I have been presented with an amazing opportunity to travel to Managua, Nicaragua on a short-term mission trip, August 26th - September 5th. Hearing testimonies of the work being done and still needing to be done in Nicaragua and the girls of Villa Esperanza – I could not let go of the desire to be a part of restoring joy and confidence back into lives of these young girls and their families. As I prepare to get my hands dirty, I come asking for both prayer and financial support.

          Managua, Nicaragua is the poorest country in Central America. Within the country’s poverty exists the poorest of the poor – those who live within garbage dumps, in homes made purely of garbage scraps. Parents and children make their living by scavenging the heaps of garbage to collect what they can sell. Young boys are removed from childhood to work, and young girls as young as nine have been known to prostitute themselves to garbage truck drivers for money or a better garbage selection. It is poverty and injustice beyond anything that can be communicated by word or picture.

          Forward Edge International (a non-profit in Vancouver, Washington) bought a 2-acre plot of land outside of one of these garbage communities and begun building homes for the young, at-risk girls. Villa Esperanza (Spanish for “Village of Hope”) is a long term living situation for girls to escape the cultural wreckage they’re born into in exchange for a life of hope. Here, girls are provided tutoring, mentorship, psychological counseling, spiritual development, food, clothing, and more of the basic essentials every child deserves.

       Villa Esperanza provides each of these girls with hope - hope to break the generational poverty that seems inescapable in La Chureca. These women are slowly learning new realities such as: not all men are dangerous; it is not ok for husbands to beat their wives; and there are means to survival beyond thieving, stealing, and sexual exploitation.

This video introduces you to the story that inspired Villa Esperanza, the leaders of this ministry and the girls who live there. It also shows you the horrors of life in La Chureca.