Wisconsin Nicaragua Partners of the Americas, Inc.
Working together, we make a difference.
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Bringing in a continuous flow of income and volunteers to continue the current programs in progress and add additional programs as needed.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Wisconsin Nicaragua Partners
Taking a long-term view of development, W/NP strives to promote sustainability. W/NP volunteers leverage small amounts of money that multiply up to twelve-fold, providing in-kind goods and services for a variety of project activities streaming from six focus areas: Agriculture/Natural Resources, Cultural Diversity, Health, Humanitarian Assistance, Youth, and Women and Families. We bring about tremendous change in peoples lives both in the US and in Nicaragua. People of all ages and lifestyles are members of the partnership; business people, students, college professors, farmers, health care professionals, artists, foresters, administrators, leaders of community organizations, and most importantly, people who care.
Learning Centers
Learning Centers began as sewing centers with the first one established in 1982. Slowly, with changes in technology, lifestyle, and the roles of women and men, needs for new program initiatives were brought about changing our centers to more than sewing.
Now we have 100 Learning Centers, located in rural areas where access to education and opportunity is limited. The goal is to provide opportunities for the participants to acquire vocational skills that allow women to remain in their communities, rather than migrate to the urban area to work in sweat shops or as maids. This is being done in the belief that having "mom in the home" is critical to the security and training of young children, especially girls.
Eyeglass Project
Each year the Wisconsin Lions Camp in Rosholt, WI supplies refurbished eyeglasses to W/NP and the WI Lions for distribution in Nicaragua.
Nearly 10,000 people are evaluated and fitted with eyeglasses annually by the Martin Eyeglass Project and the WI Lions Mission. Significant planning and resources from a vast group of participants, make clear sight and improved vision a reality for many who otherwise may have no other options. This project is made possible by Lions International. There are approximately 20 Lions centers worldwide that coordinate, sort, clean, categorize, box and label donated eyeglasses to prepare for distribution to developing countries such as Nicaragua.
Stove and Chimney Project
The stove project is about working together to solve common problems. Three million people die each year from household air pollution according to the World Health Organization, with poorer countries most at risk. W/NP helps educate how to decrease respiratory hazards by incorporating a stove and chimney combination. Learning Centers are identified that could use a model stove to teach people in the communities how to construct one of their own.
Where we work
External reviews
Photos
Videos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of job skills training courses/workshops conducted
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Learning Centers
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Average number of service recipients per month
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Wisconsin Nicaragua Partners
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of volunteers
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Wisconsin Nicaragua Partners
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
W/NP's goals are to:
• promote mutual understanding and establish lasting relationships among citizens and institutions of Wisconsin and Nicaragua;
• foster volunteerism and self-help attitudes through the implementation of economic and social development projects;
• leverage development assistance funds.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Both in Wisconsin and Nicaragua, passion for volunteering is the common denominator that brings people together, breaking barriers of nationalism, race, gender, and political divisions. W/NP uses the established interactive network between Wisconsin and Nicaragua to carry out a diverse spectrum of programs. The organization as a whole fosters understanding and goodwill by involving people of all backgrounds and ages.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
W/NP is a group of dedicated volunteers that have established strong connections with our Nicaraguan friends. The Wisconsin Chapter has volunteers with a variety of interests. One reason for the continued success of W/NP is the amount of volunteers who travel to Nicaragua on a regular basis and for the Nicaraguans who are able to visit Wisconsin. These exchanges keep the projects alive.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
W/NP is one of the few organizations that has had a strong and continuous presence in Nicaragua over the last tumultuous decades; more than 49 years of people-to-people exchanges and institutional linkages which have successfully and continually carried out the primary mandate of promoting economic and social development through many projects. As a non-partisan organization, W/NP is well accepted throughout Nicaragua because it has no political agenda and is not affiliated with any political party.
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Wisconsin Nicaragua Partners of the Americas, Inc.
Board of directorsas of 03/24/2020
Linda Weber
no affiliation
Term: 2017 - 2019
Betty Pionek
Keith Roeske
no affiliation
Lorraine Danczyk
no affiliation
Linda Weber
no affiliation
Tom Ordens
no affiliation
Brad Martin
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes