Nicaragua

As you round the last dusty bend into El Astillero, the bay appears below you. The waves rise and fall like breath against the long curved beach. The frigate birds drift on ocean thermals and the pelicans race along the faces of the waves; waiting until the last moment to rise and float gracefully on. A dog barks as it chases a pig and life continues on as it has for many decades. Only with all places, life is changing. The world is moving quickly and as our populations grow, our reliance on products and non-sustainable practices that don’t serve the environment increase. A lack of education and understanding is overwhelming some of our most important and fragile communities. 

El Astillero is more fortunate than some of the other small communities in Nicaragua. Three years ago, the non-profit organization Casa Congo was set up with the aim of helping educate the local population on how to build a sustainable economy for themselves whilst caring for and learning to protect their local ecosystem. Casa Congo has helped save 20,500 turtles, plant 9,000 trees, taught 130 students and hosted over 100 volunteers. Casa Congo has a whole myriad of different programs that are constantly evolving. The key to the success of all of these is constant interaction and relationship-building with the locals, and the contributions of volunteers with different skill sets from current local knowledge. 

There is a heavy emphasis on increasing eco-tourism and teaching the locals skills that they can use to create their own income. Casa Congo was constructed using bamboo, a building process that is accessible but was not well-known locally. The Bamboo came from northern Nicaragua and the building knowledge came from many different sources brought together by the founders. This knowledge was passed on to the locals who now have those skills to offer to other locals and businesses who want to build in a more sustainable way. The gardens at Casa Congo are lush and full, earning it the nickname of “house of growth” from other members of the community. The compost techniques and other agricultural knowledge learned at Casa Congo is now being used by other people in their own gardens. Once barren, unused land throughout the town is now proudly full of flowers and trees.

There is a constant flow of people through the doors at Casa Congo. Excited kids teasing each other as they race to get ready for their surf lessons, teenagers learning English so they can improve their chances of getting a higher paid job and adults picking up knowledge that they can take to better their families’ futures.

Casa Congo sits in the middle of the community both physically and metaphorically. It is a family of local Nicaraguans passionate about what they do. Although the eventual aim is for it to be a sustainable hub of education and conservation, it currently still depends heavily on donations and volunteers. I partnered with Photographers without Borders to make this trip. My aim of visiting was to document the current programs and way of life to encourage more volunteers to raise funds and make the trip. Casa Congo would love to see more volunteers, if you’re interested in making the trip you can find more information here: https://www.casacongo.org/volunteer