Our Crowdfunding Groups
We are two groups of Emory students working closely with the residents of Los Robles, Nicaragua, to improve the health and economic conditions of their community. We are comprised of the Global Health Impact Project group (the GHIPsters) and the Bachelor of Business Administration students (the BBAs). Together, we are Unidos Con Los Robles!
Through the Unidos Con Los Robles campaign, our goal of $15,000 will:
This partnership between Emory and Los Robles not only helps to improve health and economic conditions in the community, but also provides an educational experience for the students.
Children at the health clinic in Los Robles, which was established with the help of the Nicaragua Community Health Connection (NCHC).
Since 2010, Emory and the residents of Los Robles have been partnering through the Goizueta Business School’s Social Enterprise @ Goizueta. This partnership exposes students to a wide range of developmental issues facing the region and helps them envision solutions.
The collaboration has grown to include health care through the Nicaragua Community Health Connection (NCHC) initiative. Students from across Emory engage year round through NCHC and its many community-health programs, including a fully functioning health clinic.
Home to more than 2,000 residents, Los Robles is roughly 15 kilometers north of the closest city. Due to isolation and high rates of poverty, Los Robles faces a number of economic and health challenges.
The Brigadistas, a team of community health workers, are eager to partner with Emory students to implement new strategies to increase health education, implement prevention measures, and improve health outcomes to reduce the risk for illnesses such as upper respiratory diseases, diabetes, and high blood pressure.
The residents of Los Robles also lend a hand, investing more than 10,000 hours of volunteer service work since the NCHC program was formalized in 2013. These community volunteers have helped build the health clinic, established a community cemetery, delivered community health workshops, and more.
"This partnership allows me to apply my graduate education through a hands-on approach. Working on a multi-disciplinary team alongside the Los Robles Brigadistas has challenged me to think critically, ethically, and globally. Above all, it has been a humbling reminder of the power of community. Though we may be small in numbers, being united can create a force of change for a better tomorrow." — Rebecca Crockett GHIP
Los Robles is located near the shores of Lake Apanas, roughly 15 kilometers north of the city of Jinotega, Nicaragua. Their community suffers as a result of isolation and poverty.
The BBAs: Meet the Undergraduate Business Team
The BBA students enrolled in this spring’s Social Enterprise in Nicaragua course are learning firsthand how applying business principles and market-based solutions can bring about sustained societal benefits in rural Nicaraguan communities. As part of the course experience, BBA students spend 10 days in Los Robles and other parts of Nicaragua to engage with local residents, learning how local community health and social enterprise models can be effective. BBA students help with medical supplies and operational resources for the community health clinic. In addition, they help install cement floors and repair stoves in local homes.
The GHIPsters: Meet the Global Health Impact Team
The Global Health Impact Project (GHIP) is a student consulting project sponsored by Emory Global Health Institute (GHI) and Social Enterprise @ Goizueta. The project provides support to Los Robles’ health clinic and other programs through health education and innovative models in partnership with the community. Comprised of a team of six students from multiple disciplines (business, development practice, medicine, nursing, physical therapy, and public health), the GHIPsters are working with the Los Robles Brigadistas to design and implement an innovative health solution during 10 weeks this summer.
The Los Robles Brigadistas, along with local volunteers, focus on improving the health of their community.
The people of Los Robles have many ideas for strengthening their community, but they face material, educational, and skill-building resource challenges. In addition, the community is impacted by issues such as obesity, upper respiratory illness, diabetes, and high blood pressure.
Your gift will help us continue to learn as we focus on improving the lives of the people in the Los Robles community.
The Riveras are from a family of eight living in a three-room house. Emory students helped to mix and pour a concrete floor for their home.
"Nicaragua has provided me the opportunity to see what we are learning in action—a perspective I could not have found in a textbook. The chance to observe the work of and learn from the Brigadistas has been inspiring. They are such a passionate group, working purely out of love for the community they come from with the hope of making it a better place." — Maddie Klingeman 17B
Your $25 donation will help to cover the cost of medical supplies for the clinic.
Your $50 donation will help to purchase a water filter to prevent illness for a family of five.
Your $100 donation will help support the Brigadistas’ health education and outreach efforts for one week.
A donation of $150 will help to cover the cost to install concrete flooring in a home for one family.
Your donation of $250 will help repair a stove in two households, which will prevent respiratory illness.
Your $750 gift helps to pay a month's salary for one doctor working at the clinic.
A gift of $1000 helps to cover medication expenses for a patient for 2 months OR to help cover operational costs for the clinic for 2 weeks.
Your donation of $2000 will help to pay the annual salary of one nurse at the clinic.