In Nicaragua, the second poorest country in the western hemisphere, almost half of the citizens live below the poverty line.
Only half of children finish elementary school. This means 500,000 kids in Nicaragua don’t go to school, losing the protective effects of schooling on teen pregnancy.
Contraceptive options are limited and abortion is illegal without exception.
Troilo is a community of 2200 people 45 minutes outside of Leon, Nicaragua. Of the residents, 750 are under the age of 18. Men in the community work as laborers in the nearby sugar cane fields while women either work in the fields or run ventas (small shops at the front of their homes).
The community has one health clinic staffed by one nurse and one physician. The clinic provides medical care for all 2200 members of Troilo.
Of the 750 children in Troilo, less than half ever receive a high school education.
In fact, in the history of Troilo’s local high school, no child had ever graduated and gone to college.
Until now.
When La Charla started in 2015, the scholarship program sent the first 4 students in the history of the high school to college. Since its inception, La Charla has helped numerous graduating classes of peer leaders to university through the generous donations of La Charla partners. Our alumni have received degrees in medicine, nursing, English, engineering and child psychology — just to name a few.
La Charla aims to decrease teen pregnancy and increase access to higher education by empowering teens with the knowledge and capacity to make informed choices about their futures.
Founded in 2015 by Simone Ippoliti and Esperanza Quiroz, La Charla is based in the small rural village of Troilo, Nicaragua, located northwest of capital city Managua. La Charla’s goal is to provide comprehensive and empowerment-focused adolescent health education.
Our model is simple: youth facilitate weekly “charlas” (talks) about adolescent health with their peers. In exchange for serving as La Charla peer leaders, they are granted full university scholarships through matched donations.
Prior to La Charla’s founding, not a single student in Troilo had ever progressed to the university level.
Today, La Charla is considered part of the core curriculum for all youth ages 12-18 in Troilo and has successfully awarded university scholarships to over 75 students.
La Charla is more than just a teen pregnancy reduction initiative; it’s a sustainable health education model for youth designed by youth.