On February the 2^nd Onno Oostveen and Marcel Zuidhof left on behalf of the ‘Hotel con Corazon Foundation” for Nicaragua where they will start a Hotel, a ‘Hotel with a Heart’. The profits from the hotel will be used to increase the number of children attending school in Granada. We need your involvement to accomplish this goal.

The project has two main goals: on the one hand child development and on the other hand stimulate economic activity. We decided it had to be a self supporting project in order to limit the dependency on donor monies, especially in the long term.

Winter ’05/’06 they paid a three-week visit to Nicaragua to get an impression of the local needs. After a few weeks they gained clear insight in what is generally seen as one of the major problems of the lasting poverty in Nicaragua: many children do not go to school.

During the visit, they also looked for a way to generate financing in a sustainable manner. In the foundation’s opinion this means that the money should be earned locally by locals, without enduring financial support from the outside. Through several examples that they have seen during the visit it became clear that the tourist industry offers numerous opportunities, as this sector is in early stages of development but growing very fast.

Soon a plan took shape, through which The foundation will be able to stimulate the education of children via tourism; At the end of 2006 Onno and Marcel left their jobs. They will start a hotel in Granada, which’ profits will be used to sponsor the school costs of children, whilst at the same time the hotel will offer internships and part-time jobs for the children and/or their parents.

All this cannot be achieved without your help.