Hello from the Newbies

From Program Director Emily Lineberger

…who are not so new anymore!) Another group of PDs now calls the Manna house home, although we’ve been here since July. And yes… we’re a little late with the news, but here’s what’s happening:

PDs are in homestays this week and next week… staying with Elena, Raquel and Marcos, Marlon the old gardener, Samuel (behind Halle’s land), and right off the carretera at km. 13.5 where we have about 20 new kids involved in all our programs.

Lori and Amira will be headed down to Quito this week to visit MPI-Ecuador.

There will be a Vanderbilt group visiting the Manna house over Thanksgiving week.

We are in the midst of rehearsals for the final holiday presentation, which will be December 6. Of course Dayana is our leading star and the life of the class.

The majority of bags and aprons made by our microfinance women, Laura and Melba, will be sold in a fair at Vanderbilt in November.

Norman, Gabriel, Adriana, Juana, and others have started an organization called NicAyuda to support underachieving preschools in Managua.

Our Advanced English students continue to be leaders within the community:
-Adriana helps teach English in La Chureca.
-Elena is a permanent teacher for Kids Beginners English in Chiqui.
-Rose Mary, Exequiel, and Mercedes continue to help with Beginners English in Cedro.

The Chiqui biblioteca has a new selection of books thanks to a $5000 grant established with the Hispamer bookstore. Joy (who has run the library for the past two years) will head back to the States in December. Applications are out to hire a full-time librarian for the Chiqui biblioteca… Suggestions?

The huge covered basketball court on the Augusts’ land is still under construction – but it now has a roof!

A few weeks ago there was an English song competition at Pedro Dávila (the public school in Cedro). Many of our English students were involved… and Michael and Christina (two PDs) got to be the judges!


Shirley Nicole (maybe that’s not the Nica spelling?) was born to Marcos and Raquel about four months ago. She is gordita and beautiful and “la princesa de la casa.”
Celia (from Cedro) had a healthy baby boy on October 19. He still does not have a name.