Under the heading “CHANGING LIVES – CREATING FUTURES” Casa Alianza UK is helping to provide funds for the provision for Art, Music, sport and Culture for the children at Casa Alianza Nicaragua
The project helps rehabilitate street children aged 10 to 18 that have been rescued from the streets and are currently in our residential and outreach/community programmes. The project engaged children in a variety of creative, artistic, musical and sporting activities – activities the children THEMSELVES have chosen! The methodology is designed to develop their skills, to motivate and inspire children to prevent them returning to the streets and most importantly, allow them to be children and enjoy being able to play, grow and learn.
Many of the street children that enter our programme have an emotional dependency on solvents - used to numb physical and emotional pain and the trauma of living on the streets. Prolonged solvent abuse can have a profound effect on: motor skills - particularly hand-eye coordination/shaky hands, memory loss and shortened attention spans. The activities encourage a sense of belonging, learning to be part of a team working with and for others and developing a sense of self esteem and personal achievement... Skills which will help children build a successful future.
Activities such as painting, drawing and sewing form a key component of the detoxification process by providing a positive activity for children to channel their energies and to start rebuilding these skills. It provides another means of self expression and the finished product gives them a real sense of pride, satisfaction and most importantly, self belief.
The project includes providing children with regular weekly workshops with specialist teachers who will be able to teach them a wide variety of techniques so that children can learn, develop their skills and are given the opportunity to practice the newly acquired skills.
We are constantly looking for ways to help our children learn new skills that they could develop and use to set up their own microenterprise that will help them as they grow towards independent living, to break the cycle of poverty and to live a life free from dependency.
An example of some of the costs for the project are –
Hiring of personnel (4 for 12 months) to carry out workshops/sessions with the children, in pottery & art, Performing Arts (singing, drama & dance) Hammock making, bead work, embroidery and Music are £ 3740.00
Arts resources: i.e. Clay, acrylic paints, paint brushes, beads, nylon, paper, wool, scissors, looms, needles, fabric...etc are £1870.00
Two recent activities include a documentary making workshop and a creative workshop making aromatherapy candles, full information below.
In collaboration with the Spanish Culture Centre in Nicaragua, eight teens resident at Casa Alianza Nicaragua’s Hilton Home and Home for Teenage Mothers took part in a two-week documentary making workshop, alongside 20 other children and teens from across Nicaragua.
The course aimed to provide young participants with practical training in script writing, filming and editing, as well as exploring how documentaries can be used to reflect reality, without investing huge amounts of money.
After the first few sessions where the children were given the theoretical information, they set to work on writing a script in order to make and produce their own documentary. Then, after dividing up responsibilities, everyone got to work in their respective positions, some as set designers, others as make-up artists, some as directors and producers, and others in the spot-light as actors
In November, new activity for the children and teens started, giving them the opportunity to learn how to design and make their own decorative and aromatherapy candles. Twenty children participated in the activity.
The course will run for four sessions and the final products will be displayed and sold at public events and activities organized by Casa Alianza Nicaragua. All products used in the candle making are from recycled materials.
All of our children benefit enormously in so many ways from this project but it is now in great need of funds to support the on-going work and to develop the project further.
Would you be able to help us fund the project?
Maybe through an on-going regular donation or a one off donation, by setting up a Justgiving page to fundraise amongst your friends, family and colleagues.
If you would like to donate to this programme, please click here
For a regular donation, please click here
Would you like to volunteer at the project and offer your skills to develop this programme further?
To volunteer, please click here
Please think if you are able to help and support us in any way you can...
Thank You
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