Education for Success was designed to provide educational and employment opportunities, as well as critical life skills, to at-risk youth in three municipalities of Nicaragua’s South Atlantic Autonomous Region (RAAS) – Bluefields, Kukra Hill and Pearl Lagoon.  The project originally had a budget of US $2.5 million for four years, starting in 2010.  However, the project has now been expanded to two additional municipalities (Corn Island and Desembocadura de Rio Grande), the budget increased to US $6.7 million, and the duration extended to 2017.  

 

The project provides financial support for children in grades 4-6 (preventing early drop-out) and for high school students (grades 7 through 9) to reduce the financial burden of sending children to school on low income families.  Education for Success offers scholarships for vocational and technical courses for youth who have already left school, and includes life skills training and recreational activities such as sports, music and arts. The program relies on community members to identify and provide on-going support the children and youth who benefit from activities, and works with the private sector to identify employment opportunities for youth who participated in vocational or technical training.  

 

From 2010-2012, 539 youth received scholarships for formal school and vocational training programs, with a 95 percent overall student retention rate.  Approximately 500 youth participated in sports activities and 621 students benefited from life skills training that covered a range of topics, including leadership, civic education, physical education, prevention of intra-family violence and drug-abuse, and conflict resolution.