Beauty for Ashes
The Beauty for Ashes Project is a nonprofit organization founded by Kara Westermann and Audra Omer in Managua in Nicaragua.
The Beauty for Ashes Project supports individuals living in challenging conditions at “La Chureca” in Managua. Their efforts include rescuing and assisting the homeless with a focus on children, to help empower and nurture them as valuable members of society.
The Beauty for Ashes mission is to liberate individuals from spiritual, physical, and emotional poverty, replacing despair with the transformative beauty of Christ.
The impact of Beauty for Ashes is due to the collective work of volunteers and partners involved in this project.
Philanthropy and Giving Back
One of Beauty for Ashes’ key partnerships is with ECI Development and its co-founder Joel Nagel and co-founder and CEO Mike Cobb, who played a pivotal role in transforming the trash land, “La Chureca,” into a recycling facility. This initiative is part of the social projects launched by ECI in 2013. This initiative’s remarkable accomplishment has been instrumental in reshaping the community’s narrative and enhancing the well-being of its residents. Furthermore, the initiative includes diverse projects like an art therapy program for children, the establishment of vocational education facilities, and generous donations.
Additionally, Gran Pacifica, a vacation resort affiliated with ECI and represented by Joel Nagel and Mike Cobb, has maintained its collaboration with Beauty for Ashes. They have extended their support by supplying paper and bond paper, donating 380 pounds to “Los Pipitos,” another reputable NGO in Nicaragua.
The Beauty for Ashes project has been a great experience for volunteers and a thrilling and transformative journey because each day is filled with unique experiences that leave them in awe.
Success Stories and Transforming Lives
The NGO has implemented various impactful programs to support children, such as the “elite scholarship” initiative, which transports them from where they live to prestigious private schools in Managua, the capital city of Nicaragua. Furthermore, they actively collaborate with incarcerated men and their families in the District II prison in Managua.
For this initiative, recycled plastic bottles have proven to be invaluable resources for conducting art therapy sessions and as construction materials. Recycled materials, specifically eco-bricks, were utilized to construct facilities, serving as cost-effective alternatives to cement blocks. These facilities aim to empower single mothers by equipping them with skills relevant to their daily lives, including sewing. Moreover, their vision includes creating plastic flower trees along the perimeter of the Las Banderas community in La Chureca as a visually pleasing element.
The Impact We’ve Made
With support from both ECI representatives, Joel and Mike, the Beauty for Ashes project made a significant impact on children and mothers by providing them with a dedicated space for studying and essential materials for therapy and education. Together, we have accomplished the primary objective of the Beauty for Ashes project, which is to alleviate emotional and physical poverty. Central to this initiative is cultivating an unwavering culture of love, providing innovative opportunities, and igniting individuals’ purposes and passions. The overarching goal is to continue aiding those in need, empowering them with education for a better life.
If you want to learn more about the Beauty for Ashes project, please visit their webpage here.
