Friday, April 25, 2014
Treva Marie Appugliese, a student in the Honors program at Ohio State University, will be spending two weeks this summer volunteering with Grow International Volunteer Excursions (GIVE) on Little Corn Island in Nicaragua. She will be teaching in a school and helping to build a brand new school out of eco-friendly material.
“I am so blessed to have this opportunity to give back to the world through GIVE and so incredibly excited to see what God has in store for me while I’m there. I am also looking forward to making a difference in my life as well as the lives of others,” said Appugliese.
Nicaragua is the second poorest country in the western hemisphere. Only 60-70 percent of the adult population is literate and the national underemployment rate hovers around 50 percent. The children of Nicaragua have a chance to change that with the help of programs like GIVE.
GIVE focuses on sustainable community development in marginalized communities by assisting with education and empowering the local population. The core goal is to provide communities with necessary infrastructure to foster sustainable growth.
Appugliese will be directly involved in building an eco-friendly infrastructure out of recycled materials, teaching English, tutoring the children and organizing extracurricular activities.
GIVE continues to remain involved in these communities after volunteers have left Nicaragua. GIVE works within these communities year round to provide opportunities for sustainable development by funding teachers to work in the secondary school and funding doctors to provide medical care in these communities.
“While this is an amazing opportunity, it is also very expensive, especially on a college student’s budget. Since I am going as a volunteer, it requires a lot of fundraising. I would greatly appreciate any donations to help me go abroad this summer. All contributions will go directly to the cost of me as a volunteer. A donation of any amount will help me pay for my air travel, accommodations, food, in-country travel and materials and costs associated with the volunteer projects. My goal is to raise $2,500 to cover all expenses,” said Appugliese.
To help support Appugliese’s trip, send your donation to 191 East Lane Avenue, Columbus, Ohio 43201. Her paypal account is Treva.appugliese2@gmail.com. If you would like more information about her trip, email appugliese.1@osu.edu.
To learn more about GIVE, visit the website www.givevolunteers.org/.