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ORPHAN HELPERS began working in Nicaragua in 2006. Mi Familia, Nicaragua's government agency for children, invited ORPHAN HELPERS to begin establishing its presence in three of the country's detention centers.
Juigalpa, Juigalpa
There are approximately 80 boys. An estimated 10% of the prison population is between the ages of 15 and 18. A lack of separate juvenile detention centers requires that youths be housed in the same prisons as adults. Although prison officials often try to separate youths and adults in different wings of the institution, crowded conditions generally make it impossible to prevent juveniles' contact with older prisoners.
La Modelo, Tipitapa
120 boys ranging from 12 to 18 years of age. These orphaned, abandoned, and street boys are housed with adult male prisoners. The children have been arrested for charges such as drug use, kidnapping, robbery, assault and murder.
Granada, Managua
100 boys ranging from 12 to 18 years of age. These boys are serving their sentences with adult male inmates. Orphaned, abandoned and street boys have been arrested for charges such as drug use, kidnapping, robbery, maiming, arms trafficking and murder.
Children 15 years old and younger comprise 46% of Nicaragua's population. The United Children's Fund (UNICEF) estimates 6,000 children have been abandoned by their families, some 2,000 live in orphanages and approximately 1,800 are in foster homes. Every year, the media carries stories of dozens of parents who abandoned or killed their children because they were too poor or otherwise unable to care fore them. 52% of crimes in Nicaragua have been committed by children below the age of 18. There are no special programs to educate, rehabilitate, or even incarcerate these children.
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