Programs

Domestic Program

The domestic sector formed a collaboration with Vista Maria's Dreams Realized through Education And Mentoring (DREAM) Program in 2010. DREAM offers individual mentoring for high school aged youth who attend Vista Maria or nearby schools with a special focus on graduation and post-graduation options. Over the summer, Sa Nima developed and tested several modules focused on community assessment and grant-writing, financial awareness, and college decision-making with foster youth living at Vista Maria. Due to great success of those modules and their past success with high school students participating in the national Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Program (GEAR UP), we are implementing them again with a new cohort of students and further developing additional job and educational preparedness modules.

International Program

From 2004 to 2008, the international sector worked in a rural community in the Dominican Republic called Rancho al Medio. Every spring break, and once during the summer, students from the University traveled to the community to implement a variety of health-based programs. The international sector collaborated with the medical students' chapter of HIA, as well as a Dominican nonprofit called Manos a Tiempo, to bring multifaceted, integrative, sustainable health solutions to the community.

As of 2009, Sa Nimá's international sector has been working in Samox San Lucas in Alta Verapaz, Guatemala in partnership with the Guatemala based non-profit, The CasaSito Association. In 2009, we implemented a water treatment project using sustainable BioSand filters and assessed the future needs of the community. In 2010, we led an after school camp that included hand-washing and dental hygiene modules, a mural painting of Guatemala, and a soccer tournament. We also provided an agricultural resource manual developed by the Peace Corps and a variety of seeds as part of a home garden module. In 2011, we continued BioSand training with the teachers and explored other parts of the country to learn more about the context and existing development programs including the community radio movement, bottle wall schools, and a community skill-building center. In Samox we engage the community in ongoing community assessment as our relationship develops and hope to serve as a resource for community members to develop and implement self-identified solutions.