Project Nicaragua (PN)

University Groups

Project Nicaragua was a life-changing and memorable experience. I remember going to Nicaragua not knowing what to expect, and nervous but excited at the idea of doing volunteer work to make a difference in the lives of Nicaraguans. I knew it wasn't going to be a relaxing vacation, but I didn't realize we were going to be doing lots of physical labour outside in the scorching heat. I didn't just gain physical strength, but I also gained insight into the human spirit and appreciation for the little things that you sometimes forget about in everyday life. I was amazed at the disparity of health care resources in the villages. The dental clinics we set up were probably the only exposure most Nicaraguans had to basic health care. Also, what caught me off guard was the gratefulness the Nicaraguans showed to the work we were doing. I still remember the Fruit Fiesta one village had for our group in sincere appreciation of our work. Now that I think about it, the work we did was so minimal in terms of what they have to suffer with everyday with the lack of basic necessities, but they were so grateful about everything we did because a new composting toilet, a water filter, or a toothbrush makes their lives a bit better. It makes sense that small changes make a big difference. - Renee Lee

“Being able to spend time in such a small rural village in Nicaragua was a very special and eye-opening experience. It was wonderful to be able to see and be a part of the community and actually help with my own hands.” - Jenny Leard

group2 Each February a group of University of Calgary students participate in a week long intensive volunteer trip. The group ranges from 12 people to 18 people who experience the project and each of its aspects. Once a group is selected there are various meetings and technology lessons to prepare the students for the upcoming trip. This helps to maximize the time they have in Nicaragua and get more out of the project. The students take a mandatory safety prior to departure briefing and for some, it is their first experience abroad. The students voluntarily work on their Spanish in the months leading up to the trip through donated weekly Spanish lessons. The students bear the costs of their trip individually but have the opportunity to fundraise and receive grant funding.

While in Nicaragua, the group does everything from dig holes for the starting of a composting latrine, pour and mix concrete for the stoves and filters, install stoves in recipient households, paint filters, host fruit fiestas at the preschools, wash and sift sand for the filters, install filters in rural communities, paint preschools, conduct community audits and play games with the school kids. The groups are supervised and supported by a Team Leaders and experienced Field Officers.

To add to the cultural richness of the trip, the students stay with host families and are integrated into the family despite, at times, the great language barrier. Cultural activities are organized and some of the ones done in past years were visiting an active volcano, surfing, salsa dancing lessons, visiting private beaches, sunset boat tours, fishing trips, visiting an old colonial town and zip line tours.

The purpose of these trips is to expose people to the rampant inequalities faced in the rural communities and to actively engage them in being a positive change. The trip demonstrates to people the ease with which you can make a difference in someone’s life and students take that experience back home with them. It is not only a volunteer trip but it is a life-enriching cultural experience and many students who have participated in this trip are now members of the executive and remain close to the project.

The student group trip is not limited to students from the University of Calgary. Please contact us at info@NicaCan.org for more information on hosting this for you and your group.

A story from a past volunteer Michele Nuzzo-Naglieri
As cliché as it is to say “this trip was life changing”…there really is no other way to describe it. A great man once told me that the only cure to feeling bogged down by life is to go out of your way to do something for someone in need. Why? Because it forces you to immerse yourself in another life, a life that suddenly comes before yours and one that makes your problems seem insignificant in comparison. If you are a student, you know what it means to feel the weight of anxiety from pressure, deadlines, exams, relationships, friendships, jobs, etc. Imagine all of that disappearing in an instant the minute you are slapped in the face by a swoosh of hot, tropical, Nicaraguan air and greeted by a smiling ol’ chap with a few missing teeth who’s holding up an endearingly distorted version of your gringo name….your ‘chariot’ to San Juan del Sur awaits…. I could write pages and pages about my experience but the memories that stand out the most are: feeling, for the first time in my life, truly deserving of a meal of rice and beans after a long day of strenuous work in the heat; the warmth of the families of Ojochal with and for whom we were working; the joy of the children despite their unknown futures, missing fathers and poor nutrition; the incredible strength of the local women thrice our age who showed us up when it came to hauling dirt (even the firefighters on our team were put to shame!); the woman in a one room shanty who asked me to describe what snow feels like when you touch it…all the sights, sounds, smells and emotions of that week are forever ingrained in my mind and continue to influence the decisions of my daily life. When I came back from the trip in 2006 I hit an academic career wall worrying that I had chosen the wrong degree, that in fact development was what I wanted to do. It wasn’t until a few years later that I figured out how my work in media could easily merge with my new found passion for humanitarian aid. As a journalist, I am now fortunate to be able to tell the story of dozens of projects such as this one and the inspiring individuals behind their creation and development. And to think that it all started one morning in San Juan when I woke up to an insect infested, tube-in-the-wall ‘shower’ and thought to myself: “There’s no where else I’d rather be.” Michèle Nuzzo-Naglieri, (Toronto, ONT) was part of the student group in 2006

A story from a past volunteer
Michele Nuzzo-Naglieri

As cliché as it is to say “this trip was life changing”…there really is no other way to describe it.

A great man once told me that the only cure to feeling bogged down by life is to go out of your way to do something for someone in need. Why? Because it forces you to immerse yourself in another life, a life that suddenly comes before yours and one that makes your problems seem insignificant in comparison.

If you are a student, you know what it means to feel the weight of anxiety from pressure, deadlines, exams, relationships, friendships, jobs, etc. Imagine all of that disappearing in an instant the minute you are slapped in the face by a swoosh of hot, tropical, Nicaraguan air and greeted by a smiling ol’ chap with a few missing teeth who’s holding up an endearingly distorted version of your gringo name….your ‘chariot’ to San Juan del Sur awaits….

I could write pages and pages about my experience but the memories that stand out the most are: feeling, for the first time in my life, truly deserving of a meal of rice and beans after a long day of strenuous work in the heat; the warmth of the families of Ojochal with and for whom we were working; the joy of the children despite their unknown futures, missing fathers and poor nutrition; the incredible strength of the local women thrice our age who showed us up when it came to hauling dirt (even the firefighters on our team were put to shame!); the woman in a one room shanty who asked me to describe what snow feels like when you touch it…all the sights, sounds, smells and emotions of that week are forever ingrained in my mind and continue to influence the decisions of my daily life.

When I came back from the trip in 2006 I hit an academic career wall worrying that I had chosen the wrong degree, that in fact development was what I wanted to do. It wasn’t until a few years later that I figured out how my work in media could easily merge with my new found passion for humanitarian aid. As a journalist, I am now fortunate to be able to tell the story of dozens of projects such as this one and the inspiring individuals behind their creation and development.

And to think that it all started one morning in San Juan when I woke up to an insect infested, tube-in-the-wall ‘shower’ and thought to myself: “There’s no where else I’d rather be.”

Michèle Nuzzo-Naglieri, (Toronto, ONT) was part of the student group in 2006