Children standing in front of their tin house on the shores of Lake Managua
La Primavera is one of the poorest neighborhoods of Managua. It is also one of the largest, with a population of over 25,000. It lies on the shores of Lake Managua, one of the most polluted lakes in the world. In the lake side settlement of La Primavera, where Women in Action is located and carries out projects, nearly 80% of the households are headed by women. Many of the women became mothers at a very young age and continue to have children through child bearing age. With little or no education, training, or employment opportunities, they are left to pick through garbage, work as street vendors, send their children to beg, or resort to prostitution. Many families go hungry.
Nearly one million children, or half of the school-aged children in Nicaragua do not attend school. In the settlement these percentages are even higher. Families can scarcely feed and clothe their children, let alone pay for tuition, uniforms, and text books for public education. Unfortunately, public school in Nicaragua is not free, and families must cover costs for uniforms, textbooks, school supplies, monthly fees, as well as extra expenses such as toilet paper, cleaning fees, and school trips.
