The Maximo Education Fund

Hello Readers,


I’m writing to you because I received a request for help from my host brother, Maximo, in Nicaragua.

As you may know, Nicaragua is the 2nd poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere, the 1st being Haiti. However, right now it does not get a fraction of the attention or help Haiti does.

Education there is abysmal. An estimated 32.5% of the population is illiterate, and even the kids who go to school learn only a few subjects per day, and often in rural places do not have access to well-educated teachers. (These facts are from the CIA World Factbook and from my own experience in Nicaragua).

Maximo has expressed to me his yearning for a decent education ever since I met him in the summer of 2010. To quote him, "Bueno el que puede estudiar y el que no puede no estudia asi es la vida en nicaragua. pero yo si quiero estudiar por que quiero superarme mejor y asi saver mucho mas." or in English: "Well, the person who can study (has the resources) does and who cannot doesn't, that's the way life is in Nicaragua. But I do want to study because I want to better myself, and in that way know much more". As a university-educated person myself, it really hurts to hear about someone who can’t get access even to a good high school.

Maximo himself says that he dreams of studying engineering. Although he is already 19, because his prior education was so lacking it’s impossible for him to apply to universities. We've decided that the best thing for him is to go to a private college prep school called Santo Domingo in Rivas, close to Playa Gigante where he lives. There, he would study Math, Natural Sciences, Economics, Spanish, Technical Vocational Orientation, Physics, Chemistry, Physical Education, Civics, and English. He says he is willing to commute the few hours in bus from Playa Gigante to Rivas to attend classes.

Maximo says that $50 should cover school supplies, and it's 40 córdobas daily there and back to get to Rivas (that's about $1.73). So for 20 weeks of busses that would be about $58. The school itself is $500 per year for a total of $1,000 for 2 years. In total, it'd be about $1,108 for 2 years of schooling.

I am asking those of you with the resources to donate $1, $5, $20...whatever amount you are comfortable with, in order to help Maximo achieve the education he so desires and deserves. You may donate here:

Thank you so much for hearing me out, if you could help me and Maximo out we would be forever grateful. For those of you who plan to donate or have already donated, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for helping Maximo achieve a better life for himself and his family.



Thank you,
Katie Ehrlich


PS - If you can't help with donations, please forward this blog to your friends!