Students in Action

Voces y Manos believes that youth have the full potential to transform the health conditions of their community. For this reason, we have made youth-led community health projects a core part of our Community Leaders Scholarship Program.  These projects allow students to gain practical research skills, while developing their leadership potential. The result of the program is not only a well-researched, impactful project, but young people who have the confidence to spearhead long-term, systemic change in their communities.

During the summer portion of the scholarship program, teams of 2-3 students from Fundacion Nueva Esperanza are paired with a Voces y Manos summer volunteer. Together, the volunteer and students investigate a health challenge their community is facing.  Students’ independent projects take place directly after the Voces y Manos summer volunteers leave.  Thus, the task in front of students can appear overwhelming: To figure out how to design a project that will address one of the most pressing community health problems.Yet when faced with challenges, the students time and again prove themselves undaunted.  Take the case of Griselda, Estefani, and Dinora from Chiticoy.  These three young women  had developed a plan to do a community garden to increase access to nutritious foods. Voces y Manos had originally thought that meant doing a single garden. However, we returned to find that they had completed thirteen total gardens in various houses throughout their community!

 

Going above and beyond is the rule not the exception for these outstanding youth.  In San Rafael, Selvin and Horacio identified families that might be at risk for malnutrition, then helped support those families by helping them build small vegetable gardens near their homes, and organized talks on childhood nutrition.  In Pacux, Glenda, Benjamin and Juan de Jesus organized a trash collection effort, and in Nimacabaj, Mardoqueo and Maynor initiated a reforestation project that led to rallying 140 community member to plant of over 1,000 trees.

These projects demonstrate prove that youth can and should be the drivers of social transformation.  Not only do impactful projects emerge from this program, but so too emerge a new generation of confidant young leaders equipped with the skills and confidence to tackle even the most challenging of obstacles.

 
 

See photos from the projects!