Krisbell Liseth Sevilla Sanchez

Krisbell Liseth Sevilla Sanchez was recommended to us by our contact in El Sauce, Marina. She knows Krisbell’s mother, Kristel, from her work in the house just a few doors down the street.

During Christa’s and Meghan’s visit to El Sauce in December of 2023, we met with the two of them and talked to them. And it didn’t take long to see that this young girl would be an excellent scholarship recipient. Krisbell is a very sweet little girl. She is bright and cheerful, and a bit shy around the “old ladies.”

Krisbell and her mother are currently living in a relative’s house while he’s away in the US but they don’t have a home of their own. Kristel makes about 4000 cordobas/month—about $109 at current rates. She works as a house worker (cleans the house, cooks and washes laundry by hand for a wealthy family, including a whopping 5 and 1/2 bathrooms!) Kristel works there 6 days a week.

Krisbell enjoys her classes and has excellent grades (90% for third grade!), which has allowed her to have a scholarship at San Luis Gonzaga, a private Catholic school. Her mother met with the school to get her in because she knew it would be a better education than at a public school. Her scholarship is for her monthly tuition at the school, but Kristel still has to pay the matricula (entry fee), and then all the uniforms, school supplies, etc.The school is a long way from where they live, so Krisbell’s mother saved up and bought her a used bicycle, which is purple!

Krisbell’s favorite class is mathematics and she does not like natural sciences so much. She also loves dancing in school presentations, especially Palo de Mayo (maypole), a traditional dance from the Caribbean coast of Nicaragua with fast beats and drumming.

In her free time, Krisbell likes playing with her dolls, especially her favorite: Barbie! She likes playing with other children in the area and when she has a toy or doll she doesn’t use, she gives them to other kids who don’t have a toy.

Both Meghan and Christa were impressed by how much her mother wants her to learn and how engaged she seemed in her daughter’s education. She asked questions, paid attention, didn’t ask how much money the scholarship was for, etc. She told us that originally Krisbell had been in the public grade school, but the teachers were absent so often that she wasn’t learning anything and so she asked San Luis Gonzaga if Krisbell could study there. That takes a lot of initiative. We explained to her that she needs to support her daughter’s education, and she was right on board with that, emphatically!

Before Christa and Meghan left Nicaragua, they got Krisbell a Barbie bike helmet to wear as she navigates busy streets on the way to school. When Christa gave her the helmet, her eyes lit up and her mouth made a little O. It was adorable.

Krisbell’s letter to us was also adorable. Unfortunately, it got wet in Christa’s backpack, but we wanted you to see her drawing so we include it here. Her mom wrote down what Krisbell wanted to say, and we’ve translated it here.

Hello my name is Krisbell Lisseth. I am a girl who wants to accomplish my dream of becoming a teacher to be able to help my mother. I like to play when I have free time when I don’t have math homework or exams. I am my mom’s only child. I help my mom when she cleans the house for her work during my vacation. Many greetings, thanks, and may God bless you all.

December 2025

Krisbell and her mother moved a few months ago to a house much fruther from town. It belongs to Kristel’s boyfriend, and it’s much larger and nicer than the one they rented before in town. But it is much further away, and Kristel said that when the river floods, Krisbell can’t cross to get to school, so she missed two days of school this year. Krisbell rides her bike into town, and is doing well, but she does say she misses living so close to her friends.

She finished out her school year with an 87.5 average, which is very impressive. She says she loves social sciences, because she loves learning about history, and other cultures. She’s growing up really fast, and is almost as tall as her mother. Next year she heads to her last year of primary school, which is very exciting!

Krisbell still wants to be an orthodontist at this point, and we are talking to her about continuing in secondary school in El Católico, the Catholic private school in town. It’s a really good school, and the students who go there have more options and a better graduation and university  entry rate than those from the public secondary school. So as long as she keeps her grades up this coming year, she should be allowed to enter and study there.

Krisbell joined us in our year-end dinner to celebrate Raquel’s graduation, and it was really fun to see Elizabeth and some of the older students talking to her. She is our youngest student and we think she felt a little shy, but she held up well! It’s great to see the circle come all the way around, with these beautiful young women offering advice and counsel to Krisbell.

Her year-end letter to us answered several questions we had for her and we really enjoyed reading it.

Dear Doña Christa and foundation. I hope that you are well.

1. Describe what was hardest about your classes this year. Why was it hard? This year felt a little difficult. Math was a little difficult in each term because the teacher gave us problems that me and my classmates didn’t understand.

2. Describe the best things that happened in school and in your life this year. Tell us all about them! The thing that I loved the most from my school year was to participate in school activities. For example, to dance, and to make different things. I made a “suitcase” of cardboard with information about indigenous peoples. The teacher liked my work the best out of all of them.

3. Tell us about your best friends. What are their names? Why do you love them so much? What do you do together? My best friends are named Xiomara, Ariadne, Genesis, Alicia, y Angel. I appreciate them a lot because with them I have learned to share. When we are together we play a lot and if not, we talk.

4. What are you looking forward to most about next year? Are you excited to be in your last year of primary school? That this next year I will do everything in my ability and do my part to get better grades. And yes, I am very excited to finish primary school and learn about the next stage of my life.

5. Tell us about one thing you want to get better at for next year. It doesn’t have to be a class, or your grades. It can be something else, like getting your homework done on time, or helping someone with their work, or being more thoughtful, or whatever. I want to get better at finishing my homework before doing other things and to help my mother so I can play with more peace of mind and fulfill my responsibilities. First, my studies and my homework, then my chores and play.

I say goodbye with much love and thank you from my heart for the help that you have bestowed. May God bless you. I send greetings to everyone.

Sincerely, Krisbell Sanchez

October 2025

Krisbell has been doing really well in school. We received photos of a project she worked on, creating a “suitcase” that, when opened, was filled with information about the Maya. We love the sparkly “Barbie” aesthetic on a project that has information about indigenous peoples!

In September, Krisbell was a cumplidora for her high grades, marching in the annual Independence Day parade on September 16. We’re very proud; to do this she achieved a grade point average of 85%. 

She also recently performed at school doing traditional dances. She is growing up fast; she’s not the shortest person in her group anymore!

February

Krisbell started fifth grade and we received a wonderful picture of her heading off to school on her first day. We just love her smile; she looks like she’s ready to take on the world. 

December 2024

Krisbell had a great time in 4th grade, and did really well in her classes. She’s excited about 5th grade because she will have several different teachers, not just one, throughout the day. She wants to be an orthodontist, so we talked about what that would look like. First, she has to get good grades in her last two years of primary school, and then we can see if she wants to study at El Católico, the Catholic private school in town. (She does want to study there.) Then, she has to get good grades in secondary school so she can get a scholarship from the university in Leon. We discussed all that and then we decided that just focusing on 5th grade would be a good thing!

Here’s a translation of her letter to us:

13 December, 2024

Hi Ms. Christa, this is Krisbell. I hope this letter finds you well.

1. Besides your grades, what are you most proud of having accomplished this year?

I am really proud to have passed into fifth grade.

2. What would you like to improve for next year?

I would like to improve my grades and be more studious.

3. What is your favorite thing to study? Why is that and what do you like about it?

Mathematics. I like this subject, when we work with formulas I learn a lot.

4. Tell us about a funny thing that happened this year.

Well, when I fell off the bicycle and I started to cry but then I started to laugh and I couldn’t stop laughing.

I say goodbye with a lot of love, Ms. Christa and I hope you all have a merry Christmas and a prosperous new year and that God blesses the foundation.

Sincerely, Krisbell Lisseth Sevilla Sanchez

September 2024

Krisbell is loving her classes, and she received an 86% average at the end of the semester. She appears to be having a little trouble with Language and Literature, so we’ll find out what the trouble is and see if we can’t possibly get her a tutor. But 86% is really great and we are super proud of her!

Here is her mid-term letter to us for the semester.

Hello Ms. Christa and founders, I hope you find yourselves healthy and I thank you very much on my part and my mother’s part for your efforts. I am very grateful for the helmet that you gave me that is a great protection. I had my birthday this September and I was able to march with my uniform in the parade. I will make every effort to be able to move forward and ask God that he gives me strength to maintain my high grades and to be able to accomplish my dreams in order to prepare me with his help to be a professional when I am older and to be able to help my mother.

May God bless each of you, the founders. I say goodbye with a lot of gratitude and I send all  of you a big hug and hope that God blesses you and I hope to meet each of you. Thank you for everything, Ms. Christa.

Sincerely, Krisbell Lisseth, Sevilla Sanchez

June 2024

Krisbell is loving her classes, and her mom says she is very careful about wearing the Barbie helmet we got her, even when all she is doing is going to the park.