International Women's Day M8 2025

Happy International Women's Day M8!

Feliz día internacional de la mujer 8M!

Our partners celebrated this important day for women's movements.

The Indigenous People of Mozonte held an event at their centre for women from the various rural communities and urban centre of Mozonte. The event reflected on the roles Indigenous women play in their community.

The Christine King Cooperative in Esteli held an activity in their park for women who participate in the Cooperative’s different programs and mothers of children who attend the arts classes of Sones Segovianos. They celebrated with a concert, including mariachis, who played music celebrating women’s contributions to families and society.

We thank all our supporters for contributing to women and girls exercising their rights and strengthening their empowerment in all our community partners in Nicaragua and Guatemala.

Indigenous women of Mozonte gather on March 8th

Two women leaders of Mozonte are thanked for their service

Women and their families gather at Christine King Cooperative's Showers of Love park

Touchdown Grey Cup 2024

Our annual Grey Cup was a touchdown!!!

Thanks to all you who came out in support of CP's partners in Nicaragua and Guatemala, and to our volunteer team that make it happen.

Great prizes, great fun, and great company were all had.

¡¡¡GO ARGOS!!!

Success: CASA PUEBLITO 1st Annual BBQ Musicfest

Dear Friends & Supporters of Casa - Pueblito,


Last Sunday 22ND, you all came out in numbers to support our 1st annual BBQ Musicfest By the Lake at the best deck in town!

Rancho Relaxo's own Donnie Blais came through with their usual excellent catering, ushering us into Casa-Pueblito's 33rd year with delicious flavours! 
 

A HUGE thank you to our volunteers, performers, donors
who made this event possible.

and a big thank you to all of you who came out!

We were able to meet our fundraising goal, and as usual, the community projects we support in Nicaragua will be grateful for your solidarity.

THANK YOU for supporting grassroots solidarity from Canada to Nicaragua.

New Community Health Clinic at Huellas de Paz

On June 27, 2024, our partners Huellas de Paz inaugurated a community health clinic. It will provide much needed services to this marginalized community of Managua. A volunteer nurse, psychologist and medical doctor will provide services at different times.

Inauguration of the community health clinic (L-R): Jaime Torres (Director of Huellas de Paz), Fátima Gónzalez (volunteer psychologist) and José Molina (volunteer medical doctor).

Huellas de Paz director and staff discuss the purpose of the clinic with community members.

Mural on the exterior of the clinic painted by the art teacher and students.

Volunteer psychologist Fátima Gónzalez in the community health clinic.

Casa - Pueblito Update: From Scorched to Stormy: Adapting to Climate Extremes

Dear Casa – Pueblito supporters and community,

It has been raining in most parts of Nicaragua since May of this year. This is a welcome change from 2023, when consistent rain did not start until about October (depending on the region).
 
Nevertheless, April and May were the hottest months on record, with the average temperature in the country in May being 29.6 degrees Celsius (without factoring in the humidex). Managua reached a record-setting 38.8 degrees.
 
These temperatures led to forest fires close to or in some of our partner communities. A fire just outside Ocotal, in northern Nicaragua left one youth dead.

A forest fire burns in Dipilto (close to Ocotal) in mid-April.

A forest fire in the community of Santa Julia near the end of April.

In Managua, the rain started almost at the beginning of May. All of our partners reported significant rain before the end of the month. Since this is a “La Niña” year, our partners know that it is likely that we will have more storms and rainfall, as well as the resulting effects, including mudslides; damage to homes, crops, infrastructure and livelihoods; and possibly loss of human and animal life.
 
One of our partners, the Gloria Quintanilla Women’s Cooperative, will be using this year’s project to update their community risk management plans and training. They will also acquire equipment and tools so that the community can prepare for the effects of storms on the main road in and out of the community, as well as repair any damage, by building run-off ditches and trails.

We will also support some of our partners to adapt to the climate crisis through our gender-responsive agroecology project. This year’s project will be based on developing a model farm and model garden in each of three communities – Jiñocuao, Santa Julia and La Calera – to build knowledge and practice skills regarding both agroecological techniques and more gender-equal relations related to both production and household tasks. Here is one of the beneficiaries, Toño Díaz, showing off his citrus trees in mid-June.

Toño Díaz (Jiñocuao) showing the fruit on one of his citrus trees grown with Casa – Pueblito support.

Thank you for your support in face of these compounding challenges,

Nadine
Country Director

Hogar x Gloria Q. Women's Coop Partner Exchange!

Some of the most generative aspects of our work is when 2 (or more) of our inspiring community partners get to meet, exchange and build bridges.

The Gloria Quintanilla Women’s Cooperative in Santa Julia recently welcomed back the staff from Hogar Luceros del Amanecer of Camoapa at the end of April 2024.

Staff from Hogar Luceros del Amanecer’s Bosque Verde Farm learn from members of the Gloria Quintanilla Women’s Cooperative.

Sebastian Rodriguez, the director of Hogar, commented that, “the women of the Cooperative are an encyclopedia” after their first visit. When Hogar hired new staff for their Bosque Verde (Green Forest) farm this year, they brought them to learn some key insights from the Gloria Quintanilla Women’s Cooperative.

Gema Cruz (left), a member of the Gloria Quintanilla Women’s Cooperative, takes Hogar Luceros del Amanecer staff on a tour of her farm in December 2023, explaining to them her agroecological practices.

Hogar Luceros del Amanecer brought educational materials to the Gloria Quintanilla Women’s Cooperative during their first visit in December 2023.

Spring Newsletter 2024 has Arrived!

Dear Casa – Pueblito supporters and community,

Have you received our Spring 2024 Newsletter in your mailbox yet?

Its full of inspiring stories from the past 6 months of Casa - Pueblito's solidarity work with communities across Nicaragua. 

In case you missed it, the newsletter is available as a downloadable file on our website.

Daukaia students, parents and staff remove a log to prepare a garden for planting.

Daukaia : Miskito for 'learning by doing'

Carl Melvin (President) and Bill Heffernan (Co-Founder and Vice-President) visited our partner Daukaia during their visit to Nicaragua last month.

Daukaia – which means ‘learning by doing’ in Miskito – provides academic reinforcement, nutrition, hygiene, and personal development for poor children in primary and secondary school in Ocotál (Nueva Segovia) close to the Honduran border. Our newest partner, we have been supporting them since 2022. The children who go to Daukaia love their time there. Some like to say, “full belly, happy heart and energy to learn.”

March Update: Nicaragua Visit 2024

Dear Casa – Pueblito supporters and community,

Carl Melvin, President, and Bill Heffernan, Vice President and Co-Founder of Casa – Pueblito, recently returned from a visit to Nicaragua in February 2024. 

Their visit was planned to coincide with a special event: the 20th anniversary of Hogar Luceros del Amanecer, our community partner in Camoapa (department of Boaco), held on February 10th. Carl and Bill, along with Nadine Jubb (Country Director) and Daniel Paredes (Agricultural consultant), were excited to attend! 

The ceremony was uplifting. About 500 students and family members from the three schools served by Hogar partook in the games and celebrations. Hogar’s dance troupe performed, as well as a professional group from Managua. A trio from the Son de las Segovias orchestra – a project of the Christine King Cooperative – played Nicaraguan folk music. 

Many of the students served by Hogar attended, accompanied by a family member.

We shared a special feast afterwards at the Bosque Verde farm and nursery. That evening, the Casa – Pueblito contingent had a lovely dinner with Sebastián and Aleyda. Some of our community partners also attended: Huellas de Paz, Christine King Cooperative, and the Gloria Quintanilla Women's Cooperative. These are some of the organizations that do exchanges with Hogar. [See our Fall 2023 newsletter for an article on partner exchanges.]

Casa – Pueblito with some of our community partners in Camoapa, February 2024. Standing (L-R): Irene Suarez, Carl Melvin, Lola Esquivel, Bill Heffernan, Nadine Jubb, Daniel Paredes, Luisa Solorzano, Sebastian Rodriguez. Kneeling (L-R): Jaime Torres, Aleyda Rios

Caption: Rachel Greenwood, Co-Founder of Hogar Luceros del Amanecer, presents Carl Melvin with a plaque

The Hogar Luceros del Amanecer dancers pose for some well-deserved applause.

¡Felicidades, Hogar Luceros del Amanecer!

You can find more information about our 2024 visit in the upcoming Spring Newsletter.

Please also find out more information about our work and our partners on our website.

We also accept tax-deductible donations at our website here.

In solidarity,

Bill and Nadine 

Co-Founder and Vice-President;  Country Director