Hello everyone, thank you for the time you ar taking to consider helping a great cause. My name is Teddy Danielson. I am a co-founder and board member of the Nicaragua College Fund. I am 20 years old and have been watching my mother and older brother work with the needy students of Managua, Nicaragua since I was ten years old. Every summer my mom would plan a trip to visit an elementary school in Managua. It is called Jardin Infantil. She would bring as many young men and women as she could with her and show up to the little school ready to bring smiles to the faces of children who's only food and clothing was provided by the school and by various non-profit organizations.
In those early years, the school did not go up to 8th grade. As I have watched, the school has grown. It now includes a high school and has had several graduating classes. I has allowed to come on my first trip to Managua when I was sixteen. By that time, my mother, brother, and I along with several of the early continuing "members" of our little group, became concerned when we realized that these students had nowhere to go after they graduated from Jardin Infantil. In order to prevent them from living a life full of extreme hardship, we decided that we would try to start sending the school's graduates to University. We started a California-based non-profit called the Nicaragua College Fund.
We started small: looking to our own bank accounts and asking family and friends for their support. Thus far, we have been successful in sending all of the applicants to our program to University. Some of them are studying medicine; some civil engineering; some computer science. We check up on their progress continually and receive updates on their academic progress. This year we hope to pay the full tuition for 16 students. Turning to our family and friends is no longer enough. We need help.
It costs about 800 dollars to send a student to University for a full year in Managua. The programs are anywhere from three to five years long. A little bit goes a long way. The money that we receive from you will go into the Nicaragua College Fund's Bank account and, come mid-February, will be wired to the Universities that our sponsored students are attending in Nicaragua. 100% of the money raised goes directly to fund the students' educations. We have no administrative fees.
Thank you for taking the time to consider sponsoring our cause. Before you go any further, I want to let you know that this is your decision and that, if you decide to donate, you truly will make a difference in someone’s life. I know each and every one of these young men and women. They are intelligent, kind individuals; but most importantly, they are driven to fulfill a dream. This dream is not only to get an education, but to use that education to create better lives for themselves and for the people around them. Before us (and, if you choose, before you) that was a dream and nothing more. Now, with your help, and the help of people like you, it can become a reality.