Samir boasts as he displays all of his certificates and awards achieved. He is one of over 300 students enrolled in Fabretto’s SAT Program in the small town of San Jose de Cusmapa, Nicaragua, hoping to break the cycle of poverty through quality education. “With what I am learning through the SAT Program, I am certain one day I will become an Industrial Engineer. That is my dream,” comments Samir.

Through a curriculum tailored to learning in the rural environment, SAT empowers youth to become agents of social and economic development in their  communities. Thanks to the support and partnership with Multilateral Investment Fund (FOMIN) and the Japanese Special Fund for Poverty Reduction (JPO), young people like Samir benefit from SAT, as well as quality technical and vocational education to help increase employability and support the local economy.

The SAT program’s philosophy centers on “learning by doing,” where students are the protagonists of their own learning. “What I like the most about SAT is that we are taught through the experience and practice of being out in the fields; it goes beyond the wall of a classroom. We have even been able to produce  non-traditional fruits and vegetables like passion fruit and dragon fruit for small income-generating initiatives.”

As part of the SAT learning methodology, Samir has had the opportunity to visit corporate farms to learn about large-scale agricultural techniques.  Samir’s SAT Tutor is constantly challenging students to apply those techniques and think big. “We, too, can harvest just like big farmers do; we are even capable of using better techniques,” shares Samir with a smile, while showing off a crate full of green peppers grown in the Fabretto greenhouse.

Through SAT, Samir and his classmates have also developed communication and marketing skills, which have allowed them to sell their own products at local markets and fairs.  At the last farmers market in Cusmapa, Samir sold 25 crates of tomatoes and 18 crates of green peppers.

Samir has a clear vision of who he wants to become and what he needs to do to get there. “I am certain that we [rural youth] can overcome poverty and prosper economically through agricultural education. We are learning the proper ways to manage the entire production cycle – from the planting of the seed to the sale of the final product. That knowledge is so powerful!” comments the young entrepreneur.

About FOMIN-JPO Project:

Over 1,800 youth benefit from quality technical and vocational education to help increase employability and support the local economy. The project is carried out by Fabretto, through the implementation its Rural Secondary Education Program –SAT, which mixes models for formal and vocational training that allow rural youth to improve their access and links to high-value supply chains and markets. The project targets rural youth living in three regions of Nicaragua: the Southern Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region (RACCS), Madriz, and Nueva Segovia.