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Play It Forward Issue #1: The Power of Play
Step into the SWB Universe, where every newcomer has powerful stories to tell! Each week in December, a new issue will unfold a powerful...
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Soccer Without Borders
Nicaragua
Serving girls in the city of Granada and advancing gender equity across the region since 2008
Volunteer applications are now OPEN for TEAM Camp 2025, happening January 13-17 2025. Learn more!
SWB Nicaragua in Action
I don't know what type of person I would be if Soccer Without Borders weren't a part of my life. I feel its influence has formed me to be who I am. To be a part of the leadership team, to feel the desire to help, to be with the girls in the program, to share with them, to listen to their desires and dreams. Soccer Without Borders hasn't changed my life, it has formed my life.
Natalia, SWB Nicaragua Graduate
About SWB Nicaragua
Soccer Without Borders Nicaragua uses soccer as a way to build leadership, improve educational outcomes, and strengthen social-emotional skills for girls, ages 5-20. At SWB Nicaragua, sport, education, and leadership development go hand-in-hand. There are many factors that cause a girl in Nicaragua to drop out of school, including domestic responsibilities in the home, a financial need to work in the market/informal economy, unplanned pregnancy, and a lack of visible pathways and encouragement for women to enter the workforce and pursue a career. SWB addresses these barriers through holistic, long-term programming and a future-focused culture that invites girls to "dream big" and imagine their future.
Featured Initiatives
SWB Nicaragua By the Numbers
Most Recent Year
Overview
859
youth served
80%
retention rate
from year to year
88%
average academic advancement rate
58%
of coaches are program alumnae
134
primary, secondary, and university scholarships awarded
93
women coaches trained through SOMOS Equidad
Spotlights
Spotlight: Co-Director Veronica Balladares
At SWB Nicaragua, "If she can see it, she can be it" is an everyday experience, as women like Veronica Balladares are breaking barriers in sport and beyond. Veronica was one of the first women to join SWB as a coach in Granada in 2008. After 7 years of balancing her studies and work with her passion for SWB, in 2015 she was named Co-Director of SWB Nicaragua. She has since set the highest bar across SWB in developing leadership pathways for participants to become coaches and leaders.
Spotlight: Education Program
Since its creation, the SWB Education & Leadership program has awarded over 450 scholarships, including 35 university scholarships. Scholarship recipients not only receive funding for school fees, but also the tools needed to attend, including uniforms (required for all public and private schools), gym class uniforms, shoes, backpacks, computer and internet access, tutoring sessions, notebooks, pens, and more. In 2021, we published a status report and spotlight on the program.
SWB Nicaragua Partners
Building a more inclusive world requires a shared purpose and a collaborative approach. Our partners and supporters enable us to provide programming to youth free-of-cost, while also providing complementary services to youth and families when their needs fall outside of our scope.
Boreiko Family Foundation
Bristol Link UK
Cruz Roja
Federación Independiente de Granada
FENIFUT – Fútbol Federation of Nicaragua
Girls' Rights Project
Global Rescue
Granada FC
Hotel Con Corazon
INTECNA
MINED- Ministerio de Educación
Thomas H. Pope Memorial Fund
Together Women Rise
U.S. Department of State-SportsUnited
U.S. Embassy in Managua
SWB Nicaragua Latest News
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