Nicaragua is an American country situated in Central American Isthmus. It has an area of 130.494 square kilometers, with a multi-ethnic population of about 6.352.000 inhabitants. Spanish is the official language, although many native languages are recognized, like the English Crioul, the Miskito, the Sumo, the Rama and the Garifuna. The history of Nicaragua has been characterized by a series of political and social conflicts since its independency of the Spanish crown.
The main objective of PEPE in Nicaragua is to offer a comprehensive initial education and with quality including the cognitive, physical, emotional and spiritual development of the less favored children that live in the neighbor communities of the churches. Similarly, taking care of the children’s families, in different aspects, mainly spiritually to reach their changing and give them hope in Jesus.
PEPE was implemented five years and six months ago in Nicaragua. Currently, we have 31 missionaries-educators at the units spread in the country. Besides the education area, we also work in the churches in the Christian education area, as well as visiting and developing discipleship with the parents through PEPE GOES.
There are 430 children assisted by PEPE in the country only this year. These children are not only studying, but also receiving the needed support to reach their highest potential when they enter in the school system both intellectually and emotionally.
Through our partnership between PEPE and the local churches, we intend to reach and change the lives of the children and their families, through the gospel. For that, we are working hard to reach excellence in the quality of the education at the PEPEs; having as a goal for the following years of double the number of pre-schools that we currently have. Many children have their lives changed through PEPE. This is the case of Leonardo. A boy that is a student of PEPE “Little friends of Jesus” in the district of El Crucero, in the State of Managua. When the classes started last year, he had a very difficult behavior, rebel and disobedient with the parents and teachers. Through the love and commitment of the missionary-educators, through the prayers and the grace of the Lord, today at the end of the course, Leonardo is a different child. He is a really changed child, presenting a good behavior with the parents, teachers and friends. As a result of the impact that Leonardo’s changing had in his house, his mother and father are visiting the church. They have been cared by the pastor so that the know closer that God changes lives. This is an example of changing that PEPE has brought in the lives of the children because they are not only educationally helped, but they are also offered the opportunity of experiencing the complete changing by having Jesus inside their houses.