Chontales, Nicaragua Mid-Term Report

The Chontales Project is in full gear. As Volunteers have been in their communities for three weeks, they have demonstrated their invaluable and diverse skills through the work on Youth-to-Youth activities and community projects. The Volunteers have kept busy promoting children's rights, creative expression, youth leadership and health and environmental education through classes and participatory activities. Local youth have been involved with Volunteers in project planning and implementation and have served as co-facilitators of many activities, alongside their AMIGOS counterparts; this serves to complement both AMIGOS' and Plan's mission to strengthen and place emphasis on youth leadership and capacity building. Volunteers, community members and Project Staff have also been exploring creative approaches to capacity building by using different communications media—e.g., painting, radio, and print media—and well as alternative funding sources, including fundraising and grant writing, for the promotion of youth leadership, children's rights,  and community development.

The Volunteers and youth counterparts will share their project progress in a participatory Midterm evaluation, training session and youth workshop this Friday and Saturday in Juigalpa. Additionally, the youth workshop will provide Volunteers and youth counterparts with an opportunity to share their Community-Based Initiative (CBI) projects, reflect on the project, and plan for a strong ending to all their program activities during their last two weeks in community.

Community members and Volunteers have, in fact, begun the process of implementation of these community projects. Some examples include: book donations and construction and improvements to community and school libraries; community gardening projects; community-based and youth-led environmental campaigns; improvements to schools; renovations and improvements to community centers and community sports fields; and the formation of a youth-led community newspaper. Each project was designed based on the specific needs and interests of each community.

With two weeks left in community, Volunteers and Project Staff look forward to the completion of CBIs, an AMIGOS Foundation grant project (renovation, beautification and re-opening of a community center), and seeing continued local youth participation in the various community initiatives that Volunteers and communities have begun or have been catalyzing, including those focusing on environmental, creative expression, health and child-centered community development activities and lessons. To quote the director of Plan-Nicaragua, who visited some AMIGOS towns and Volunteers this past week, “all [host families] really seem happy to have [the Volunteers] there”, and “communities love [the Volunteers] and they are already have been talking about how sad they will be when they leave.” In general, Volunteers have been instrumental with their contributions to a very successful, first-year project and collaboration with Plan-Nicaragua.