Trade For New Life, Inc., is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to breaking the cycle of poverty in Nicaragua through free technical education.We are currently located on the campus of a free boarding school, called Nueva Vida, in the city of Granada.

Nicaragua is the second poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. The most recent U.N. Development Report indicates that 46% of the population are living on $1.15 a day. It is common in Nicaragua for the children of low income families to work for what amount to pennies a day to support their un or underemployed parents, or to simply be put out on the street, where many become addicted to glue -- a horrible problem throughout much of Central and South America.

All of our students (There are presently 22 boys living full-time at the school) have either lived on the street or come from extremely poor families where education was not an option. Some were addicted to glue. (Trade For New Life also sponsors a day-care center, called Angelica, that feeds 40 children a day and where the kids --ages 5-10 -- experience early education. It is run almost entirely by volunteers. The money we donate (approximately $300.00/month) primarily goes toward food, but whenever we can we provide learning materials, toys, and shoes...which little kids go through like squirrels go through nuts. Most importantly, the day-care keeps the kids healthy in a loving an supportive environment...off the streets!)

Our primary goal is intervention: First, by showing these wonderful young people that we genuinely care about their well being and, second, to teach them a trade so that by the time they are of proper working age they have a skill with which to earn a living. Our present emphasis is on carpentry, but we intend to expand our teaching facilities to cover all trade-related skills.

We rely on your generosity to succeed in our mission.