Our Story - Who we are

We are people passionate about people in Latin America.

LA SED was organized by a group of university students who saw a need in a small community in Nicaragua during their time studying abroad. It all started during a service project the Fall of 2006 in a small community called El Fortin; located just outside of Granada, Nicaragua. Before returning to the United States, the group was moved by the poverty they had experienced and immediately pulled together to start a scholarship program (or beca) to send El Fortín children to school.

In 2007, another group of university students returned to this small community to continue working on sustainable development projects. And they too were changed by their time in El Fortín, and their interactions with the kids who benefited from the scholarships.

Armed with creativity and compassion, these students came up with an idea to raise money through a 5k run/walk. Matched with the new found friendships of the 2006 group -- the two groups set on planning the 2008 El Fortin 5K. Thus, the organization Latin American Sustainability, Education, and Development (L.A. S.E.D.) was born.

The UWEC Student Senate accepted our application for a new student organization in May 2008.

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Since our beginnings, we have inspired many people on campus by our passion and interest in sustainable development and social justice in Latin America.

In May 2009, we recieved the honor of 'New Student Organization of the Year'.

We have taken part at a variety of events on campus and in the community:

• International Folk Fair
• Latin American Studies week forum
• Participation in the movement to close the School of the Americas
• Fundraisers for El Fortín
• Countless information tables
• El Fortín 5K - four years in a row