Seeds of Hope in Nicaragua: Leyla 

Seeds of Esperanza February 29, 2024February 29, 2024

For almost 7 years now, the Seeds of Hope Scholarship has helped community health leaders pursue their dreams of higher education to better serve their communities and improve their lives.

One of these community leaders is Leyla Castellon, from the rural community of Fila Grande, in Matagalpa.

For years, Leyla has been an active community health volunteer, she has supported as a member of the health community, assisted during deworming and vaccination campaigns with local health authorities, and served as a WASH promoter, educating families on the use and maintenance of water filters to prevent disease and promote better health.

“I grew up in a community where there is no doctor or nurse and I always dreamt that I would become a nurse”, says Leyla. “There are so many kids and people who need health care. In an emergency it can take up to 4 hours to get to a health center. So, I want to help my community.”

Leyla is in her 4th year of nursing school. She has to take two buses to get to town; the first one picks her up at 4:30am, but this is no sacrifice for Leyla. She is passionate about her career and she is not giving up.

“When I first started nursing school we were 50 students, now we are 13, few of us have persevered. For me, nursing is an art, the art of taking care of others. That is what I love the most about my career, taking care of children and patients in need. It is so rewarding to see a patient recovering, there is nothing better than that. I love to interact with patients, to examine and help them. 

So far, anatomy has been the most difficult class for me, because there is a lot to learn about the human body, but it is also very important. However, my biggest challenge has been with technology. In my high school we did not have a computer lab, so I did not learn how to use computers. That was a disadvantage for doing my assignments. But, I am learning and have overcome these obstacles.”

“This scholarship is a true blessing. I am grateful for this opportunity to pursue my dreams. I pray God keeps and blesses you [donors], and that you may have abundant love and prosperity in life.”