Homes of Hope - Breaking Generational Poverty

Homes of Hope at the Granada Dump

Nicaragua is a beautiful country with wonderful people who are experiencing terribly difficult times. The non-governmental organizations, or NGOs, have historically provided much needed economic resources, but their numbers are shrinking even as the needs of so many people are multiplying.

People here are willing to do almost anything to feed their families. The people who live in the La Hoya (meaning the hole} garbage dump outside of Granada have it tougher than most, and have few real options. Going to the dump is always a humbling experience; to witness families who survive by scouring through the sprawling mountains of garbage, in deplorable conditions, amidst overwhelming stench, and for little benefit.

The work is very hard in extremely tough environmental conditions. At the best of times, when conditions are dry, it is daunting. During rainy season it is horrible.

The volume of trash at the dump is currently very low due to the collapse of tourism, an industry that formerly brought in a billion dollars annually and benefitted Nicaraguan people of all economic levels. The major airlines could not comply with the Covid requirements for Nicaragua, and so stopped flying to Managua. As a result, tourism dropped by more than 90 per cent.

That has caused economic pain for Nicaraguans at all levels, most of all for the people of the La Hoya Dump. They struggle now just to survive and have the barest of living

standards. When the La Hoya Dump people return home from work, they return to a home made of plastic and cardboard resting on dirt floors. Nicaragua has a six-month rainy season, so such circumstances not just uncomfortable, but unhealthy.

For $630 per house, a cement slab can be poured so children no longer have to sleep on a dirt floor that is little more than mud half the year. And plastic walls can be replaced with tin walls, protecting families from the elements and providing a basic level of security. The will need wood for the pillars. The motto is a roof, a floor, and a door.

We have raised money for 40 houses so far and need to build 15 more and 35 latrines to ensure that all 85 families that work in the garbage dump has a secure place to live. We recruit volunteers from the community to help home owners lay the cement slab and construct walls or roofs. Every penny goes to the project and collaborating with other interested people on behalf of the La Hoya community.

Please help us make a difference in the lives of people whose lives are so unimaginably difficult. Every penny goes to this project. My background is a Peace Corps Volunteer, and a development specialist for the past 35 years.