Building on the Dream: What’s Next?

There are many opportunities to join us in building out this shared vision and bringing much needed change to deserving youth…

With so much opportunity to grow across our 437-acre campus and to make a lasting social impact, our vision reaches far beyond our current facilities. In many ways, we have only just begun! We invite you to join us in realizing the full vision that is Vera Angelita…we simply cannot do it without your support. This is an incredible opportunity to invest in this one-of-kind, model sustainable development initiative and join us in this life-changing journey that not only drives much needed social change but also provides an opportunity to experience the joy of giving firsthand.

Here are a few of the exciting initiatives we are actively planning and for which we invite you to join us in making a difference:

School Solar Energy Expansion (Final Phase)

Sponsorship Opportunity: $50K

At Vera Angelita, we currently have 3 separate installations of solar panels and batteries spread throughout the property which meet the energy needs of our eco-resort, estate, vital infrastructure, student housing, and about 60% of the school’s needs. We urgently need to implement the final phase of our solar energy plans which would meet the remaining needs of the school and some essential infrastructure like streetlamps. With that, the project as a whole should be fully energy self-sufficient and in no way reliant on the often unreliable city power grid.

Vera Eco-Resort Reception

Sponsorship Opportunity: $150K

Our current eco-resort reception building is a temporary structure that will need to be demolished to make way for the secondary student housing construction soon. We have temporarily set up a reception area in our Vera Café dining facility, but a permanent solution is necessary – one that matches the high level of design and service that we provide at the Vera Eco-Resort. This building would essentially consist of a small waiting area with reception desk and small covered terrace that opens up to a babbling brook and gorgeous native trees that are home to some of our resident sloths. The location for this building has already been established and design plans are underway. This represents an opportunity for sponsorship in a high traffic area which will be the first welcome point for all eco-resort guests and other visitors.

Soccer Field & Track

Sponsorship Opportunity: $500K

Our students at Vera Angelita currently have access to our multi-use sports court where they can play basketball, volleyball, and do exercise. However, most Nicaraguans play soccer, and there is high demand for a soccer field. These young adults need lots of exercise, and we have the perfect spot for establishing a soccer field surrounded by a running track, which would allow us to take our athletics program to the next level. Other local schools have their own sports teams and are eager to include us in their league play. We already have the architectural plans for this, which also include a spectator area and some minor buildings for storage of equipment.

Student Housing Expansion – Final Phase

Sponsorship Opportunity: $1M 

Our current onsite student housing is limited to female students only with a total capacity of 93 students in one student village area. Male students currently live offsite in a home we own that is about a 15-20 minute drive away where we are limited to 22 students total. This arrangement is not sustainable in the long-term, and within 1 more academic year, we will run out of housing for new students. Working with our original architect, we have developed design plans for 3 new buildings which will increase our onsite accommodations by 104 beds for students and capacity to house 16 more staff or visiting school guests. This will allow us to eventually realize the full capacity of the school (197 students total), bring the boys onsite, and meet the growing demands for staff housing as our school continues to grow.

Center for Conservation & Bird Aviary

Sponsorship Opportunity: $2M

Beginning the day we acquired the property, we immediately implemented practices banning the use of inorganic chemicals, reforesting the land, restoring the watershed, and protecting wildlife and rich biodiversity. Since then, the land has been transformed. Teeming with life and its own micro-climate, the land where Vera Angelita is built is shared as much by its natural habitants as it is by its human ones. Driven by the idea of total sustainability in all aspects, we have long dreamed of and planned for having our own center for conservation committed to the five R’s – rehabilitation, rescue, research, reproduction, and reintroduction – starting with birds. Our current design plans include both a center for conservation as well as a large-scale bird aviary in which the net would go over the tree line of an existing several acre plot of forest.

We plan to focus our efforts on a handful of native bird species that are threatened or endangered, working in close partnership with local experts, organizations / associations, and government environmental agencies. The center itself will have facilities for veterinary care, research and educational instruction, a reception area for guests, kitchen, and separate enclosures for the treatment, care, and breeding of animals with the ultimate goal of release back into the wild. For those animals that cannot be reintroduced to the wild, they will live peacefully and securely in a natural environment within our aviary.

The development of these facilities will complete the 4th pillar of the Vera Angelita initiative focused entirely on conservation which also includes our private nature reserve (which we plan to grow significantly over time) and reforestry efforts (including our active 1 Million Trees Campaign). By sponsoring this center, you will establish yourself as a crucial member of the Vera Angelita founding team and will bring much needed ecological and conservation attention to this overlooked corner of the world.

Vera Model – Build Your Own School!

Sponsorship Opportunity: $5M+

While the Vera model could be done anywhere, we have done preliminary research & networking and have identified a number of prospective locations where we strongly believe the Vera model has tremendous potential to succeed and make a truly lasting social impact. The short list of prospective locations that we have developed satisfy our initial selection criteria developed over the past decade of experience. In each of these locations there are vulnerable communities that have unequal and inadequate access to quality education and are affected by poverty and underdevelopment. Yet, each has stunningly beautiful land and is an appealing travel and investment destination.

We welcome the opportunity to explore this idea further in any part of the world. Just as Vera Angelita was named after the mother & grandmother of project founder Rob Friedman, this represents an incredible opportunity to secure your own family legacy and to forever preserve the name and story of the person you would like to honor. If you have a particular connection to or affinity for a particular location, we can help make your dream a reality anywhere in the world! The size / scope of the project (and thus the total budget) is up to you. Please reach out to us if you would like to explore establishing a new project in any of the locations listed below or any other corner of the globe where there are youth and communities who yearn for a better tomorrow:

1. Hawaii, USA

   The islands of Maui & the Big Island are especially well suited to host an initiative of this nature. With a rich tropical climate and incredible biodiversity, unique cultural heritage, and significant disparities between access and achievement amongst native Hawaiians & Pacific Islanders compared to other students, there is no doubt Hawaii would be an ideal destination to establish our next campus. Being in the U.S. and already being a top global tourist destination also offers unique advantages.

2. Colombia

   One of the most desirable destinations in South America, Colombia is a diverse country with beautiful landscapes but high rates of poverty and unemployment, as well. A stable and friendly country where the dollar goes a very long way, education and social development in Colombia are highly valued. There is a clear need and desire for initiatives like Vera where we could expect enthusiastic support from various government agencies focused on the development, education, and wellbeing of youth.

3. Namibia

   Another incredible country with low population density but extreme gaps in wealth and overall development indicators, Namibia also has some of the most unique landscapes on earth and is a high-end tourism / safari destination. Namibia boasts stability, relatively well developed infrastructure, and astonishing potential to establish a world-class campus and nature / game reserve.

4. Ethiopia

   One of the major hubs on the African continent, Ethiopia is a country unlike any other. Known as the birthplace of humanity, Ethiopia is also the only African country never to be formally colonized, allowing for it to retain much of its original traditions and culture. Visions has operated in Ethiopia since 2012 with the Visions Academy School for the Deaf located in the peaceful southern city of Hawassa. Building on many years of groundwork, Visions has had plans for many years to establish a Vera-style school there, especially for children living with hearing loss who face extreme hardship and exclusion. As one of the 15 least developed countries in the world as well, the need for such a project is remarkable.