Local Lebanon Volunteers Help Nicaraguan Children Stay in School

By Zachary Daum
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For many children living in remote and impoverished regions of Nicaragua, attending school can depend on something as simple as having the right uniform. In these areas, families often live in extreme poverty, and without government required clothing and supplies, children may be turned away from classrooms. That challenge and the broader needs of these communities are what inspired Kelly Wilhelm and her husband John, to form The Education Garden. This is a nonprofit based in Illinois that focuses on education, literacy, nutrition and sustainable community growth.

Wilhelm explained that her work in Nicaragua began long before the nonprofit officially launched. After spending about ten years working with a previous organization, she and her husband decided to continue serving the communities they had come to know well. “People live in extreme poverty there in a lot of the areas,” Wilhelm said. “If the children do not have uniforms, they are not really allowed to be in the school. The government has mandates on what the kids have to wear.”

She said the lack of proper clothing is more than an educational barrier. It can also put children at risk. “If children do not wear a uniform, then they are highly likely to be abducted and pulled into the sex trade industry,” Wilhelm said. “If predators steal a child who is known to be going to school, the police are going to come after them. But a kid who has not been seen wearing a uniform is more likely to be abducted and vanish.”

This reality motivated Wilhelm to bring the issue to her local Rotary Club, whose mission aligns with many of the same values her organization promotes. “Rotary International supports basic education, mother and child health, and other humanitarian efforts,” she said. “With those common goals, I joined Rotary and spoke to our group, and they raised money to help with this project.”

Members of the Rotary Club raised more than two thousand dollars, allowing The Education Garden to purchase over one hundred complete school uniforms. Local partners in Nicaragua helped secure better prices and ensured that the funds supported small, family owned shops instead of large retailers.

“Our partners were able to stretch the money and deliver everything to the schools,” Wilhelm said.

Teachers and volunteers coordinated to get the correct sizes for each child, and the impact was immediate. “Those little kids were so excited,” Wilhelm said. Many had been wearing clothing that was far too small or far too large, including shoes so oversized that children had to shuffle to keep them on their feet.

Beyond uniforms, The Education Garden has also supported community gardens and sustainable agriculture programs. One recent project involved starting a community garden in a remote village near the Honduras border. Local garden clubs from Lebanon, Trenton and Edwardsville joined forces with Wilhelm’s organization to plant fruit trees and vegetable crops. “They have had a tremendous harvest, and the villagers are just so excited,” she said.

The organization is now assessing additional needs in rural communities, including access to clean water. “It might be something where we could utilize some of Rotary’s other focuses, like mother and child health and clean water, to help bring the standard of living up,” Wilhelm said. She noted that some villages are so remote that residents must cross rivers or travel miles by donkey to reach supplies.

In addition to its work on the ground, The Education Garden regularly takes volunteer groups to Nicaragua. Wilhelm said these trips are intentionally kept affordable to encourage community involvement. “Instead of it costing like forty two hundred dollars like some mission projects, we have been able to keep ours around fifteen hundred or less for eight days,” she said. “That includes everything.”

For those who want to get involved, Wilhelm said the nonprofit welcomes new supporters. “They can definitely reach out to us at The Education Garden,” she said. The organization can be contacted through its website or social media pages.

Wilhelm expressed gratitude for the partnership with Rotary and for the people who have stepped forward to support Nicaraguan families. “We are a bunch of optimistic, hard-working people who really enjoy being able to do good in our communities and world.” she said.

You can find more information at https://www.theeducationgarden.org/