June 2010: Young women understand and defend sexual and reproductive rights
As part of our new project “Children and Young People's Participation in the Promotion of Sexual and Reproductive Rights, and to live without Violence”, supported by the Fund for Equality, Sexual and Reproductive Rights in Nicaragua (FED), members of the Girls’ and Young Women’s Network from San Ramón and Samulalí are participating in an initial series of workshops. In the photo, the young women are working to define their own ideas about Sexuality.

June 2010: Mid-term Review of CESESMA’s "Safe Quality Schools" project
The team working on CESESMA’s "Safe Quality Schools" project in the Tuma La Dalia, Rancho Grande and Waslala districts has been conducting a midterm evaluation of the project. This participatory process will provide guidelines for the exit strategy for the municipality of Waslala, and further development of the project in the other municipalities.

May 2010: CESESMA team develops concepts and skills around "Facilitation"
Twenty CESESMA team members participated in a three-day workshop to develop our concept of "facilitation", and identify and strengthen capacities to put this into practice in our role as facilitators of learning in the community.

May 2010: New project in solidarity with Irish teachers’ union INTO
Maintaining its long record of solidarity with CESESMA, the Irish National Teachers’ Organisation INTO is supporting our new teacher-training program, "Promotion of positive relationships, equality and respect in the primary classroom".

April 2010: Children and young people participate in national forum to validate research results
Children and young people from San Carlos and Granada discussed their successful experiences of influencing public policy (advocacy) at a national forum organised by CESESMA and the University of the North of Nicaragua to publicise the findings of our research project "Political Impact of Children and Young People as Active Citizens in Nicaragua". CESESMA plans to publish the final report on this research in August. Click here for more information in Spanish: and in English.

April 2010: New Project: Promotion of Investment in Children and Young People
CESESMA is a partner in a national project coordinated by Nicaraguan Coordinating Committee of NGOs Working with Children and Young People, CODENI, supported by the European Union, to promote investment in children and young people in eleven municipalities of Nicaragua. CESESMA is coordinating the project in Tuma La Dalia and San Ramón, where the first steps include strengthening of alliances with key stakeholders such as local councils and Municipal Children and Youth Committees, and making an initial appraisal of current levels of investment in children through municipal budgets.

April 2010: Young Consultants from Guadalupe Arriba present research findings to National Forum
The Young Consultants Team from Guadalupe Arriba in Samulalí (ages 10-16), travelled to Managua to present their report on the problem of violence in the community at a national forum, "Promoting a culture of peace in the face of school and domestic violence", organised by the Latin American Council for Adult Education, CEAAL.

March 2010: New sustainable agriculture course for young Promotores/as in La Dalia
A new training course for Ecological Agriculture Promotores/as has started at CESESMA’s Community Learning Centre in Casas Blancas, La Dalia. The 25 participants, both boys and girls, started the course by learning about the role of the Promotor/a (young community education volunteer), and how the many elements that make up the environment – including themselves – are all interrelated.

March 2010: Advanced dressmaking course
Also in the Community Learning Centre in Casas Blancas there is a new advanced dressmaking course for young people who have successfully completed the basic course. Fifteen young women and one young man are participating. At the same time, basic dressmaking courses are being run in the local primary schools at El Carmen, El Pavón 1, El Pavón 2 and Independence in Rancho Grande. Two more courses run in the Casas Blancas centre for young people from the nearby villages. Through this programme CESESMA is aiming to strengthen the discipline of Vocational Training, and promote wider participation of children and young people in their schools.

March 2010: New on the CESESMA website
We’ve restructured the website to offer more information and make it more accessible. Among the new elements are a "Digital Document Centre" which currently has twelve key documents available to download in PDF format; and updated information about the CESESMA team, which now numbers 38.

March 2010: New project promotes participation of children and young people in educational governance
In this new project, supported by the Common Fund to Support Civil Society for Democratic Governance in Nicaragua (www.fondogobernabilidad.org.ni), children and young people from 20 rural communities of San Ramon and Samulalí will help to promote good governance in education.

February 2010: Banners "Defending Our Right to Play" in the streets and communities
With support from the Municipal Children and Youth Commissions in both districts, banners designed by the children’s action-research teams from Yasica Sur and Samulalí to promote their right to play are now on prominent display in the streets and rural communities. The banners were painted with support from our friends at the Common Threads organisation in England. The photo shows the banner in the main street of San Ramon outside the central primary school.

February 2010: Four computer courses in CESESMA’s new IT workshop
As part of our computer training project, supported by the Combined Services Third World Fund in Ireland, four new courses were launched in February. The students include young Promotores and Promotoras, some CESESMA team members, and a group of primary school teachers. To accommodate this program CESESMA has outfitted an IT workshop with 10 networked computers.

January 2010: CESESMA launches its second Strategic Plan
In December, through a highly participatory process, the CESESMA team produced its second Strategic Plan covering the years 2010-2014. Having already completed a thorough evaluation of the previous plan (2004-2008), the process began with analysis of the socio-cultural, economic, political and environmental context, analysis of the stakeholders, networks and spaces in which we work, and an institutional appraisal. We then reviewed the mission and vision, and developed new goals, outcomes, indicators and strategies. For an English summary of the new plan click here.

December 2009: Article by children’s action-research team form Samulalí published in “Arco Iris” magazine
The latest issue of the journal Arco Iris (Rainbow) published by CODENI contains an article "Children and Young People Defending Our Right to Play" by the team of young researchers and campaigners from Samulalí, based on the findings of their research into the state of children’s play in their community. To read the article in Spanish click here. For an English translation of the children’s report click here.

November 2009: New book from CESESMA shares children’s perceptions of “Safe Quality Schools”
Children and young people from 49 schools in El Tuma-La Dalia, Waslala and Rancho Grande share their ideas, opinions and perceptions about the kind of school they want in this new book published by CESESMA as part of the “Safe Quality Schools” project supported by Save the Children Nicaragua. The book (Spanish only) is available to download free from the CESESMA Document Centre

October 2009: Samulalí children’s theatre group at festival against violence in Managua
Children’s theatre group “Las Estrellitas” from Samulalí, accompanied by mums and members of the CESESMA team, travelled to the capital city Managua to present their play “No More Punishments” at the third national festival against violence towards children ”We Want to be Treated Well”, sponsored by Save the Children Nicaragua. They also organised a photographic exhibition about the work children and young people are doing on prevention of violence in their communities, supported by CESESMA .

October 2009: CESESMA team learns English
Nineteen members of the CESESMA team are attending English classes three times a week with our new English teacher Andie Reynolds. Andie, from Scotland, Came to CESESMA thanks to coordination with the NEST Trust in the UK, and funding from the Alcan Prize for Sustainability Training Grant that CESESMA won in 2007.

Welcome to new members of the CESESMA team:

Heyling Lisbeth González Guido
From Samulalí, Community Education Worker in the Samulalí team. Studying Agronomy at UPONIC.

Anielka Guadalupe Mairena Rugama
From San Antonio, Yasica Sur. Community Education Worker with the Girls and Young Women's Network in the San Ramón team, and studying final year of secondary school at the High School in San Ramón.  

Cesar Augusto Moreno
From La Reyna, San Ramón, teaches Carpentry in CESESMA's Vocational Education programme in La Dalia; currently working with 65 children and young people in the schools at El Carmen #1, Casa Blancas, La Empresa and La Primavera as well as the Casas Blancas Community Learning Centre.

Mario de Jesús Martínez
Socio-Cultural Animateur, originally from Managua, works on youth theatre, children's reading programme and communication initiatives with the La Dalia team.

María de los Ángeles Espinoza Ruiz de Shier
From Matagalpa, is a Computer Systems Engineer, and CESESMA's Information Technology teacher, running the new computer skills programme with young Promotores/as, primary teachers and members of the CESESMA team.

Emilio René Cruz Rugama
Originally from Estelí, is a Computer Systems Engineer, and CESESMA's IT technician who keeps the computer equipment and network running smoothly in difficult conditions.

And a new volunteer

Darling Huguet Sánchez Videa, from Samulalí, who is studying the third year of a Business Administration degree at UNAN Matagalpa, is working as Receptionist and Accounts Assistant at CESESMA on a three month practice placement.