1999
The Superemos Foundation was founded in November 1999 as an initiative to decentralize community programs originally based in Nicaragua's capital Managua. Inspired by Father Miguel d’Escoto Brockmann, U.N. General Assembly president from 2008-2009 and founder of FUNDECI, our main objective has always been to improve the living standards of low-income families in Nicaragua by means of education and training.
Initially, we focused on developing the Estelí Women's School, a secondary education program focused on women from low-income communities, which was founded and funded by the Barr Foundation of Oklahoma in January 1999. Since then, the Estelí Women’s school has maintained successful women’s education programs integrating health care and social work components from our other community programs.
We began to facilitate the Barr Scholarship Fund for 40 young women from low-income families of rural communities in northern Nicaragua to complete their formal training as primary school teachers. This program continued through 2019.
Superemos began its long standing partnership with Peter Loewinthan, now retired from Dot House Health Multi Service Center in Boston, Massachusetts, developing community health programs and hosting an annual medical brigade that grew over the following decades from a small operation to a large effort incorporating medical education (associated with Boston University School of Medicine) and a multi-disciplinary approach closely coordinated with the local campus of Nicaragua’s National Autonomus University and the Nicaraguan Ministry of Health (MINSA) and Family. This relationship has facilitated various relationships and projects, such as public health research and dental health programs supported by Boston University. From 2019 onward, medical education with Boston University School of Medicine has been paused due to several factors.
Superemos began to host medical brigades from the University of Florida School of Medicine, which continued through 2007.
Hosted Ikuku Andoko from Japan for three months, during which time she assisted our work at the Estelí Women's School, the Superemos preschool, and in various communities helping small farmers with vegetable and traditional grain cultivation. She returned for three months in 2002.
2000
Purchased the site for its education and training programs with donations from Bob Barr, Karen King and Stephen Sefton.
Developed and consolidated the Estelí Women's School with an adult baccalaureate course supervised by the Ministry of Education. This program continues through present.
Began the development of a social work program that integrated vocational skills training. This program initially focused on men and women incarcerated in the local penitentiary but has evolved over the years to become the Intervention, Change and Education System (ICES) focusing on domestic violence.
Began a metal work and welding training program with the support of the Toronto Leaside Rotary Club. This program continued for several years, assisting with cycle pump, solar panel and ecological toilet programs, providing services for local customers, and assisting our brigades with various needs, such as the construction of portable dental chairs and adapted wheelchairs. The training program ended in 2011 when its instructor joined the police force. We continue to use the equipment for maintenance purposes and to assist as needed with various programs.
2001
Began supporting the SINAI preschool in Nuevo Amanecer, which continued until 2017 when these services were provided instead by the Ministry of Education. We are appreciative to Eric London of Boston and the First Congregational Church of Evanston, who funded the building of a new classroom in 2008.
Began a scholarship fund for the Estelí Women's School, with seed funding from the Barr Foundation of Oklahoma, since sustained by funding from the Schooner Foundation (through present) and the Central American Fund for Human Development (until 2015). This fund currently serves 60 scholarships per year.
Hosted Maielle Helman from the American Jewish World Service for six months, during which time she took over the administration of projects from Stephen during a prolonged absence allowing programming to go uninterrupted.
2002
Supported the founding of the “Christine King” Multi Service Cooperative, funded by the “Christine King” Memorial Trust, as a partner organization to facilitate the development and implementation of the foundation’s community projects and vocational training programs. Since this time, we have worked closely to develop classroom, workshop and office infrastructure which comprise the current campus.
Initial projects included the development of an environmental workshop and gardening program, a ceramic workshop founded by Fiona Graham, and a community preschool on the foundation’s site. The preschool continued until 2008, when a comprehensive national preschool program made this service unnecessary.
Initiated a reforestation effort, since successfully reforesting approximately half of our land, an environmental conservation area totaling 0.25 hectacres of land adjacent to the river.
Began the cycle pump project, which has resulted in the installation of more than 80 cycle pumps for water wells in rural communities between Estelí, Somoto and Octotal, completion 2007. The cycle pump, when combined with a drip-irrigation system, enables a small farmer to irrigate up to an acre of land, significantly improving local agricultural prospects.
Began to offer legal advice for incarcerated individuals and low-income women within our existing programs, who needed assistance with parole concerns, family disputes, divorces, paternity cases, maintenance disputes, and other administrative cases. Thanks to the work of lawyers Daysi Flores and Dora Aráuz, this became a more well developed legal program in 2006, which over the subsequent 5 years integrated with the social work program to focus on addressing domestic violence.
2003
Developed a computer laboratory with the help of Phil Hughes of Linux Journal, which, with additional support from the Central American Fund for Human Development of Illinois and the Educavida organization, offered computer skills training, impacting approximately 50 students per year. Due to declining demand for classes and burdens related to maintenance of machines, the lab was closed down in 2018. The machines were donated to the cooperative’s members determined to have the most need.
2004
Supported the Estrellas del Futuro preschool in Felipe y Mery Barreda until 2011, providing assistance with classroom and kitchen space and ecological toilets. Remodeling of the structure was supported by Fiona Graham and friends from Belgium.
2005
Began collaborating with Judy Richardson and the Global Education Fund to develop annual teacher training workshops for rural primary school teachers in northern Nicaragua, which have trained hundreds of Nicaraguan primary school teachers in the participatory “Learning by Doing” methodology. Superemos worked with Judy and her colleagues, Morgan Smith and Alan Olds, to develop and implement these annual training workshops in close coordination with Nicaragua’s Ministry of Education. The program ended in 2017 due to lack of funding.
2006
Began construction of three preschool classrooms and kitchen areas in urban barrios on the western outskirts of Estelí, completed in 2008.
2007
Developed a solar panel program involving production of small solar panels and their installation in communities not served by the national electric grid, supported by the Japanese Aid for Nicaragua Association. This program would put on 3 to 4 workshops per year, involving participants from local communities, the vocational skills training program of Christine King Multi-Service Cooperative, and the local environmental science department of the National Autonomous University of Nicaragua. This program has mostly ended due to wider availability of more advanced technology within the surrounding communities since the early 2020s.
Our legal aid program, with support by the Central American Fund for Human Development, began to work with low income families, where many were never granted birth certificates, to help negotiate the cumbersome and costly legal and administrative difficulties associated with activities requiring a birth certificate or an identity document derived from a birth certificate, such as matriculation for higher education, opening a bank account, voting, etc. A governmental program has developed that has made ours largely unnecessary. However, we continue to provide this service through ICES as the need arises.
2008
Built a solar panel system to supply water to the nearby rural community of El Limón, supported by the engineering expertise and energies of Rob Matthews and the funding of the Barr Foundation of Oklahoma, family of Fiona Graham and the Christine King Memorial Trust, and the Rotary Club of Toronto Leaside.
Began a catering program, opened a shop to sell goods produced by our Cooperative, and significantly expanded the communities served by our community health program, including to the neighboring region of Matagalpa.
2009
At the initiative of Hannah Curteis, Superemos began supporting music education in local schools with help from much-loved local musician and music teacher Alfredo Quintero. This program subsequently evolved into our own Sones Segovianos Cultural Arts school, which serves children from low-income families providing high quality education they could not otherwise afford. The program has grown to offer dance (since 2011) and art (since 2015).
Facilitated a sewage pipe project for the Felipe and Mery Barreda communities on Estelí's western perimeter, funded by the Central American Fund for Human Development.
Began our ecological toilet project, teaching theory and training for installation. Since inception, there have been approximately 70 ecological toilets installed in different communities around Estelí, helping to decrease contamination of groundwater by human waste.
Supported the building of a pedestrian bridge for communities southwest of Estelí.
2010
Formation of the Intervention, Change and Education Service (ICES), developed by our lawyer Maria Felix Castillo and psychologist Karen Villarreyna out of the merging and evolution of prior social work and legal advice programs. Since then, the ICES program has focused on support for women and children suffering domestic violence; raising awareness via informal education delivered to women in workshop settings and children in schools in rural communities; and assisting local health workers in development of practical strategies addressing cases of concern.
Fran Smith, a family psychologist from Boston, Massachusetts, began to collaborate with ICES, offering regular training and guidance via Skype conferences, email support and annual visits during the medical brigade. This relationship continues through present.
Dr. Dennis Simon, a pediatric critical care physician from UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, began to visit regularly, during which time he attends rounds at the pediatric unit of the local hospital, provides consultation in the pediatric intensive care facility, and lectures to medical faculty and students on selected topics in pediatric critical care including the management of severe sepsis, shock, and trauma.
Built a water system for the nearby rural community of San Pedro.
2011
Rehabilitated an unused space in the local regional hospital to provide dormitory facilities for renal dialysis patients traveling from remote rural communities. Prior to this initiative, those patients would sleep in the corridors of the hospital waiting for their treatment the following day.
Facilitated an ecological toilet system for the local Cesar Jerez Secondary School.
Began offering sewing training as part of the vocational skills programming.
2012
Opened the shelter utilized by women seeking emergency housing through our domestic violence intervention program as a part of ICES.
Facilitated the installation of new floors in the Sinai pre-school with the help of Mark Herbert and Julie Grippo from New England.
Sones Segovianos began assisting a music education initiative in the town of Palacagüina, 60km north of Estelí, which continued until 2017.
2013
Under the leadership of Drs. Corinna Culler and Michelle Henshaw from Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine, we worked to understand the oral health needs of the Estelí community and what resources were available that Boston University could complement to develop and implement a program to address the unmet oral health needs of the community.
Facilitated the construction of a new roof for a family of a child (now adult) with disability (requiring full time care) in the community of El Espinal.
Hosted volunteer Maura Mathieu from Boston who spent three weeks teaching English to the children of the Sinai preschool in the Nuevo Amanecer community in western Estelí.
Hosted Coral Pearce for three months, during which time she helped with mural painting projects.
2014
Assisted guitar educators Edward Grigassy and Dr. Michael Quantz of the University of Texas at Austin in organizing and hosting the Estelí Guitar Congress, which brought together students and teachers from all over Nicaragua, El Salvador and Guatemala for a week of trainings focused on enhancing guitar skills and teaching methodology. This Congress returned in 2016 for 3 days, but has since been replaced by an initiative by the Nicaraguan Institute of Culture.
Hosted agronomist Hector Martinez, who led various workshops on the cultivation of aromatic and oil producing plants.
2015
Partnered with Dr. Michelle Henshaw of the Boston University Henry S. Goldman School of Dental Medicine, we began to facilitate a dental health preventive health program providing dental health education to teachers and training of teachers to apply fluoride varnish to improve oral health for children from low-income families carried out via preschools in coordination with the Ministries of Health and Family. Dr. Corinne Culler visited annually for several years to perform dental assessments in order to measure program impact.
Hosted Boston University School of Public Health masters students while they partnered with the National Autonomous University of Nicaragua to study the environmental health effects of pesticides in rural communities. We are thankful to Lisa Bullard Voltarelli, Melissa Rodriguez Vodak, Kirby Valentin and Rachel Pieciak for their participation.
ICES organized a series of all-day workshops together with the local campus of the National Autonomous University, the Ministry of the Family and the Ministry of Health for workers in those institutions to improve their skills in family conflict management.
2016
Remodeled the school's kitchen and cafeteria, which has provided catering services for onsite events, provided baking skills workshops, and sells baked goods produced by locals in the cooperative kitchen to supplement their household income.
Drs. Lyn Styczynski and Len Greenberg, family psychologists from Boston, Massachusetts joined Dr. Fran Smith in her collaboration with ICES to assist with development of a program to identify and provide follow up to cases of domestic violence in rural communities outside of Estelí, in coordination with the National Autonomous University of Nicaragua in Estelí and the Ministries of Health and Family. In 2018, these relationships consolidated and have continued through present. Drs. Lyn and Len provide support and training to these programs both through a series of online seminars throughout the year and in person workshops during the annual medical brigade.
ICES expanded their reach by working with the Ministry of Health to provide regular educational sessions for expectant mothers who travel from rural areas to stay at the Casa Materna for the last several weeks of their pregnancies, programming that continues through present.
Began working with Dr. Agustin Velloso of the National Distance Education University in Madrid who has visited in 2016, 2017, 2019, and 2023 to work with post-graduate students in the local Estelí campus of the National Autonomous University.
2017
Established a relationship with Dr. Luz M. López of Boston University School of Social Work, Center for Innovation in Social Work and Health, which has provided a partnership with ICES and it's work during medical brigade visits. In collaboration with the Nicaragua Ministry of Health (MINSA), we developed a survey to assess domestic violence screening and type of services provided by medical brigades visiting the region and worked to expand social work and trauma informed services within Superemos and throughout the Estelí region. Additionally, her team and ICES staff began to work with the faculty of the National Autonomous University of Nicaragua in Estelí to provide educational workshops for social work and psychology students.
Partnered with Dr. Michelle Henshaw of the Boston University Henry S. Goldman School of Dental Medicine, we expanded our dental hygiene outreach program to include classroom toothbrushing programs.
Coordinated a visit by Actuality Media, an organization that facilitates educational opportunities for students learning audio-visual documentary storytelling that highlights the work of changemakers around the world. Two teams visited to document the work of the Estelí Women's School and the work of another local organization providing library services and reading tuition.
Began a relationship with Dr. John Godoy, a Swedish optometrist, who has visited us once or twice annually since 2017 (through present) and provided optometry care to local and Caribbean coastal communities, as well as vision screening training to community health workers so that they are able to identify those requiring optometry or ophthalmology care.
Expanded our sewing workshop capabilities with donation of several new sewing machines by the "Escuela de Oficios Hugo Chávez Frías" of the local government.
Hosted Nicaraguan painter and writer Bayardo Gámez as a guest instructor at Sones Segovianos, where he offered interactive instruction to our students about painting and drawing styles and techniques.
2018
Sones Segovianos youth orchestra performed in the National Palace of Culture in Managua to honor Don Felipe Urrutia, an important folk musician from northern Nicaragua who would've celebrated his 100th birthday but passed in 2014.
Began development of an artisan shoe workshop and a sublimation (reproduction of art on cups, shirts, etc) project, which, as ready, will become an increasing part of our vocational skills training offerings.
Hosted volunteer Koki Takada from Japan who spent several weeks giving karate classes to young children and supporting local physical education classes.
2019
Partnered with Dr. Michelle Henshaw of the Boston University Henry S. Goldman School of Dental Medicine, we expanded our dental hygiene outreach program to include parent oral health educational workshops.
Began an official internship program for social work and psychology students of the Autonomous University of Nicaragua in Estelí, sponsored by the Christine King Multi-Service Cooperative, to work with ICES addressing domestic violence in the region.
Expanded the women's shelter with the support of David Suliteanu of Kendo Brands in order to improve and expand the dormitory area and accommodate a larger staff, including interns from the local university.
Hosted Katie London, a social worker who works with children with special needs, who spent a month providing trainings for the Ministry of the Family to improve strategies for working with families of children with special needs, for the public school specialized in special education to improve strategies for structure and behavioral plans in the classroom, and for parents of children with special needs.
Began to develop an onsite children's recreational park adjacent to the river with guidance from Hector Martínez of the local Parks and Gardens authority and with the physical and financial support of Dmitry Russachek and Sergei and Svetlana Kamarov.
Hosted Najwa Hakiri, a student of the Sorbonne University in France for six months, while she worked to improve our annual impact survey and performance assessment processes as well as assisting ICES with various projects, as part of her work towards a Masters degree in Community Development.
2020
Ryan Lynch, a long time participant in our annual medical brigades, now a hematologist-oncologist at Seattle Cancer Care Alliance and the University of Washington in Seattle, transitioned his work during the medical brigade to attending rounds at the local hospital, providing consultation in the oncology department, and lecturing to medical faculty and students on selected topics in adult hematology and oncology.
2021
Despite there being a pause in the annual medical brigade this year, we continued to support community health by participating in the national My Hospital, My Community program where MINSA sent out specialists, such as internists, gynecologists, cardiologists, and orthopedists, to the surrounding communities. We provided fuel for transport and lunch for the participants. In 2021, there were 4 brigades per month for 3 months. In 2022 and 2023, despite the return of the annual brigade, we continued to support the national program in their efforts, 2 brigades per month for 4 months.
2023
Hosted Amanda, the daughter of Dr. Agustin Velloso of the National Distance Education University in Madrid, who studies theater in Madrid, Spain. She provided music, dance and theater workshops to students of Sones Segovianos and worked with Garifuna communities to provide theater workshops.
Dr Robert Joseph “Joe” Daniels-Mulholland joined our annual medical brigade in a leadership role, as Peter Loewinthan has taken a less participatory role in retirement.
ICES has worked with the nursing school in La Trinidad to incorporate the methodology developed through their partnerships with Drs. Fran, Lyn and Len, the National Autonomous University of Nicaragua and the Ministry of Health into workshops that are part of the nursing school’s trainings.
Dr Michelle Henshaw will begin working with the local dental students during her annual visits to provide trainings and treatments at the School of Dentristry at the University Nacional Francisco.
At its founding, Superemos was lucky to be able to count on support both from grass roots organizations and larger institutions focused on community development programs. The foundation has developed its work inspired by many outstanding people like Padre Miguel d’Escoto, Bob Barr, Axel and Cele Meyer and Fintan Kilbride and with exemplary guidance from a great many other selfless individuals who have helped us get the best out of our resources over the years. Thanks to all this support, Superemos has proven sustainable and has enabled tens of thousands of people in Nicaragua to improve the lives of themselves and their families.
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