The
Nicaragua Education Culture and Arts Trust (NECAT) is a UK registered
charity supporting educational initiatives in Nicaragua through
sponsorship of after-school clubs and other educational
projects that operate through the medium of culture and the arts.
Necat has three primary objectives which are established in its trust deed:
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Advancing education through culture and the artsAt our
centre in William Fonseca (about 4 km north
of León) we run
an after-school club attended by 30 local children from disadvantaged
backgrounds. The children attend every weekday afternoon and have the
benefit of instruction from a qualified teacher, educational materials
and games and activities they can participate in which promote their
learning, self-confidence and self-esteem. Activities are focussed on
cultural and folklore traditions which help build in the children a
love of their country, its folklore customs and history.
Project supported by the British and Foreign School Society (BFSS). |
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The alleviation of poverty and hardship:By raising money in the UK through regular donations, school and church activities and by targetting the resources directly to communities in greatest need we can bring effective support to communities with few resources.The greatest levels of poverty exist in the rural areas where the decline in traditional forms of agriculture and a scarcity of finance for investment have led to extreme levels of unemployment and poverty. Even in the urban areas where we work high levels of unemployment or underemployment exist. Many families living near Leon find it extremely difficult to make ends meet and so we have commenced various projects to support the families with whom we work. Typical of these are bursary programmes for children attending state (or state supported) schools, where the children are awarded bursaries of approximately $100 each in order to help pay the cost of school materials. Another type of project currently being undertaken is training programmes for young mothers. One such scheme supports a programme of 'styling' training. The young women attend a hairdressing and beauty training class every day in order to learn skills which will give them an opportunity to have a future income for themselves and their families. (project supported by the Oxford Leon Trust). Shown opposite is the CWAIL group at St. Mary's Aylesbury after packing presents for shipment to León. |
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Our geographical focus is the Pacific Coast region of Nicaragua. Shown opposite is the Cathedral of Leon, below left the view at León Viejo and below right Salinas Grandes. |
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