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Nicaragua

Some churches have been engaged in Nicaragua through local sister-city type projects. For example, All Saints’ Brookline has lead youth mission trips to Nicaragua as an extension of the Brookline sister-city program.

The Rt. Rev. Sturdie Downs is the Bishop of Nicaragua.

There are a number of organizations and NGOs active in Nicaragua that can assist and/or accommodate service groups. One particular non-denominational organization established by a group of Presbyterians is the Jubilee House and their Center for Development in Central America, located in Ciudad Sandino on the outskirts of Managua. CDCA’s work is community-based and centered around organizing and empowering the poor to develop and manage their own sustainable economic structures.

Center staff has spoken in several churches in the Boston area of varying denominations, including Episcopal, for many years. The Rev. Ted Gaiser has been affiliated with the Center since the mid-1990s and is available to answer questions or facilitate contact with the Center staff.

Jubilee House, the Center’s headquarters, has a dormitory for volunteers and a volunteer coordinator to assist with managing service projects. They can accommodate all types of project teams and welcome a wide variety of skills. Opportunities include construction, business assistance (for the CDCA’s microenterprise efforts), medical assistance, and any number of projects where volunteers would work with community leaders in support of community projects [ http://www.jhc-cdca.org/vol.html ]. More information can be found at [ http://www.jhc-cdca.org/cdca.html ]. On their website, there is a specific page regarding volunteer delegations that would be useful for anyone considering leading a service trip [ http://www.jhc-cdca.org/delvolinfo.html ]. The pages include specific contact information.