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About Us - Acerda de Nosotros
“Nicoya & Friends” Foundation Sexual violence is a problem that affects thousand of children and adolescents around the world and is one the main and greatest violation to human rights. This situation occurs when one or more adults, through the use of force, authority and power, or promise of payment, involve a minor in activities of sexual nature. Sexual violence is the subjection of minors to participate in activities such as:
All these actions are associated with numerous physical and psychological effects in the abused children that hinder their development, such as:
According to the last Nicaraguan census, 46% of the population (2,404,458) is under age 18, of which 47% (1,121,520) are women. Data from the annual statistics of the National Police indicate that sexual violation is the predominant sexual assault that is committed against women (96%), of which 70% (7 out of 10 cases) is committed against a girl or adolescent under age 18. In other types of assaults such as kidnapping, the percentage of girls and teenage victims increases up to 86%; and in the case of sexual harassment/abuse up to 83%. In the cases of rape, 4 out of 5 victims have been girls or teenagers. Particularly, 2 out of 5 girls under age 14 have suffered from some kind of sexual abuse. The girls, boys and adolescents affected by sexual violence, as human beings in the process of physical and mental development, neither are responsible for their situation, nor enjoy the assault, as many people mistakenly think. On the contrary, they suffer on a daily basis cruel violations to their integrity, development, freedom and honor. They are victims of physical, sexual and emotional aggressions from unscrupulous people. It is within this context and given the limited capacity of the Nicaraguan public institutions to assist all of the victims that Nicoya & Friends Foundation is created as a non-profit organization. Its main objective is to provide psychological, legal and social assistance to Nicaraguan children (boys and girls) and adolescents victims of situations of violence and sexual abuse. The support to Nicaraguan children is a commitment assumed by this foundation since its creation. Nicoya & Friends is asking for your support to meet the material and human resources needed to operate with efficiency and efficacy in the battle against sexual violence in Nicaragua. Your contribution to this noble cause is of great importance to the work done in favor of Nicaraguan children. REMEMBER: You could be the only help that children and adolescents victims of sexual violence can count on. Help us to assist them! Nicoya & Friends Foundation Nicaragua For more information about the program and work of Nicoya & Friends, please visit our website at www.nicoyafriendsmission.org or contact us by e-mail at nicoyafriends@yahoo.com, or by phone at (281) 256-6235
Sincerely,
Doramaria Garcia
The Birth of "Nicoya & Friends Christian Mission"
In January of 2005, God gave me a vision to share with the world: a vision to build an orphanage in Nicaragua. I set out to find people with a common interest in helping children. I called upon friends and relatives for help. In April 2006, a friend and I traveled to Nicaragua and visited orphanages. During our visit, by the grace of God, we were able to set an appointment with the minister of a family in Managua. This person shared with us the desperate need for Nicaragua to have a center for sexually abused children and children abused by human trafficking, to turn to. We expressed our interest in helping these children. A center of this type would be the first to be built in Nicaragua and we learned this country is in dire need of mental health centers for children as well. I formed a Board of Directors in Nicaragua. The board consists of a physician, an ecologist, business administrators, a teacher, a business owner, an accountant, and a cook. Board members in Houston consists of a nurse, a business administrator, a child advocate, an administrative secretary, two workers in the medical field, a teacher, an accountant and a business owner. All board members have a common interest: helping abused children.
There are many cases of human trafficking among children in Nicaragua. These children are sold out of the country by their own parents, and many are later found and sent back to Nicaragua. The government does not have a place for them, so these children do not have a home to return to. Nicoya and Friends Christian Mission is willing and ready to provide nurturing homes for these children where they will be loved and live their lives as children should. On October 4, 2006, in Houston, Texas, Nicoya & Friends Christian Mission became a non-profit organization. And on October 17, 2006, a down payment of $5,000 was placed on a house in Mozonte, which is 12 kilometers from Ocotal. (230 kilometers from Managua) This is the first center of its type being built, and it is a future home for abused children. We named it "Manos de Niños" which translates “Children's Hands”. Nicoya & Friends is building the foundation in Nicaragua, and with your support we will expand to help other countries in the near future. Join us in helping these children who are suffering so much. Be a part of this vision! It will take all of us to make a difference in a child's life. Let's make it happen! Your prayers and financial support will be greatly appreciated. May God bless you and your family each and everyday. All that we put into the lives of others comes back.
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I returned to Houston and presented to the board members the information gathered during the visit to Nicaragua. I would like to share with you that for the first time in the history of Nicaraguan government, a law was passed convicting sexual offenders. The law states that if found guilty, they are automatically sentenced to four years. Also, for the first time you will see billboard posters on sexual abuse awareness. Children will be able to read these billboards and hopefully will no longer keep quiet. It is amazing how this awareness campaign is working in Nicaragua. In addition, according to family laws, if a child is found to have been sexually molested by an immediate family member, this child is automatically removed and placed in a facility. Nicoya and Friends Christian Mission will build this type of facility. Proper mental, physical and emotional help will be needed.
