From Katie Brugger:
Dear Union Church friends,
Nicaragua has been engulfed in a serious political crisis since mid-April, with continuing protests against Daniel Ortega’s government and over 300 deaths. The universities have closed out of concern for the welfare of the students, as many of the protestors are students and the universities had become centers of conflict.
As a result, the scholarship students of Fundación A. Jean Brugger have been out of school for a couple of months. In addition, because tourism has collapsed, the economy of San Juan del Sur has suffered enormously. Many businesses have closed, and the students who had jobs have lost them. Unfortunately, at this time there is no end in sight for the political crisis, which means no one has any idea when the universities will reopen.
The staff of FAJB, in concert with the Board of Directors, has been working to develop special programs for the scholarship students so this time will not be a complete loss. Currently we have proposed these programs:
– English classes for all of the students, as the ability to speak English will be an asset for the students no matter their career.
– Inter-student exchange, for example a computer engineering student can help another who is struggling with computer skills.
– Seminars in personal-finance given by the economics and finance students (this idea was proposed by a student).
– Small projects, for example an improvement in an elderly person’s home to help them with mobility.
We are writing you today because we would like to raise money for a special fund for these programs. We have contacted Escuela Adelante, a nonprofit bilingual school here in San Juan del Sur, about providing English classes. They have offered to provide special classes for our students at a discounted price.
The students are quite enthusiastic about this, as they know the value of speaking English, and the quality of the teachers at Escuela Adelante is well-known. We have already begun testing the students to place them in the appropriate class. Twenty-five students, out of a total of 34, took the tests (At least 5 of the remaining 9 already have excellent English). Their dedication to advancing their education couldn’t be clearer.
Our goal is to raise $5000 to cover the cost of these special programs. Besides the tuition for the English classes, we would need small funds for transport, materials, photocopying, etc. for the other projects. $5000 would provide enough funds to continue these programs through the end of 2018.
We feel this is a vital investment in the future of our students who have been idled through no fault of their own, and we hope you can help us fill their time with programs that will change this difficult time into an enriching and productive experience.
Sincerely,
Kathleen Brugger
President, Board of Directors,
The A. Jean Brugger Education Project
A gift of $50 or $100 will make a big difference. To contribute:
Checks, please indicate on your check this is for ‘2018 special programs’
The A. Jean Brugger Education Project, Inc.
P.O. Box 541
South Pasadena, CA 91031
Paypal
Visit our website at
http://www.fundacionajbrugger.org/special-program-campaign
If you are given the option for purpose of donation, please indicate that this is for the ‘2018 special programs’
Students taking English exam –
