Help Us Build a School!

So what can we do to help??

We at Enlace Project are looking to improve children's education in rural Nicaragua. In conjunction with the mayor's office, an elementary school construction is set to begin in July of this year. However, we need your help.

Our Project

For the past two years, Enlace Project and its partners have worked to improve education opportunities for rural communities through the construction of primary schools. All together, these schools have come to assist 106 children in receiving their education.

Working with El Sauce's mayor's office, the communities of greatest need are identified. The next step is to gauge the community's interest in the project. If they are committed to the cause, the project can move on to the next step.

The Community of San Cayetano 

San Cayetano, approximately 12 kilometers outside of El Sauce's center, is our most recent project. Its school, Casa de Zinc, is located uphill and far away from many students' houses. The building is old and lacks many resources to engage the students.

Casa de Zinc is not a formal school house, but instead teaches 50 pre-school and elementary school students in a community member's house.

In the community of San Cayetano the main economic activity is agriculture and the principle crops are corn, beans, and wheat. There is no electricity or potable water, but there are clean-water wells.

How You Can Help

Our successes are proof that primary schools can make a difference in rural children's lives. Maynor Hernández Juárez, the former teacher of the Las Minitas school, constructed in 2012, states that, "the school construction gave the students a feeling of community and security, [which] motivates students to make advancements in their studies." Maynor also notes that the new school helped him to better manage his classroom.

That's why we're asking for your help. We are raising $4,000 of the $9,000 for the construction costs; a group from Avon and Honeoye Falls, NY has raised the other $5,000.

This will cover the masonry work, the foundation, floor, walls, paint, school supplies and other school materials. Any amount that you are able to donate to the cause will be highly appreciated.

Donate here.

*All donations are tax-deductible, as we are now a registered non-profit organization (501c3)

We hope you will consider our request.

Attentively,

The Enlace Project Team

Introducting: Juan Carlos Zelaya, Enlace Project's New On-Site Director

Hello! My name is Juan Carlos Zelaya, and I work for Enlace Project as the director and programs coordinator. I started three months ago. One of my motivations for working with Enlace Project is my commitment to the local development of the community of El Sauce because I have lived here for 20 years. My wife and my children were born in El Sauce.

Juan Carlos presenting at the institutional meeting, Feb 2014.

One of my dreams is that Enlace Project will become a point of reference as a pioneer in the development of Rural Tourism, and other contributions to local development. I hope that, by using my previous job experience, I can help this organization grow and reach its full potential.

Two of my co-workers and I are designing the tools to identify the necessities and threats to development for the leaders of various small businesses and cooperatives in town. Currently, we are working with four cooperatives in rural areas to help them improve their business.

Additionally, as the leader of the Enlace Project team, I supervise the activities of each of our programs every week. We meet to discuss the progress of our organization and how we can help one another. Alongside Kellan and Yacarely, the co-directors, we are working to identify the strengths and methods to improve our team.

Lastly, I have been studying English, because it is necessary for my job. For that reason, I have written this introduction in English. Thank you all very much for your support of the organization, and I look forward to meeting and working with each one of you!

New Development in Ocotal Hopes to Attract National, International Tourism

INTUR's brochure for LAO.

The past couple of months show great potential for the future of Ocotal’s cooperatives. Thanks to efforts from multiple partners, a variety of projects are underway that are set to promote and bring more tourists to the rural tourism haven.

The biggest accomplishment has been partnering with the Insituto Nicaraguense de Turismo en Nicaragua, or INTUR. The government agency promotes tourism in Nicaragua and has added Ocotal and El Sauce to its Colonial and Volcanic Route, suggesting it as a route for backpackers and tourists in the area.

In February, INTUR came to an Enlace Project meeting at the El Sauce mayor’s office, in which Enlace explained its programs to nonprotfit, government and other institutions to promote our work. INTUR set up a meeting to discuss partnering with us just two days later.

INTUR has also produced a brochure advertising tourism in Ocotal. In the near future, members of Los Altos de Ocotal will receive training from INTUR and certificates as local tour guides. Additionally, INTUR hopes to work with other tour promoters, such as ViaNica and Sauce Aventuras to attract tourists.

Construction on the cabin in Ocotal, with El Ranchon restaurant
in the background.

Later this month, Ocotal farmers will realize another dream of theirs to boost tourism — the opening of three guest cabins at the “ranchon,” at the top of the mountain. Tourists will have the option to stay in the cabins or with local families. The mayor’s office is providing funding for half the project, Enlace the other, and the farmers are donating labor.

Finally — and maybe most exciting for those who have made the trek up to Ocotal — the road up the mountain is being repaired, which will make reaching the summit much easier for adventure seekers.

For more information on Ocotal, read the description on our website.


--Written by Sean Conner, Enlace Project Intern