The Friends Project is a grassroots project created by Kris Dreessen and supported by many that helps residents in developing communities complete projects that make a difference in their lives. The Friends Project is a grassroots project created by me and supported by many that helps residents in developing communities complete projects they believe will make a difference in their lives. I starte
d it in 2006 to give back for the generosity and friendship I have received on the road and a belief that “everyday” people can have tremendous impact. It’s a simple name for a simple idea: When I travel, I collect donations to make tangible and long-lasting improvements for a person or an entire community. In many places, like El Sauce, $50 is the difference of attending a year of school, or the start-up to create your own business when there are no jobs, to make a living
Our first project was in Nueva Esperanza, a remote Amazon community that struggles with malaria, sanitation and healthcare. With just $300 we: installed screens on houses to protect families from malaria-carrying mosquitoes, started a safe drinking-water program, and provided resources to build the village's first latrine. Since then, we have provided grants and resources to help community members in other areas, including El Sauce, Nicaragua, develop sustainable and eco-friendly businesses, and provide opportunity through specialized training and education scholarships. In 2012, we were among volunteers who raised $11,000 to open the first school in Las Minitas. Families there lobbied the local government for five years to obtain a permanent teacher but didn’t have resources for a school. Our other projects in Nicaragua include:
• Helping coffee cooperative members be more independent and earn more income by selling their coffee directly to visitors. We provided funding to buy a manual-powered bag sealer, and training to build a simple bean toaster out of a metal barrel. Before, they did it pound by pound over a fire. ($500)
• Provided bricks for farmers to dig a well to provide fresh water for the community. ($250)
• Helped women of the Fuente de Pino cooperative complete intensive artisan training, allowing them to make complex baskets more efficiently and fetch a higher price for their creations. ($300)
• Provided microloans to El Sauce residents to start businesses, such as Arelys, who bought chairs and cooking implements to expand her hours and offerings at her streetside restaurant. ($250)
• We enable seven teens to complete high school with scholarships of $35 per year — the cost for supplies. This year, we will begin to support the first teens from Las Minitas to attend college.
• Launched a beginning English class for cooperative members and their families in Las Minitas. Our teacher, Javier, walks four hours — each way. Student scholarship recipients walk the same, to El Sauce, to attend class. The most important aspect of The Friends Project is the belief that you don’t have to be rich, powerful or a big entity to provide opportunities that make a difference. Along the way, we discover our similarities and celebrate what can be accomplished when we work together. Time and again The Friends Project supporters, and our recipients, prove us right. I hope you will share the news, be inspired to join us to expand this friends group, or even create your own project.
— Leap, and discover the joy of flying,
Kris Dreessen
Follow us online
• www.facebook.com/TheFriendsProject
• www.krisdreessen.com
NEW! The Friends Photo Project — Introduces El Sauce, Nicaragua, teens to the language of photography. Using donated cameras, they document their daily lives. Through their lens, we see what’s important to them, and how they see the world. Sale of their photography prints directly funds annual scholarships of $35 – the cost of one year high school. Three students are also beginning college in 2014 — $300 each per year. View their online galleries at tinyurl.com/loopgvr
