Dear Friends,
As we close the chapter on 2025, we’re reporting to you some good news: you made an extraordinary impact in southwestern Nicaragua.
This year brought both profound challenges and remarkable triumphs. Through it all, your support was the foundation upon which we’ve built hope, health, and opportunity for thousands.
Healing and Care When It Matters Most
The “doors” of the Roberto Clemente Health Clinic opened more than 20,000 times this year to welcome community members seeking primary care and pharmacy services. Behind that 20K number are real faces, real families, and real lives changed. A mother who finally received treatment for a chronic condition. A child whose fever broke with the right medicine. An elderly farmer who can work his land again thanks to pain management.
Included Among those patient visits were 272 emergencies, 97 of them critical, where every second counted and our team responded with skill and compassion. And in moments of pure joy, we celebrated two new lives born at our clinic! Both babies arrived healthy and strong into the loving arms of their families.
Reaching Beyond Our Walls
But our work extends far beyond the clinic’s walls. We reached over 10,000 community members through educational programs and outreach initiatives. We conducted deworming campaigns to protect children’s health. We fought dengue fever through prevention education. We organized blood donation drives that will save countless lives. And perhaps most remarkably, our dedicated team drove off-road into 11 hard-to-reach communities, places where healthcare would otherwise be a distant dream, bringing free medical exams and medicines to those who need them most.
Water: The Foundation of Health
Clean water is life itself. In 2025, we provided safe, potable water to over 14,000 community members. Our water distribution program served three public health centers, a police station, families living near the clinic without access to clean water, all 11 of our remote outreach communities, four health fairs, and patients suffering from chronic kidney disease. Every gallon of clean water we deliver is a glass of dignity, a drink of hope, a sip of health.
Investing in the Future: Our Padrino/Madrina Program
Education transforms lives, and this year our sponsor-a-child program demonstrated the power of sustained commitment. We provided 52 children with school uniforms, supplies, backpacks, and comprehensive medical exams, giving them not just the tools to learn, but the confidence to dream. We supported 48 university students with monthly supplies and boarding assistance, helping them pursue higher education that seemed impossible just years ago.
The numbers tell a powerful story of perseverance: we now have 79 active Padrinos supporting our young people. We maintained an extraordinary 98% retention rate in 2025, down from 8% desertion in 2023. Our students are staying in school, staying focused, and staying hopeful. This year alone, we celebrated five elementary school graduations, three high school graduations, and six university graduations. Each graduate represents not just individual achievement, but generational transformation for entire families.
Rising to Meet Every Challenge
Behind these accomplishments stands a team whose dedication has been tested and proven this year. We faced heartbreak with the loss of our long-time Operational Director and head pharmacist, Gustavo Ibarra. His leadership, wisdom, and commitment to serving our community left an indelible mark on the clinic and on all of us. We honor his memory by continuing the work he loved.
Our team navigated a complex landscape of government reorganization, securing new pharmacy licenses and certifications from the Ministries of Labor and Interior. We invested $60,000 in required medical facility improvements, not just meeting standards but elevating our capacity to serve. We provided advanced medical training to our staff and ensured every team member was immunized against yellow fever. And when a newly elevated paved road created unexpected challenges for clinic access, our team adapted with creativity and determination.
Through grief, through bureaucracy, through infrastructure challenges, through every obstacle, your clinic team responded with perseverance, thoughtfulness, professionalism, and an unwavering commitment to those we serve. We applaud them, and we know you do too.
Looking Ahead with Gratitude and Hope
As we stand at the threshold of 2026, we are filled with deep appreciation for you, our donors, our partners, our believers. You made every medical visit possible. You made every outreach trip a reality. You made every drop of clean water available. You made every child’s education achievable. You made every challenge surmountable.
The needs in southwestern Nicaragua remain great. Families still struggle without access to basic healthcare. Children still face barriers to education. Communities still lack clean water and proper nutrition. But because supporters like you, hope is alive and growing stronger every day.
We need your continued support in 2026 to keep serving those who depend on us. Your generosity doesn’t just fund a clinic, it builds healthier families, educated young people, and stronger communities. It turns desperation into dignity. It transforms “impossible” into “achieved.”
Thank you for believing in this work. Thank you for standing with the people of southwestern Nicaragua. Thank you for making 2025 a year of extraordinary impact.
Together, we continue the journey toward a healthier, more hopeful future.
Yours in helping others achieve better health,
Julia C. Guth
Chair, The Roberto Clemente Health Clinic
[email protected]
P.S. We are a 501c3 registered in Maryland. We can accept monetary donations in many forms, which may be tax-deductible to you. You can donate, or sign up for our Padrino/Madrina program here. Thank you.