ViviendasLeon is extending the deadline to apply for the Spring Break Nicaragua trip to March 1.  This is a wonderful way to combine international travel and community building opportunities.

Join families from around the Bay Area on an international family service trip vacation this year.   The trip combines participation in ongoing community development projects, home-stays with Nicaraguan families, cultural exploration and environmental travel.  Trip dates are April 7-14 and June 9-16, 2012.

Click here to learn more, see a schedule of events or download more information.

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Join us this summer for an unforgettable trip to Leon, Nicaragua, July 8 – August 5, 2012.   Meet other like-minded students on a 2-4 week service and cultural immersion trip.  Work side by side with community members on long term development projects; stay in homes with families in Leon; travel to places of cultural, historic and environmental importance and beauty.

Click here to download a travel packet and find out more about our program for high school students.

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We are pleased to announce that Windward School of Los Angeles is our newest global education travel partner.  A nine day trip is planned for June 2012.  Parents can click here to download an application and information packet.  An introductory meeting is schedule for 6:30 pm, November 8 at Windward School.

Click here to see our Global Education Travel film that provides background and interviews of students who have traveled to Nicaragua.

Goyena Community, Sutiava Nicaragua:  Nueva Vida board of directors

Overview:

ViviendasLeon has been working in the rural community of Goyena, located in the indigenous region of León known as Sutiava, since 2001.  This region extends west from the city to the Pacific Ocean.  The community has five neighborhoods governed by three separate community boards of directors: Nueva Vida, Aristides Sanchez and Las Parcelas.  There are more than 250 families living in Goyena, many or these are households occupied solely by mothers and their children.  Fathers and sons are often working in neighboring countries such as Costa Rica and Panama due to lack of employment in Nicaragua.  Between 75 and 80 percent of the children attend school through the sixth grade and children are now continuing their education through the 11^th grade. However, the quality and relevance of the curriculum pose significant problems.

(Continue reading…)

Our new environmental program in reforestation and agro forestry was inaugurated in March of this year. Many students and families took part in the construction of tree nurseries and seed planting throughout the month of April. As this photograph shows, in just three months the trees are ready to transplant, some being as much as 8 feet tall. These first trees will help to reforest the river, provide leaf litter to rebuild the soils, firewood for the community and hardwood for furniture construction. We will continue to plant seeds and transplant trees every three months in the coming years. There are also plans to add fruit and citrus tree varieties next year, and backyard gardens that will provide a regular supply of healthy vegetables to families. Thanks to everyone involved in the successful start to this very important project!

Find out how you can be involved in this project. Contact us at ViviendasLeon/Get Info

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Global Education Travel for Schools from Evan Markiewicz on Vimeo.

For educators interested in global education travel, this 6 minute film looks at the various activities, places and experiences students enjoy during a trip with ViviendasLeon in Nicaragua. There is background information on the components of the trip and interviews with students describing their participation in the program.

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Family travel program 2011 León, Nicaragua from Evan Markiewicz on Vimeo.

Check out this latest video from our Family Travel Program in León, Nicaragua. Thirty parents, children and teachers spent the week of Semana Santa enjoying the culture, history and hospitality of León. We spent time in the rural community of Goyena creating a tree nursery, building a community center and making art at the community art center, Madre Tierra.

JOIN VIVIENDASLEON for a TUTORING AND SPORTS PROGRAM THIS SUMMER!

July 6 – August 3, 2011

The goal of the new ViviendasLeon Tutoring and Sports Program is to share your knowledge of, and passion for, Math, English and sports with underserved kids in Nicaragua. The Program will focus on tutoring and sports. You will spend each day in the rural community of Goyena, working on our various development projects in the mornings and working with kids one-on-one and in small groups with their studies or running sports sessions focused on soccer, kickball and baseball in the afternoons.  Click here to see the work we do.

You will help the kids in the community grow intellectually and physically, and you will deepen and broaden your own understanding of English and Math as you work on explaining these subjects to others. You will improve your leadership, communication and team building skills as you work with kids both inside and outside the classroom. It is also a great opportunity to use and develop any Spanish skills you may have!

Used sports equipment is donated by Providing the Gift of Sports, a non-profit partner of ViviendasLeon.  You can bring a bag full of school supplies and sports equipment to Nicaragua and see the impact you are having first hand. This is an amazing opportunity to both help others and grow as a global citizen this summer. Working in the rural communities will greatly contribute to their advancement while enhancing your cultural awareness.

We hope you can take advantage of this transformative experience!

Click here to download an application packet

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Sign up now for our summer travel program.   Click here to download the application and information packet.  Application deadline is June 1.  Space is available.  Travel dates are July 6 – August 6, 2011.

Spend all or part of the month of July with other like-minded high school students on this opportunity to take global citizenship to a new level .  Take part in ongoing community service projects in the rural community of Goyena, stay in home stays with families in Leon, visit places of historical and cultural  significance, and travel to places of unique natural beauty.  Develop an in-depth understanding of the people, place and culture of Nicaragua.

This year take part in a unique afternoon sports camp being organized by one of the students on the trip and her organization, Providing the Gift of Sports. The camp will take place the first full week of the trip, July 11-15, and will teach sports and games to students from Goyena.  In addition, work side by side with the rural community members to help build their rammed earth community center, help plant trees in a new project to reforest the nearby river, provide food and rebuild depleted soils, and make friends with young people your age from Nicaragua and around the U.S.  while practicing your language skills.

See photos of the work we do on our project photo archive.  Click here.

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Twenty nine eighth graders and three teachers from the San Francisco School joined the staff of ViviendasLeon for five days in April to help with projects in the rural community of Goyena and much more.

The students inaugurated our project to provide trees for reforestation, food and soil reconstruction, a partnership with Trees for the Future. They also spent the week in the Madre Tierra Art Center, an after school arts program run by artist Daniel Pulido for students in the community, and helped to continue building our project for a community center in the neighborhood of Nueva Vida.

The students also for the first time took an early morning tour of the Juan Venado estuary and island reserve near Poneloya to see wildlife, and spent many late afternoons swimming in the new big pool near Fundeci.

To see photos of these projects from our projects photo archive, click here.

For photos of the trip from our archive, click here.

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