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Nicaragua Project Overview This Project will be working in the jungle community of El Castillo, on the San Juan River in southern Nicaragua. A s the village is on the river and surrounded by m uddy jungle, there are very few paths, and no vehicles. Many of the people in outlying areas of the community have real problems getting their children to the school so less than half are able to attend. The team will be working alongside a local environmental organisation and community youth to help them build walkways and bridges to enable everyone to get around the town much more easily.
Project Host The RSIS team will be working in partnership with Central American Service Expeditions (CASE) who are based in neighbouring Costa Rica, and with the Nicaraguan NGO Fundacion del Rio. CASE works in Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Panama with communities who have long-‐term needs. They also work with several Round Square schools for their own projects. Fundacion del Rio work with rural communities and youth educating them about environmental issues and helping with sustainable community projects designed to preserve traditional ways of life and enhance income. The Area The team will be working in the jungle river community of El Castillo. It was founded almost 400 years ago on the edge of the San Juan River and boasts one of the oldest colonial buildings in Nicaragua. The fortress was built in 1673 and was key to the defence against pirates (mostly English!) and has been the site of major battles ever since. The village is surrounded by farmland and jungle and there are no roads, so everyone gets around on foot, horseback or on bicycles. The town is just starting to see more tourism creeping into the area, so it will be great for the team to experience the thrill of living in the jungle before the rest of the world finds out about it! The Task The team will be working with the local community to build walkways and bridges to the outlying parts of the community that have no easy way to get around. The pathways are paved in the centre of the town, but in the outlying areas these pathways consist of leg-‐sucking m ud, fallen branches and tree trunks. They currently have to wade through mud and marshy bogs as the river level rises and falls, and the town leaders and wider community have identified this infrastructure as a job that urgently needs to be done. Working with local people and the local non-‐governmental organisation Fundacion del Rio, the team will be using cement, sand, rocks, rebar and wood to extend the walkway by several hundred m etres and build connecting bridges. © Round Square, PO Box 4371, Bath BA1 0JD, UK Round Square is a Registered Charity in the UK 327117 Company Number 02011514 1
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Other Tasks and Activities within the Community The group will be staying with local families during their time at El Castillo, and will have plenty of chance to play soccer and baseball with the local youth. The group will also visit a local cocoa production cooperative, as well as visits to the elementary school, high school and a local conservation organization that is dedicated to conserving the endangered green macaw. There will also be time to explore the castle after which the community is named, and spend a day kayaking past the Indio Maiz Reserve, one of the largest parks in Nicaragua. The team will be really immersed in the community, living alongside local people (who are used to hosting overseas visitors) and really experiencing their way of life. Draft Itinerary (details subject to change, and will be confirmed near er the tim e of depa rture) 6 December 7 December 11 December 16 December 22 December 23 December Participants arrive in M anagua for one n ight Travel to El Castillo for briefings and start of project work Day-‐visit to the Cacao Plantation Project Day kayaking in the Indio M aiz Reserve Return to Managua for one night Depart for home Booking I nformation -‐ complete the Student Information Form and send it to Round Square. Once the Student Information Form has been processed, a confirmation letter is sent to each participant. Flights must not be booked until this letter is received. Dates: The Project will start in th
Managua on December 6 and will rd
finish in Managua on December 23 , 2014. living in and the nature of the building work they are involved in. Only two students per school will be able to apply for any one Project. Flights: These m ust be arranged to arrive in Managua before 6pm on th
December 6 . Students will be able to rd
depart at any time on December 23 . The team will be staying in a 2-‐star hostel when in Managua, and will be home-‐stayed in small groups with local families when in El Castillo. Deadlines: Cost: The cost of the Project will be £1,450 from arrival in Managua to departure from Managua. The cost does not include international travel or en route accommodation to/from the point of arrival/ departure, visas, inoculations, personal spending money, or equipment. It does include all food, accommodation, transport, kayak activity and other visits. All international participants are automatically covered under the Round Square travel and medical insurance policy. Leadership Team: The Project Leader is Lesley Buckmaster from Appleby College. Lesley has led numerous RSIS Projects in the last 5 years, and has visited El Castillo several times before meeting with the Project co-‐ordinators and local families. The Deputy Leader will be confirmed shortly. -‐ Places are reserved on a first come, first served basis. Booking Process: Only schools can reserve places and pay the reservation fee. Individual students may then apply through their school for one of those places. Students and parents must go to: http://www.roundsquare.org/apply.php and download and read the RSIS Terms and Conditions. -‐ watch the presentation about safety on Round Square trips Students who participate in this project must be aged 16 or over at the time of the Project, and should have a good degree of physical and mental fitness due to the terrain they will be -‐ Student Information Forms must be submitted as soon as possible, st
and no later than 1 October 2014. -‐ The final balance payment m ust be received by Round Square no st
later than 1 September 2014. All enquiries relating to bookings should go to: Clare Coverdale [email protected] or Liz Gray [email protected] Tel: +44 (0)1225 320854 www.roundsquare.org © Round Square, PO Box 4371, Bath BA1 0JD, UK Round Square is a Registered Charity in the UK 327117 Company Number 02011514