Official Language(s)

Spanish

Population

6.2 million

% of Population Below Poverty

46% (2.9 million people)

GDP per CAPITA (PPP US$) (?)

2,086 (Canada = $43,100)

UN's Human Development Index (?)

Nicaragua

Canada

Why volunteer in Nicaragua?

Literacy rates in Nicaragua are among the lowest in Latin America. A number of factors make regular attendance less accessible to the poorer segments of society.

This volunteer project is based in and around Salmeron, a community in the municipality of San Nicolas. Salmeron is 22Km from Esteli and situated at 900m above sea level. This community lives in extreme poverty where people earn less than $1.00 per day. People also suffer from malnutrition due to lack of dietary diversity. Families eat rice, beans and sometimes corn. There is a primary school in Salmeron that serves 75 students. The students in this school have unpredictable attendance because of multiple factors. The school does not have a kitchen, which requires the students to go home for lunch and then return back to the school, there is no access to water which leaves the students to walk up to 5km to the nearest water source. The latrines are non-functional making it impossible for girls to use the latrine when needed, and often choose to stay home. This community is also victim to lack of economic opportunity forcing many people to move to Costa Rica to work. This impacts the ability of those that stay in Salmeron from being able to maintain the infrastructure of their homes, community water sources or of their school.

Volunteer projects

DWC will support various community driven projects alongside our in-country partner, Namlo International, an organization that helps communities take responsibility for their schools — from participating in their construction to coordinating resources for teaching and learning. Other needed infrastructure includes latrine updates, a greenhouse project with the aim of food security and diversity and a spinoff income generating enterprise. These are part of a long-term commitment to help improve community members’ lives and increase their self-sufficiency.

More about the trip

INAUGURAL DWC NICARAGUA TRIP: In these early stages of developing a new project and partnership in Nicaragua, when not working, participants are encouraged to get a sense of what tourist opportunities exist in the area for future volunteer teams and our new partner’s capacity for hosting.

When can I go?

Note: Please note this trip schedule is updated regularly and will change depending on the availability of flights and other factors that can affect travel.

How much does it cost?

We invite people who cannot give the gift of time to donate to Nicaraguan projects and programs through Developing World Connections.

Cultural activities

After you’re done volunteering, Nicaragua welcomes you to its sensational beaches, overgrown pre-Columbian ruins, pristine untouched rainforests, iconic stratovolcano Momotombo, Lake Managua – the largest freshwater body in Central America and the Rio San Juan area – the largest rain forest north of the Amazon. You can adventure into the nation’s metropolitan areas for a different experience with Managua and Granada noted for their Spanish colonial architecture and revolutionary public art.

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