The first week brought only two women. Though disappointed, our partners at Hope for Nicaragua continued walking day after day through the local red-light districts, inviting women to a weekly support group. As relationships were built and trust grew, more women came. Soon there were twenty-five, then a hundred.

Now more than three hundred women gather each week for music, teaching, and the opportunity to earn a small income. Joining them are girls and young mothers who are healing and being nurtured at Hope for Nicaragua’s safehouse. While being paid to handcraft cards, jewelry, and small bags, the women are gaining marketable skills that will empower them to leave the red-light districts for good. Thanks to Hope for Nicaragua’s micro-grant program, some will even begin their own small businesses.

As these women work toward a better future, their children receive scholarships, school supplies, and uniforms, allowing them to stay in school and out of Managua’s child brothels. In this way, Hope for Nicaragua empowers families to break cycles of poverty and forge futures of hope for the next generation.

Our partners have recently expanded their outreach into neighboring Honduras, sending teams to reach at-risk women and children in the gang-ridden neighborhoods of San Pedro Sula. They have also formed partnerships within the South American country of Bolivia, establishing safehouse and vocational programs in two cities. By offering opportunities to create a better life, our partners are making a difference for hundreds of women and children, spreading Hope both within Nicaragua and beyond.

To protect our partners, we use a pseudonym for the name of this program.