U.S.-based support group Amigos de Sí a la Vida, describing his most recent trip to the project in Nicaragua, 2008. Read his complete letter here.

"Why should a group of staff visionaries and neighbors be successful in rehabilitating teen and preteen boys who have lived on the streets, been addicted to glue, and have rejected - or have been rejected by - their families? They have created a program which brings out the best in the kids. They treat the kids with respect and expect respect in return."
— Nancy Quitslund, President, Bainbridge/Ometepe Sister Islands Association, 2004.

"I spent three months last winter (2000) working with the Si a la Vida boys on Ometepe Island. We did a theater program that included games, role-playing, and tons of creativity. At the six-year anniversary celebration in Managua, ten boys from the Island performed “Los Músicos de Guadalajara,” a fantastic version of the tale of “The Bremen town Musicians.” These boys are natural-born performers and gave a great show to the huge crowd. They really got into their parts and enjoyed the play. The show could not have been pulled off without the help of the two other project volunteers, especially the ideas of Jeremy Shapiro and the endless energy of Nandi Janis. I had a wonderful time working with the boys and will certainly return to volunteer again."
— Alexis Bonhoff, volunteer from Bainbridge Island, Washington, 2000.

"After being involved with numerous solidarity efforts during my nearly two years in Nicaragua, I was impressed with how much good is being done (by Sí a la Vida) and how little money would be needed to really make it a sustaining effort. But, most of all, I was impressed by the courage, entrepreneurial spirit, and likability these boys had learned to wield. This is truly grass-root activism at its finest."
— Domenick Dellino, Ph.D., 1999.

"Nicaragua is where the Cold War was hot, but now that it’s over, Nicaragua has been abandoned by the international community. These kids know little of that. They are thinking mostly of the next meal or of the can of glue that can, for a brief time, take away the hunger pains. .... (Sí a la Vida) is binding up the wounds of some of society’s most wretched rejects."
— Ted Judd, Seattle neuro-psychologist and Quaker teaching in Costa Rica, 1998.

"I was brought face-to-face with the after effects of war. Many families were left homeless, driven by violence and hunger; and many young boys ran away to the city of Managua where they lived on the streets, sniffing glue for a quick high. Each boy has his own life story filled with pain, yet in so many ways they still retain an innocence and charm that surprised me. I imagined hardened kids. At the same time these boys make some of the most grown-up decisions in their lives — to quit glue, come off the streets, attend school, and learn to live. For their decisions they have my infinite respect.."
— Adriana VanBianchi, member of Bainbridge Island student delegation to Nicaragua, 1997.