"I just happened to look out the window and I saw a little group of kids and they were playing baseball and they were using an aluminum pipe for the bat and I thought you know we have a lot bats in Wisconsin that we could be sending down and that was a lot of what was in that shipment so I hope perhaps that bat might find it's way to those kids," said Amy Wiza.
That's all it took was a person noticing the disparities in an underprivileged country. Along with her mother Wiza took on the job of connecting people in Wisconsin with people in Nicaragua.
Joining in with people across the state in "Wisconsin-Nicaragua Partners of the Americas."
"We have 71 learning centers in Nicaragua and they teach everything from cosmetology, to carpentry, gardening and sewing," Wiza added.
All of the equipment used to teach the classes come from the community.
"People in Wisconsin collect either sewing machines, fabric, carpentry tools, cosmetology supplies all those things you would use for those projects," Said Wiza.
One Portage County business owner who has been helping for years, through sewing, has donated more than 2,000 machines.
Norman Barbar said the lesson goes beyond learning how to sew. It's really about repairing the machines.
"They had a good 300 machines in there of which the first thing we did was go through and throw away everything that wasn't worth fixing," responded Barber.
"Instead of sending money down and being a handout we're helping them to help themselves," Said Wiza.
You don't have to be picky. They will accept any donation, big or small.
"So far we've sent 17 fire trucks and 12 ambulances," said Wiza.
"If there's anything you think that you might be able to teach somebody down there and that they would eventually take and do some good for their own country, they would be very happy to have ya," said Barber.
With 23 partnered cities around the state and more than 40 current projects in Stevens Point, the organization continues to grow and people's lives will forever be changed, thanks to the generosity of others.
Helping Nicaragua
