1 person found this review helpful
Circulo De Amigas
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October 19, 2012
1 person found this review helpful
I sponsor a young woman and contribute monetarily to this non profit because I think they do amazing work! This m group serves over 100 young girls and their families in the hghlands of Nicaragua on a shoestring budget with a huge dose of hard labor from volunteers both in Nicaragua and Stateside, The goal of this non profit is to uplift Nicaragua by bettering the lives of young girls through education. Circulo de Amigas sponsors girls to keep them in school and has produced doctors, accountants, nurses and farmacists, professionals who go on to help their own communities. In addition, Circulo has a library, computer lessons and provides propane stoves and clean water barrels. You can sponsor a young student for as little at $50 a month and I doubt you will see your money go further in any other charity.
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Would you volunteer for this group again?
Definitely
For the time you spent, how much of an impact did you feel your work or activity had?
Life-changing
Did the organization use your time wisely?
Very Well
Would you recommend this group to a friend?
Definitely
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2012
2 people found this review helpful
October 18, 2012
2 people found this review helpful
CdA has given our family of avid readers and library patrons an opportunity to share our love of books. We sponsored a librarian's salary and then a tutor's salary. Seeing the smiles of the students in the reports we get make our small sacrifice well worth it.
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Was your donation impactful?
Definitely
How likely is it that you would recommend that a friend donate to this group?
Definitely
How likely are you to donate to this group again?
Definitely
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2012
August 28, 2012
This summer I had the opportunity to go down to Nicaragua and visit Cda. I was quite amazed at the level of poverty that the people down there live at. Yet, the girls of Cda will do what they can to stay in school. This was a very humbling experience for me.
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Would you volunteer for this group again?
Definitely
For the time you spent, how much of an impact did you feel your work or activity had?
A lot
Did the organization use your time wisely?
Very Well
Would you recommend this group to a friend?
Definitely
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2012
1 person found this review helpful
August 28, 2012
1 person found this review helpful
This past summer our family of four seized an opportunity that few families get to experience. We opted to travel to a remote part of Nicaragua and engage with an impoverished community through the CdA program that is helping to alleviate poverty in their own special way. It is hard to express the multitude of impressions that this remarkable community of individuals left on us, but we gained a perspective that you cannot possibly see in our polished US communities. The 10 days spent in Jinotega flew by fast as we helped with teaching, repaired rooftops, ran field trips, and helped to manage baseball games with donated equipment that we carted down from the US. Another part of our interest in traveling to Jinotega was to meet a talented young girl whom we decided to start helping through school this year. Our two teenage boys came back inspired to really tackle Spanish fluency and to return as often as possible. They seemed oblivious to the rough setting (although they were very much aware of it) but thrived on the spirit of other young kids in the barrio. We are delighted to be part of CdA.
More feedback...
Would you volunteer for this group again?
Definitely
For the time you spent, how much of an impact did you feel your work or activity had?
Life-changing
Did the organization use your time wisely?
Very Well
Would you recommend this group to a friend?
Definitely
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2012
1 person found this review helpful
April 30, 2012
1 person found this review helpful
I recently had the opportunity to visit Circulo de Amigas in Jinotega and experience first hand the amazing work that this orgaization does for the development of young women and the community in general. The projects range from planting and maintaining gardens in the neighbourhood, improvements to homes and living conditions, a playground for the children, and overall providing a safe, clean, and inviting atmosphere for learning and sharing. The staff was amazing; warm, friendly and attentive, not just to our needs but you could really see the genuine pride and joy that they offered to the projects and to the participants. And the girls that we met were inspiring! They were sometimes shy but always engaged, intelligent and strong. They will undoubtably provide a positive contribution to the future development of Jinotega and Nicaragua. They deserve the highest respect and our continued support.
More feedback...
Would you volunteer for this group again?
Definitely
For the time you spent, how much of an impact did you feel your work or activity had?
Life-changing
Did the organization use your time wisely?
Very Well
Would you recommend this group to a friend?
Definitely
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2012
2 people found this review helpful
April 23, 2012
2 people found this review helpful
My mother and I had the opportunity to visit C d A in early April 2012. We had the opportunity to meet both younger girls waiting for sponsorship as well as older girls who have been in the program for a few years. The need and the opportunity in the younger girls was apparent, but, importantly, the impact of the program on the older girls was very obvious. These are poised, confident, and bright young women with clear and positive ambitions. C d A does real and important good in the city of Jinotega and we are proud to be able to contribute to this amazing organization.
Photos
The Great!
I've personally experienced the results of this organization in...
We visited the facilities in Jinotega, met the staff, and visited with the girls in the area who receive the benefit of C d A and it's program.
Ways to make it better...
If I had to make changes to this organization, I would...
Create a template to replicate it to other towns and cities in Nica and elsewhere.
More feedback...
Was your donation impactful?
Definitely
How likely is it that you would recommend that a friend donate to this group?
Definitely
How likely are you to donate to this group again?
Definitely
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2012
What specific problem, purpose, priority, or project prompted your gift?
Educational opportunities for young, impoverished women in Nicaragua.
Why did you make your donation at this time?
No particular reason. Wish we'd known about it earlier.
What would you tell others about this organization?
What I said in my description and that sponsoring C d A gives you the chance to make a true connection that will not only expand your worldview, but expand your family :)
1 person found this review helpful
January 31, 2012
1 person found this review helpful
I worked with Circulo de Amigas in while I was in Nicaragua for 2 years. I don't know of an organization that is doing better work for girls and young women in northern Nicaragua. The Nicaraguan staff made up of intelligent, dedicated, responsible strong women- great role models for the girls who are part of the organization. Their library is a treasure in the community. I saw first hand the amazing work Circulo de Amigas does, their dedicated sponsors make a true difference in the lives of the girls they sponsor and in the community at large.
More feedback...
Would you volunteer for this group again?
Definitely
For the time you spent, how much of an impact did you feel your work or activity had?
Life-changing
Did the organization use your time wisely?
Very Well
Would you recommend this group to a friend?
Definitely
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2011
1 person found this review helpful
November 13, 2011
1 person found this review helpful
Circulo de Amigas is making a difference--in my life and in the life of a young woman who is studying to be a nurse at the university nearby.
When my husband and I were assigned our student as sponsors, we didn't really know what to expect.
Only by communicating often over the last 6 years, being provided with her reports of progress and finally visiting her twice that, in our eyes, a student who was a photo and a number has transformed into a caring young woman whose primary goal is to obtain an education and a career to support herself and her son.
If you have not been to Jinotega, it is difficult to understand the depth of poverty in the barrios of this beautiful mountain town.
Funds provided by us have given our student and her family a sturdy roof over their heads, a concrete wall to divert a contaminated stream and other materials. They still have dirt floors, but hopefully , that will change one day as well.
Circulo de Amigas provides a way in which we can directly affect the life and education of one person--it is only one, but some day, it will be many.
The Great!
I've personally experienced the results of this organization in...
...visiting Jintega twice to see what has transpired since we were first there. Many changes have taken place: a much-improved library, a gardening project for many families, a fruit-tree planting project, a new fence for a playground, etc.etc. There are two many things to mention.
Ways to make it better...
If I had to make changes to this organization, I would...
I would increase the volunteers who are sponsors. The same people continue to do the heavy lifting for the organization.
1 person found this review helpful
October 9, 2011
1 person found this review helpful
Circulo meets the needs of young women who are truly indigent. It does this by focusing on their education, paring them with loving donors who take a special interest in their welfare, and by paying local people to administer programs. The Board and administrative functions in the US are strictly volunteer based, so 100% of the aid given benefits the recipients and the local economy.
Education is the key component to improving the recipients long term future. It allows for the general improvement of Nicaraguan society and directly improves the lives of young women.
The Great!
I've personally experienced the results of this organization in...
I have only visited Jinotega once. However, the trip was well worth it. While both girls have benefitted, we provided vitamins and special support for one who was particularly in need. She has gone from a dull malnourished child who did not know her letters or numbers to one who is doing well in school, and is increasingly confident about her future. She has worked extremely hard and has made amazing progress.
Ways to make it better...
If I had to make changes to this organization, I would...
I would work to broaden the sponsor base and improve fund raising efforts. Volunteers in the US can only do so much, and the need is really overwhelming.
2 people found this review helpful
September 26, 2011
2 people found this review helpful
I learned of Circulo de Amigas through my church a number of years ago, and decided to sponsor a girl. It has been wonderful to get to know her through letters and photos, and to share experiences from each of our cultures. She is now in her second year of secondary school, and has hopes to attend the university. In the years I have sponsored her, I have seen her grow in a love for learning and to begin to think of a future with greater possibilities. She, and other girls like her, would not have had the opportunity for an education without "padrinos" to provide support.
I believe that for anyone, the best investment for life is a good education, and particularly so for children in developing countries. I have sponsored children through various organizations since I was a student in college (30+ years), and Circulo de Amigas is by far the best organization for sponsoring education for needy children that I have come across.
The Great!
I've personally experienced the results of this organization in...
Having the satisfaction of helping the girl I sponsor and her family, not only in education, but towards having a new home. Learning about the lifestyle and customs of people in Jinotega, Nicaragua has enriched my life. In volunteering with this organization I have met many dedicated people, with a true commitment to making the world a better place.
Ways to make it better...
If I had to make changes to this organization, I would...
Have more sponsors and donors to carry forth the great work done by Circulo de Amigas.
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