<div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_default" style="color:#000000"><i><font face="garamond, serif" size="4">Dear Friends,</font></i></div><div class="gmail_default" style="color:#000000"><i><font face="garamond, serif" size="4"><br></font></i></div><div class="gmail_default" style="color:#000000"><i><font face="garamond, serif" size="4">Our daughter has asked us to share this with you. Some of you remember her well, others are being introduced to her for the first time through this letter. Suffice it to say, we are very proud of Alex and hope you are able to support her in anyway possible.</font></i></div><div class="gmail_default" style="color:#000000"><i><font face="garamond, serif" size="4"><br></font></i></div><div class="gmail_default" style="color:#000000"><i><font face="garamond, serif" size="4">Thanks, Barbara Hoel and Paul Fackler</font></i></div><div class="gmail_default" style="color:#000000"><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="color:#000000">.......................................................................</div><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr"><div><br></div><div>Hiya friends and family, </div><div><br></div><div>You might be wondering what I've been up to the last 20 months. It's true, I haven't been great at reaching out. That's mostly because of limited internet availability. Here's a bit more about what I'm working on now!</div><div><br></div><div><font size="2">As an entrepreneurship education volunteer with the Peace Corps in Nicaragua, I spend my days teaching rural students how to manage money, get creative, and start their own businesses. Nicaragua is the 2nd poorest country in Latin America, and its educations system also ranks second to last. Students face a myriad of obstacles trying to advance: from high schools hours away by bus or walking, to a lack of books, and limited access to higher education. Despite the many challenges, students are excited to learn about business. While the importance of trigonometric functions may seem far off, most students' parents or families run a small business, so learning basic administration is a priority. </font></div><div><font size="2"><br></font></div><div><font size="2">Fifteen years ago, a Peace Corps volunteer started teaching entrepreneurship education to a youth group as a side project. The project became so well-known that it made it's way into Nicaragua's high school curriculum. This year, we're celebrating a legacy of hard work done by generations of Nicaraguan teachers and Peace Corps volunteers. </font></div><div><br></div><div>However, maintaining this legacy is a tough task. In order to motivate students and teachers, Peace Corps Nicaragua holds a national business competition. In previous years, part of the funding for the competition has come from our project funds, but this year, we're facing a 5% budget cut. That doesn't mean much for our day to day operations, but it makes projects that require grants just a bit harder. </div><div><br></div><div>As Peace Corps volunteers, we pride ourselves on providing technical service. We're teachers, and like teachers in the U.S., we spend our own funds to try and make great classroom resources, and ensure that classwork is engaging and project based. Some projects require a bit more than that though, and we can't afford to bring students together from across the country without your help. </div><div><br></div><div>The National Entrepreneurship Fair brings together 72 competing students, 24 student business leaders, and 24 teachers to bring projects to the next level. Student groups compete for seed money, while receiving in-depth training in topics that go beyond the scope of the national entrepreneurship curriculum. They leave with the skills and the plan necessary to start their own businesses. </div><div><br></div><div>In order to make this competition happen, <b>we need to raise $9,600 in the next month. </b>Click <a href="https://donate.peacecorps.gov/donate/project/national-entrepreneurship-competition-2017/" target="_blank">here</a> to help us out, or forward the link on to friends and family! Every bit helps!</div><div><br></div><div><img src="cid:ii_15ec4e393fde4e08" alt="Inline image 1" width="544" height="456"><span class="HOEnZb"><font color="#888888"><br></font></span></div><span class="HOEnZb"><font color="#888888"><div><article class="m_-2759626813832253892gmail-inset m_-2759626813832253892gmail-article m_-2759626813832253892gmail-t-body--lg" style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:2.4rem 0px;line-height:1.8;clear:both;color:rgb(161,33,34);font-family:Lato,Verdana,sans-serif"><div class="m_-2759626813832253892gmail-content-block m_-2759626813832253892gmail-text-block" style="box-sizing:inherit;clear:left;margin:4em 0px 5em 185.828px;float:left;width:728.328px"><div><font size="1"><br></font></div></div></article><div><font size="1"><br></font></div>-- <br><div class="m_-2759626813832253892gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div style="font-size:small"><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif">Alexandra E. Morgan</font></div><div style="font-size:small"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0)"><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif">Small Business Advisor</font></span></div><div style="font-size:small"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0)"><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif">Peace Corps Nicaragua</font></span></div><div style="font-size:small"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0)"><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif">San Ramón, Matagalpa, Nicaragua</font></span></div><div style="font-size:small"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0)"><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif">505.8855.0184</font></span></div></div></div></div></div>
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