Nicaragua

Letter from Compassion Nicaragua Director William José Gutiérrez Rojas

Dear Sponsor,

Dear brothers and sisters, it is a privilege for me to write and greet all of you. My name is William José Gutiérrez Rojas. During 14 years, since 2003, I have been the Country Director of Compassion Nicaragua, located in Central America. It has been more than 16 years since the ministry was launched in this country; among challenges, we are helping more than 56,000 children, to release them from poverty in Jesus’ name. They are supported by 181 church partners.

Thank you so much for your support, for walking with these children during all this time through sponsorship! Now, our children have the opportunity to grow in a holistic way (spiritual, physical, cognitive, and socio-emotional) by being exposed to the Gospel, spiritual retreats and other activities that teach them about God’s love; regular medical checkups, meals, preventive health care; having access to education, school reinforcement, diverse types of vocational trainings; and the opportunity to interact with other people in a healthy and compassionate manner. Besides all these, the children’s lives are impacted in a positive way with their sponsors’ friendship. Your letters are much appreciated by them because of your encouraging words to get ahead in life, making them aware they are worthy and loved—especially considering many of our children come from dysfunctional homes with frosty relations where there is no interest in their wellbeing.

With Compassion's program, not only our children are impacted, but also their parents, who are taught how to raise, treat and educate their children from their survival age (pregnancy onwards). Parents are made aware to take greater responsibility and are educated in topics such as child protection, nutrition, etc.

Nicaragua is the second poorest country in the Americas after Haiti. Around 50 per cent of children and adolescents are living in poverty, and 19 per cent in extreme poverty. The most deprived children are those living in rural areas, whose income is even less than US$2 a day. That is why there is a high rate of Nicaraguan children out of school who are impelled to work to earn some money trying to relieve, a bit, their basic needs. Children in our country struggle with common diseases such as malnutrition, poor quality of drinking water, domestic violence, lack of access to education, poor self-esteem and hopelessness.

I would like to take advantage of this letter to ask for your prayers, please. There is still a long path to walk through, and our effort is to reach more and more children in need in order to enable them to become responsible and fulfilled adults.

Thank you for joining Compassion in its effort to break the chain of poverty in Jesus’ name; and thank you for “arising and crying out in the night, for lifting up thy hands toward Him for the life of young children, that faint for hunger in the top of every street” (Lam. 2:19). Your support is greatly valued and appreciated, not only by our children but by our Lord and Saviour.

In Him and for Him,

William Gutiérrez Rojas

Country Director Compassion Nicaragua