Promoting heroes that are working to achieve higher human values to improve our society.

Today I understood that even though I did not necessairly chose God, God had already chosen me. And the truth of my story is that I have never known exactly what I am doing, but I do it anyways...
My name is Sylvia Elizabeth Ketelhohn Gron...and this is my dream!

- ASART Objetives - ASART Goals - ASART Projects - ASART Activities - ASART Achievements

I dedicate this small biography to my father who passed away two years from yesterday. (October 21st, 2009)

Today I understood that even though I did not necessarily chose God, God had already definitely chosen me… And the truth of my story is that I have never known exactly what I am doing, but I do it anyways... I feel like an instrument that is being driven by a huge invisible hand. I can only say that I follow my heart and this has been the key to happiness, and has inevitably leaded me back to HIM. For me it´s clear now... He wants me near and it s not disputable.

He really chooses all of us to be part of its light army, but only some are with their eyes and ears wide open. We need to keep sensitive to aloud us to feel Him and live together in harmony as the huge family that we are... And who are we??? We are the water that runs endlessly in the rivers, we are animals, we are air, and we are dust, plants, fire and human beings... We are part of the CREATION! So let s celebrate the blessing of life!

My name is Sylvia Elizabeth Ketelhohn Gron... I am a German citizen born in Nicaragua in 1976 and due to the war in 1980 we moved to Costa Rica. I grew up in San Jose where I attended a German school (Humboldt School) until I graduated and went to University of Costa Rica to start my art studies in Sculpture. So I am not more than a bachelor artist, sculpting dreams and painting smiles on children faces. And the message that I carry for them is HOPE.

I am the executive director and founder of ASART (Asociacion Artistica para Niños), a nonprofit organization that provides free art lessons to children of low resources (theater, music, dance, fine arts). Our vision is to build a new peace culture in Central America. We created the program to instill in them the sense of pride, discipline, self esteem, creativity and team work necessaries to confront the adversities of their present development.

The program started with three volunteer teachers with a main goal: free art classes to sexually abused children in three PANI shelters in Desamparados, San Jose, Costa Rica. They brought art to more than 60 children in the first three weeks. Today we work in Schools and Shelter in Costa Rica and Nicaragua. Our most precious tools are volunteers. Through their knowledge we are able to build community development programs all around both of the above mentioned countries. So we are not only working for children, but also for young adults. Through our monthly trainings we make a call to stop violence in their homes.

In November 2003 we finally got our NGO-ID (Cedula Jurídica) # 3-002-358490 and that s how we became legally registered as nonprofit organization with headquarters in San Jose.

Through the years we have been capable to attract a great quantity of volunteers through university programs, reports, announcements and word of mouth. The classes to the children are given in spaces provided by the shelters of PANI and schools since July 2002. These students owe from 150 to 300 hours of community work to be able to graduate. So we profit from this resource and train them with our skills to send them to different institutions around the country, depending where they live and on their availability. Our volunteers are from universities such as FIDELITAS, U Diseño, U Central, Florencio del Castillo, Interamericana, UNIBE, UCR, U Nacional, etc. Thanks to all of them we are able to take the program not only to children in PANI shelters but also to children of the streets and children belonging to marginal schools in areas such as San Juan de Pavas, Los Anonos (Escazu), Rio Azul, Fatima (Cartago), and others.

In Nicaragua we work through Consejerias Escolares from Ministerio de Educacion (MINED) and teachers who volunteer to take our trainings to learn about new artistic educational strategies. The national volunteer program has t develop as expected due to extreme poverty. Young adults have low incomes and for that little chance to participate actively as ASART s volunteer. We are looking for possible project funding in that country since we had to slow down our trainings due to economical crisis and political circumstances.

I thank you for your help and your donation, many children will become leaders becouse of you...

Sylvia Elizabeth Ketelhohn Gron
ASART (Art Asociation for children)

www.costarica.org - Over 25 years helping people in Costa Rica
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