Last week I made a visit to the far Northern point of Nicaragua. There is literally a peninsula that stretches out into the Gulf of Fonseca which is the open body of water that separates Nicaragua, Honduras, and El Salvador. On a clear day you can see the miles into all three of these countries. As part of my work with a Nicaraguan organization called Fundacion Lider I am working with a cooperative of communities that want to develop an eco-tourism project in this region of Nicaragua. The inferastructure is severely lacking, however the natural resources more than make up for the defeciencies. We will be using a solar panel for electricity, well for water, and most all the food that will be prepared for travelers will be from fruits and vegetables raised in the community. This is a really neat project to be a part of because up until now there has been no real tourism businesses established in this part of Nicaragua. It's hard to believe that one of the most beautiful regions of this country is still completely untapped. There are hundreds of acres of land that just sit completely unused. Much of this area is protected by the Government as there are Wetlands, sea turtle nesting grounds, and exotic wildlife galore. There are Islands of rock that spur out of the ocean like glaciers. These "pierdes" serve as landing strips and nesting grounds for the birds of the open seas. The only down side to working on this project is that it's nearly 4 hours by bus to get to the point. The distance is less than 40 miles, but the roads are very bad and you end up spending most of your trip bouncing from rut to rut as your 1970's school bus does it's best rendition of "mudslinging".
In another project I am working with two different cooperatives in a beautiful coastal community just an hour outside of my pueblo. One group is a farming cooperative that has come together after receiving the funds to build a production center. They are now working weekly to develop strategic plans for how to grow and become more effecient. My job is to help them identify new markets and to teach them things about business concepts such as marketing, start up capital, and flow charts. These farmers are very advanced and already more than 60 perecnt of their produce is being sold to Hortifruti Inc. which is the official produce purchaser for Wal-Mart in Nicaragua.
The second group is a fantastic group of ladies who have begun making their own jam from fresh pineapple and papaya. There product has been tested and meets all quality standards needed to sale in supermercado's all over Nicaragua. Currently we lack only a barcode and a good marketing plan to bring this business up to the level that it can start to improve the financial conditions for many of the people involved. I must say the jelly is pretty tasty. Don't be surprised if this is what you get as your Christmas present from me this year.
