VOLUNTEER

ABREN is kept going by the work of volunteers and by donations from supporters. In addition to the hours and hours (months and months!) of volunteer work done by the Board of Directors, we invite supporters to become more connected to the work of ABREN by becoming a volunteer. Below you will find suggestions for ways to help. Please contact us at kunicaragua@yahoo.com for further information.

General:

- Write a short letter to the community of Pueblo Nuevo telling about yourself or your family and why you support ABREN. Include a photo. This letter will be added to our popular book of donors in the library and will strengthen the connection between our communities.
- Organize a local fundraiser for ABREN within your own community of friends, colleagues and family.
- Help out with our annual fall fundraising mailing.

Teachers and Librarians:

- Help develop easy-to-use units to accompany literature and math materials that will be checked-out from the Library to teachers in rural schools. Grades K-6 in Spanish.
- Organize a pen pal relationship with ABREN between your class and a class in Nicaragua.
- Identify, create or adapt culturally appropriate English Language Development materials for rural Nicaragua.

Technology and Graphic Design:

- Provide technical support to keep our website up to date.
- Provide technical support to create a news blog site.
- Help design newsletters, fliers and posters.
- Use video editing skills to make teacher training, promotional and educational videos to support pen pal communications.
- Design and implement a model for easy pen pal communications via the internet.

Writing

- Help write quarterly newsletters to keep our US communities informed about ABREN’s activities.
- Write grants. There are many projects we would like to work on that could be funded by grants from foundations and individuals who support our goals. We need help in identifying grant sources and generating proposals.
- Translate community correspondence and teacher training materials.

Spanish Bilingual Students

- Write, revise, edit and publish your own illustrated story in Spanish to send to the Library in Pueblo Nuevo, Nicaragua. Be sure to make the book sturdy, as many children will read it! Also, at the back include a picture or self-portrait and a short autobiography. Send this to ABREN.
- Make a CD of you reading your favorite children’s book in Spanish. Then send the CD in a sturdy zip-lock bag with at least one copy of the book to ABREN so that younger children in Nicaragua can enjoy the book. Practice reading before recording. Remember to use a strong, expressive voice, pronounce all the words clearly, and read slowly enough so that younger children can follow the story in the book. Include a page of information about yourself so that your friends in Nicaragua can get to know you a little. You could include why you chose this book and what your favorite part or character is and why. Children at the library would love to see a photo of you or your family, so include one if you can.