The sun rose early here in Managua, Nicaragua, and so did our site team. After several delightful rounds of coffee and a hearty breakfast provided by the kitchen staff of Villa Esperanza, we were given the full-length grand tour of the Villa.
Our tour guide for the day, Forward Edge senior missionary Susie Miller, explained in detail the layout of the complex, as well as the program that Forward Edge is running here. What Villa Esperanza does is takes in young girls whose families used to live in a small village in the Managua dump. While living in the dump, these families had to search for food within the trash.
Growing up living a dump created a different culture and lifestyle for these girls. There is a lot of abuse within the homes and often times the families would put their girls, some as young as nine years old, into prostitution in order to help sustain the family. They also force the girls to get married young so that there is one less child in the household to feed. However, once the husband no longer wants the girl, they return to the dump oftentimes with a child of their own. From then on, the girls no longer have the opportunity to go to school and this just becomes the norm of those living in the dump.
Villa Esperanza started with a vision to take these girls in and give them a better life. Currently there are 30 girls living at the Villa. There are four houses for them, eight girls per house and each house has a "mom" who cares for the girls. One of the houses is called the transition house where older girls live, around 19-21 years old, who take care of themselves and do the housework. These girls are either in university, finishing high school, or have full times jobs.
The staff at the Villa evaluates these girls based on maturity level and number of other things to determine when they can leave to start their lives outside of the home. Villa Esperanza gives all the girls access to a psychiatrist, a pastor, tutors, and a number of missionaries who help out with other needs they may have.
The vision of Villa Esperanza became a reality after much hard work since the property was bought in 2007. Because of all the hard work and support given, it has truly become a wonderful place for these girls to leave their old lives behind and receive the opportunities they would have never been given before. We are so thankful to be a part of the Villa this week to give them a water purification system to help them sustain themselves and keep it going.
The Team Houses in Villa Esperanza
Our tour guide for the day, Forward Edge senior missionary Susie Miller, explained in detail the layout of the complex, as well as the program that Forward Edge is running here. What Villa Esperanza does is takes in young girls whose families used to live in a small village in the Managua dump. While living in the dump, these families had to search for food within the trash.
Growing up living a dump created a different culture and lifestyle for these girls. There is a lot of abuse within the homes and often times the families would put their girls, some as young as nine years old, into prostitution in order to help sustain the family. They also force the girls to get married young so that there is one less child in the household to feed. However, once the husband no longer wants the girl, they return to the dump oftentimes with a child of their own. From then on, the girls no longer have the opportunity to go to school and this just becomes the norm of those living in the dump.
Villa Esperanza started with a vision to take these girls in and give them a better life. Currently there are 30 girls living at the Villa. There are four houses for them, eight girls per house and each house has a "mom" who cares for the girls. One of the houses is called the transition house where older girls live, around 19-21 years old, who take care of themselves and do the housework. These girls are either in university, finishing high school, or have full times jobs.
The staff at the Villa evaluates these girls based on maturity level and number of other things to determine when they can leave to start their lives outside of the home. Villa Esperanza gives all the girls access to a psychiatrist, a pastor, tutors, and a number of missionaries who help out with other needs they may have.
The vision of Villa Esperanza became a reality after much hard work since the property was bought in 2007. Because of all the hard work and support given, it has truly become a wonderful place for these girls to leave their old lives behind and receive the opportunities they would have never been given before. We are so thankful to be a part of the Villa this week to give them a water purification system to help them sustain themselves and keep it going.
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