Dos semanas hasta Granada!

Two weeks until I leave the United States for the second time in two years on an extended trip abroad to a Spanish-speaking country! Last spring, I lived in Buenos Aires Argentina for five months to explore (and study a little) for a semester abroad from Bowdoin College. This spring I graduated, and now I am headed to Granada, Nicaragua to be a year-long intern for a non-profit organization called Soccer Without Borders! (Futbol Sin Fronteras en espanol) The mission of this organization is to use soccer as a vehicle for positive change, providing under-served youth a toolkit to overcome obstacles to growth, inclusion and personal success. SWB has programs in Baltimore, Oakland, Kenya and Nicaragua as well as seasonal programs in Boston, NYC, Greeley CO, and Guatemala. In Nicaragua where I'll be, we provide programming for young girls ages 7-19 who are traditionally excluded from organized sport and extracurricular activities in Latin American culture. Here is a quick look at the country:                                                                   Central America's largest country

• 3rd lowest per capita income in the Wester Hemisphere
• Persons in the top 10% for income hold 48.8% of all income in the country, the 2nd highest percentage in the world (US 30.5%)
• 48% live below the poverty line
• 70% of household heads have a 4th grade education or lower
• More than one-third of the country is under the age of 14
• Nearly 4 out of 10 girls have a child by the age of 19

My specific role will be coaching a team of girls in soccer alongside other Nicaraguan coaches, but also running educational workshops for literacy, sexual education, and team building in order to instill self-confidence and hope in these girls. I will be working with a fellow American intern, Mady, from Seattle and my fearless and crazy supervisor, former teammate, captain, and best friend Larkin Brown (Bowdoin '10) as well as a group of five or so Nicaraguan staff members. My training in Boston starts a week from today. I am anxious, excited, nervous, happy because I know this will be an incredible adventure, and sad to be away from home for so long. I promise I will keep this blog updated and keep in touch through Skype while I'm away!

 I am responsible for raising funds to support me during my time in Granada so please consider donating to support my cause! A little bit goes such a long way: 1$ is equivalent to 23 Cordoba (Nicaraguan currency) and an average meal costs 20-40 Cordoba so about $1-2 USD! My fundraising goal is $7,000 for the entire year and I have already raised a little over $2,500. Thank you SO much to everybody who has donated so far, your support means so much to me and allows me to live out my dream job.

You can donate online at: http://www.razoo.com/story/My-Year-In-Nicaragua-With-Swb (Just click donate at the top of the page)

OR send a check made out to Soccer Without Borders

                                               25 Thomson Place

                                               1st Floor

                                               Boston MA 02210

 (just make sure to indicate you are donating on behalf of Kelly Pope in the memo line) and all donations are tax deductible!