The Trabajueños tmigos poems adorn the walls at NicaPhoto's office so the students of Sonrisa de Dios can get to know all of names and faces of their Amigos from the United States.

We landed in Managua and immediately took off to go visit Sonrisa de Dios (where the Trabajueños team will visit in about two weeks!).

In the Nica Photo office, we saw the completed poems from our two teams that will be visiting in February and March.

The students there are very excited to get to know their “amigo” now that they have seen their picture and know a little about them from their poem.

The foundation and fence can be seen in place at the site of the preschool we are building in Sonrisa de Dios.

After that quick visit to the office, we drove over to Sonrisa. The foundation of the school has been poured and the “trabajadores” (workers) are in the process of finishing up the fence.

As soon as we entered the community we could feel the excitement of the people. Now that this project is not just a rumor, but rather a real development, the children are excited and the parents are anxious to start sending their kids to a school that is not so dangerous to access.

The architect and maestro as well as Byron and Ronnie (of Nica Photo) were all smiles during the visit and repeatedly expressed their excitement to receive the two groups. The Trabajueños  and Esperanza teams are sure to have an amazing  experience with all the kids and members of the Sonrisa de Dios community.

Nos vemos pronto!

November 30, 2011

Amy and I are back in Nicaragua and como siempre (it’s beautiful), sunny and the people are wonderful! It’s not raining this time, but instead it is hot and sunny, and we’re told it’s only going to get hotter. Although not as lush and green from the rain, the countryside is still very beautiful and the views of the hills and volcanoes are breathtaking.

So far, we’ve visited Sonrisa de Dios, and El Espavel and are now on our way to Samulali. In Sonrisa, we met with local officials to discuss the project and finalize details to start construction – they plan to break ground next month!  The kids from NicaPhoto were great to spend time with and we’re sure the February Trabajueños and March Esperanza teams will love hanging out with them.

We met the 10 selected families in El Espavel who will be receiving homes built by the RHOMBO team in February.  The families are already so excited and appreciative for the help coming their way. Each time we visit El Espavel, the site and the people grow dearer to my heart – the RHOMBO team is sure to have an amazing experience.

Today we’re off to the bridge site in Samulali. Look for an update later this week about that site and the two in Granada. Hasta luego!

October 17, 2011

Rain has made this trip quite the adventure the last few days, but luckily it has not kept us from visiting the sites where B3 will be working next year. If anything, the rain has made it very apparent how much need there is in Nicaragua. Most families in the sites where we’ll be working make their homes out of whatever materials they can obtain – corrugated tin, plastic, scrap wood, etc. When communities experience heavy rains like they have been, their homes often flood, they can’t get to school or health centers, teachers can’t get to school (therefore classes are cancelled indefinitely), and on and on. Things like houses, bridges, and schools will all change that for these communities when the rainy season hits next year.

As always, each B3 community we visited is eager to have us work in there town and is very excited about the arrival of 40 “gringos.” People are warm and welcoming and children, while shy initially, almost always have big smiles on their faces and love coming with us to walk around town.

August 9, 2011

Amy and I (Karen) have been back in Nica for 1.5 days and, per usual, it’s amazing! The rain has held off, but it is very hot and humid. Unfortunately, we’ve been so busy visiting potential projects that we haven’t had a lot of time to scout out the “fun” parts of the B3 trips or enjoy the beautiful scenery, but that’s because we’ve received a large response to our call for projects and have had so many compelling stories to hear.

As many of you know, Nicaragua is the second poorest country after Haiti in the Western Hemisphere.  This is easily seen when passing through parts of Managua (the capital) and many of the rural areas we’ve seen. Large families live in one or two room houses with dirt floors and most communities don’t have sewer systems, running water, etc. The need is great in Nicaragua, and B3 is sure to change the lives of hundreds of people (if not more!).

The people in Nicaragua continue to amaze me. Traveling around and talking to so many people on a daily basis can be overwhelming, but each time we enter a new community we are greeted with warmth and generosity by motivated people who are eager to see their community move towards better education, health, etc. It’s been a great couple of days and we’re excited to get back to Connecticut for the big meetings in September and share our experiences with everyone.