Service Learning Trips:

In February, Compas de Nicaragua had the pleasure of receiving a service trip group from the Hathaway Brown School in Shaker Heights, Ohio. The group was led by Torrey McMillan and Wayne Hatcher, both teachers at the school. Torrey was been a long-time supporter of Compas. Several years ago, she visited on a service trip from the White Mountain School (Bethlehem, NH) when she was teaching there.

The group carried out the early portion of their trip through International Partners in Mission. They ended their trip with 2 days in La Paz. While living with local families, the group had a tour of the town, including the museum, and then visited German Alguirre, an amazing local potter. They also worked to develop a coffee tree nursery in support of the Howling Monkey organic coffee project. Working side by side members of a local youth environmental group, they mixed manure, rice husks and dirt, sifted the mixture and then filled plastic bags for planting the coffee.

The same day that the Hathaway Brown school departed La Paz, a youth group from the Unitarian Universalist Church in Concord, NH arrived in Nicaragua. The group of 25 was made up of 16 youth, 6 adults and 3 children. This was the first of three service trip groups we received and whose time in Nicaragua overlapped. In total, there were 46 volunteers here working together with our Nicaraguan friends!

The first day of the UU Church in Concord was spent visiting our Women in Jack Bopp dancing with Tatiana Andrades Action project. The gathering, which included presentations about WIA current work, as well as dancing and games, was also attended by the Bennington, Vermont Roteract youth club. Bennington

has a sister city relationship with Somotillo, Nicaragua and they carry out a youth service trip to Somotillo every other year. The group was led by Dan Lucy who works at Bennington High School. As has been the custom, the group stopped in for a gathering with Women in Action. It was a wonderful event and it was great to see our friends from Bennington.

The Concord youth group was led by Cheryl Bourassa who spent over a year working with the group on fundraising activities. Compas de Nicaragua would like to thank Cheryl for all of her hard work and efforts in bringing the group to Nicaragua.

The group also included our great friend, Jack Bopp (pictured above dancing with Tatiana). Since the early 1990’s, Jack has coordinated the Henniker, NH and San Ramon, Nicaragua

Sister City Project. The HSR project has been supporting several important projects over the years in San Ramon.

The very next day, a youth group from Starr King Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Plymouth, NH arrived in Nicaragua. SKUUF has been supporting Compas’ work in Nicaragua since we were founded by our late and beloved friend, Ash Eames in the early 1990’s. For years, SKUUF has supported the “share a book” project which raises money to purchase books for our WIA library. The group was made up of 5 adults and 7 youth.

The Plymouth and Concord youth groups spent the first part of their trip in La Paz. They worked together with their host families to install 2 bio-gas systems and 4 gray water systems. The bio-gas systems will produce about 5 hours of cooking gas a day, reducing the use of firewood, saving families money, and eliminating harmful wood fire smoke in kitchens. The gray water systems eliminate standing household water in

Guillermo Sanchez and daughters Bera and Yara showing off their bio-gas system

backyards which cause skin infections and create breeding areas for mosquitoes. These systems also include a roofed area for washing and a cement floor shower for each family.

We celebrated the last night in La Paz with a big pizza party, the included a huge game of soccer and American football, plus lots of dancing! The Concord and Plymouth youth groups made pizza, played and danced together with their Nicaraguan friends, It was a wonderful way to say goodbye to La Paz.

Concord and Plymouth youth group members dancing with their Nicaraguan friends

After leaving La Paz for Managua, the groups stopped for a swim at the Apoyo volcanic lake and for shopping at the Masaya craft market. We arrived in Managua just in time to receive a youth group from Mount Mansfield Union High School (Jericho, VT).

The three groups joined forces in Managua to work with our Women in Action project. After a tour of Managua, that included a visit to the National Museum, the Acagualinca footprint museum (the oldest human footprints in Latin America) and zip-lining over the Tiscapa volcanic lake, the groups visited WIA for a welcoming gathering. At the welcoming, the groups learned about WIA’s current program, including the youth sponsorship and micro-lending programs. The gathering also included dancing and games.

The groups were also treated to an evening of music by Paul Baker, Paul, an ex-monk turned musician and environmentalist, coordinated the first groups that Ash Eames led to Nicaragua in the early 1990’s. Paul continues to live in La Primavera, where our WIA project is located. Paul treated the groups to songs of Victor Jara, the Chilean folk singer who was murdered by General Pinochet He also sang the popular “Cell Phone Song”, and “Starbucks Song”. Jack Bopp also joined in the singing in what was a memorable evening.

One of the most moving experiences for the groups was the day the shadowed a WIA member. Trip participants helped out with household chores, cooked lunch together with their families, and played with the children. They also saw firsthand how these amazing families actually live, and how in the face of extreme impoverishment, they not only survive but thrive.

The groups also worked together to produce a beautiful mural outside the WIA center in honor of our late and beloved friends, Ash Eames and George Manupelli.

Plymouth youth group members showing off their beautiful mural in honor of Ash Eames and George Manupelli

To trip ended with one last farewell gathering which gave the families and trip participants a chance to express their thanks and gratitude. The celebration even included a surprise appearance by Mariachi’s which quickly had everyone up and dancing together!

Daughters of Corn Fall Dance Tour

Women in Action Dance Troupe: front, Nadeska Arguello, back l-r, Wendy Munguia,

Marilyn Barquero, Pablo Orellano, Karina Mendoza, Jennifer Fernandez

Compas de Nicaragua is organizing our 5th Women in Action (WIA) Dance Tour to the U.S. from September 7 through November 2, 2010. The tour will bring six youth from WIA to the U.S. to perform traditional dances while educating audiences about Nicaragua’s culture and current living conditions.

The group has been practicing every day in preparation for their trip. Please follow this link to a short video of one of their practice sessions. If you are interest in hosting an event in your community, please contact Executive Director, Michael Boudreau at msboudreau@compas1.org

Tentative Fall Tour Schedule:

September 7 through 10: FloridaSeptember 11 through September 18: Ohio and PennsylvaniaSeptember 19 through September 21: Boston September 22 through October 11: NH and Northern MAOctober 12 through October 23: Vermont October 24 through November 2: Wisconsin 

Bio-gas and Gray Water Systems

With the help of visiting service trip groups and a grant from the LeBaron Foundation, Compas has now installed over 30 bio-digestor systems.  This project has proven highly successful as families reduce or eliminate the use of firewood for cooking.

 

Luis and Lizeth Lopez, with son Braulio (in Luis’ arms) and nephews Alex and Wendy

Luis Lopez, beneficiary of a bio-gas system, said that he will save at least a month’s worth of work in searching for and splitting firewood now that his family has a bio-gas system. “It will not only save me time, but the best thing is that it will eliminate the firewood smoke that not only affects my wife Lizeth, but also the children. The smoke affects their eyes and respiratory systems,” he said.

One of the biggest causes of sickness in Nicaragua comes from dirty household gray water that cause skin infections, common colds and that create breeding areas for mosquitoes. The gray water systems not only eliminate dirty water from backyards, but also include a roofed area for washing clothes and a cement floor shower for each family.

Maria Jimenez showing off her gray water system and new shower floor

Maria Jimenez was excited about her gray water system. “I had seen other families with these systems and was hoping I would be able to be benefited by one as well. Children sometimes play in the dirty, household water and they get skin infections. Worst of all, the water produces lots of mosquitoes. Now, with my new system, we don’t have any mosquitoes at night. Also, I have a nice shaded area to do my washing and a new cement shower floor. I am so thankful to have been benefited by this project,” she said.

Reforestation and Food Security(Miracle Mirango and Maya Nut Trees)

Compas continues to support reforestation projects in La Paz by promoting organic, shade-grown coffee.  Compas is working with small farmers to provide them with shade and fruit trees as well as coffee plants. Farmers in La Paz are committed to diversifying their farms and this includes growing coffee which create forests, provide habitat for animals, and helps to reduce the affects of climate change.  The forests also provide a food source for families from the fruit and seed bearing trees.

In addition to traditional shade and fruit trees, such as cedar, mahogony, citrus and plantians, Compas is also promoting the planting of the miracle mirango tree and maya nut trees. 

Marango is being promoted by the government for its seeds that produce a healthy cooking oil.  The leaves are also highly nutritious.  They contain more vitamin C than oranges, more protein than eggs, more potassium than bananas, more calcium than milk, and more iron than spinach.  The leaves of the tree can be eaten green or dried and used in many recipes.

The Maya Nut is high in fiber, calcium, potassium, folic acid, zinc, protein, and many vitamins.  It is also very high in antioxidants.  The fresh seeds can be cooked and eaten or can be set out to dry in the sun and eaten later. Stewed, the nut tastes like mashed potato; roasted, they taste like chocolate or coffee.

In this way, Compas is not only providing higher profits to farmers through direct trade coffee sales, but also reforesting the La Paz area and providing food security to

Sparhawk School (Amesbury, MA) students planting Marango

trees

Miracle Marango Trees

families. Howling Monkey Organic Coffee

 Through our partnership with Gold Mountain Coffee, Compas de Nicaragua  will be able to ship Howling Monkey Coffee directly to the U.S.  Direct trade allows the coffee to be shipped from the coffee farm directly to the customer, providing a just price to farmers for thier coffee.   For more information, please visit Howling Monkey Coffee.

Order Howling Monkey

Howling Monkey Coffee

Why is Howling Monkey Coffee so special?

Howling Monkey Coffee is organic and shade grown. HMC is grown in an area known as the Golden Triangle because of its rich, volcanic soil. The GT is a critical area, it recharges aquifers and rivers, is known for some of Nicaragua’s richest agricultural land, and also serves as a biological channel for many tropical birds. The coffee is shaded by a large variety of shade and fruit trees. These trees provide habitat for fauna like howler monkeys. The coffee is grown at approximately 1,500 to 1,600 feet above sea level.

The coffee is Bourbon and Caturra varieties. Given the large variety of shade trees and relative low elevation, it has a complex aroma, rich body, sweet flavor, and low acidity. The coffee is de-pulped, dried, and roasted by the farmers themselves. By purchasing Howling Monkey Coffee you are not only supporting the small farmers of BSR, you are also helping to preserve rainforest and habitat for animals and tropical birds. A portion of

Howler Monkey in La Paz, Carazo

each sale will be used to support