Nicaragua 2008

Five parishioners from St. James traveled to Nicaragua in January 2008 and participated in a successful two-week project with El Porvenir. The organization supports community initiated water, sanitation and reforestation projects in rural Nicaragua.

Mimi and Nueva Espana children in the community garden

El Porvenir means "the future". In just eighteen years the organization has accomplished over 600 water improvement projects and planted over 278,000 trees. Each year, ten to twelve projects involve a work brigade like ours, composed of people from outside Nicaragua.

The St. James members of the work brigade were Bill and Dcn. Mimi Eick, Nancy Freeman, Ann Lanfri, and Connie Macy. We were joined by parishioners from St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church in NE Portland, Grace Memorial Presbyterian Church in Portland, and two friends of El Porvenir from Ohio.

Our specific task in the small, rural community of Nueva Espana was to assist in construction of laundry facilities (lavenderos), a public shower (bano), and a dry well to filter gray water. The residents of the community had previously completed the centerpiece well and pump, and installed individual family latrines.

Successful progress on the construction project is evident from the pictures posted on this website but, hopefully, our photographs also capture a significant and lasting part of an El Porvenir experience: deep, warm, respectful relationships.

A welcoming hug from the village matriarch set the stage for each work day which was then full of kindness, laughter, and gratitude for our presence. Often the children provided the gateway to closer relationships, approaching this strange group of North Americans carefully at first, but quickly entrenching themselves into our hearts.

Mimi, Bill, Ann, Nancy and Connie -- January 2008