THE MANY FACES OF INTER CAMPUS NICARAGUA

THE MANY FACES OF INTER CAMPUS NICARAGUA

MANAGUA – The second visit of the season to Managua saw many happy faces. The smiling ones of Arquimides, Wilbert and Cesar, the local coaches who for some months now have been working alongside the new intake of new local stuff such as the new coach David. There are also the two directors Giuditta and Ajax (Asociación CAIE and Association Nicaragua Joven), our partners with whom we’ve been discussing the project’s progression and how to develop further. There are the faces of the local community, the curious journalists who are there daily at the pitches and the smiling faces of the parents in the stands as they watch their children in training from the stands. Finally, there are the emotional faces of the kids themselves who show great focus during the team games and joy when they take a cone from their opponents.

That ‘s how the courses from the local coaches and the games proposed by our coaches Gabriele Raspelli and Karla Gutierrez come together and bring all of the different aspects of the project together in the knowledge of how important is to participate actively in these days to bring the project to life.

The project itself has been taking place at the Nicaraguan Sports Institute (NSI) since 2014 and every year about 150 children coming from families with low financial capabilities participate in the project which aim is to prioritise their intellectual development through the practice of football.

The Intercampus takes care of the children three times a week, in mornings and afternoons, in order to adapt to the availability of the minors according to their study schedules. The project is aimed at infants from 7 to 11 years old, coming from the many different neighbourhoods of the city which are in the range of  the Nicaraguan Sports Institute. According to the statistics, in each training session there is an average attendance of 70%.

The idea is that children can easily reach the location and their parents do not have to expose them to buses or taxis. Therefore, the neighborhoods near the training camp are prioritised . After almost four years of work at Intercampus the results have been satisfactory, that is reflected in the personality of the children, their academic performance, the relationship with parents, the social relationship, their discipline, scholarships and many more who have obtained knowledge through football.