Volunteering in Nicaragua

View my Bloq and feel free to contact me at anytime by
E mail. I live and work in Central America over 20
years

Volunteer and have fun too in Nicaragua
Written by David Bloom

Our project may be receiving a donation of a working Coffee Farm from absentee owners in USA who canot care for it. Hopefully should have a volunteer center there up and running in several months, for more info. E mail or call the founder of CINDURMA view: http://www.cindurma.org/ContactUs.html New: on the homepage:

THIS SEPTEMBER 2006!!!

New for this year!

We are repairing one of the Local Parks in the Masaya, Nicaragua this September 18 through 25th. Come help paint, repair and hold a cook out in this wonderful Central America town. One week in Masaya visiting Volcan National Park, Laguna De Apoyo, Museums, Cathedrals and Area Pueblo's, Also that week is the San Jeronimo Festival one of the largest in Central America. Your trip has Pick up from Airport in Managua, Hotel in Masaya with Meals all included. This trip is limited to 8 to 10 people so, please contact us as soon as possible with you interest in joining our group this year.

San Jeronimo Page!

Cost $500.00 USD

sorry, Airfare not included

All profits go to charity, the only people who get paid are the local guides, drivers and hotel/meals/buses or taxis of course.

Dear Traveller/Volunteer: Presenting to you an overview of our
project in Nicaragua, the poorest country in all of
Central America..best to go on to our website and
download our videos, the most recent runs 40 minutes
and details our Christmas Project with the local
people in nearby villages..as well we are able to
connect you with other humanitarian aid projects in
Nicaragua and throughout Central America, all are
welcome, from a day to a month or more! Cindurma at
this time is unable to pay room, board and living
expenses for short term volunteers, however short term
housing at very low cost (home stay) is available for
those wishing to stay a month or more as well as
private Spanish tutor at less than $1USD per hour.
CINDURMA NICARAGUA http://www.cindurma.org

VOLUNTEER VACATIONS & HUMANITARIAN TRAVELS Travelling
to, studying Spanish in or planning to volunteer in
Nicaragua or Central America?

CINDURMA, A not for profit organization legally
registered in Nicaragua offers YOU, whether student,
traveler or volunteer, short or long term, corteous
and friendly on line and/or telephone assistance (you
may easily call our USA co ordinator in Georgia, the
phone no. is on the website) with all of your
logistics before your departure to Nicaragua, also
anywhere else in Central America you intend to visit
be it Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala or Honduras.
Contact our bi-lingual Central American
representative, David, who lives and works in the
region year round.
E mail
centralamericatraveltips@yahoo.com

1. Go to our
Website http://www.cindurma.org/

2. On our main page
of our site please, if you wish, join our Yahoo
Usergroup by clicking on the Yahoo Icon on our main
page.
Some of you may not be planning to study
Spanish, travel or make a commitment to volunteer for
some time, so this gives you a chance to get to know
us somewhat more personally on line well before you
ever plan your departure to Nicaragua and Central
America, giving us more time to answer any and all of
your questions you may have about us, our mission, our
services and our marvelous Meso-American region.

3.
Please notify us at least three (3) weeks in advance
of departure in order that we can reserve your
lodging, transportation and native guides and be
prepared to meet you personally on arrival either at
Managua International Airport, or if coming from
Liberia International Airport located in neighboring
Guanacaste province of Costa Rica by land transfer
directly to your lodging place shall be arranged at
the Border on the Nicaraguan side, or at one of the
four first class International Bus Terminals if you
are arriving by land transportation from Panama and
San Jose, Costa Rica from the south, or Honduras, El
Salvador, Guatemala and Mexico from the north (Tica
Bus, TransNica, King Quality or Centroamericana Bus
from Costa Rica). Best carrier to visit Central
America is Tica Bus http://www.ticabus.com/
reservation must be made in person with passport. All
clients for volunteer vacation packages or those just
wishing to donate their money and/or time to the
project should contact us well in advance via our
website, Yahoo user group or e mail.

4. For a
Powerpoint Presentation of our excellent associate
lodging place in Nicaragua, The Hotel Madera's Inn,
located in the Arts & Crafts town of Masaya, view our
web site..the presentacion is chock full of colorful
photos, however the text is in Spanish, our group has
decided it is far better you try and translate the
text yourself in order to start practicing your
español! Alternate lodgings available as well.

5. Getting There & Away By Air Flights to and
from Managua are available from a number of Latin
American, European and North American airlines such as
TACA, COPA, American, Continental, Delta and United.
CINDURMA receives a donation from www.priceline.com
for each and every flight purchased, click on the
Priceline Icon on the main page of our website!
Nicaragua's major internal carrier is La Costeña,
while Atlantic Airlines is the second biggest with
fewer flights, more comfortable planes and slightly
more expensive fares. Both airlines recommended for
journeys to Bluefields, Corn Islands or Puerto Cabezas
on the remote Caribbean Coast. The international
departure tax is 25.00USD Cash only (unless included
in price of your ticket). By Land and Sea There are
three overland border crossings into Honduras, at Las
Manos, El Espino and Guasule, and one into Costa Rica,
at Sapoá(Peñas Blancas). There is also a river border
crossing between Nicaragua and Costa Rica at Los
Chiles, reachable by boat from San Carlos. Fishing and
cargo boats from Bluefields and Puerto Cabezas, both
on the Caribbean Coast, are always coming and going;
you may be able to hitch a ride to another Central
American port or island. E mail or message if requiring more
detailed travel information.

6. What to expect
in Nicaragua.. An unforgettable experience, memories
that will last a lifetime and warm, friendly, outgoing
people, you'll make friends for life and keep
returning..that we can guarantee if your heart is
open...

Humanitarian Aid and Volunteer Vacations with
CINDURMA

*Here is some of what you will experience on
a volunteer vacation journey with us:
And it is not
just "us" we are talking about.......we are able to refer you to other worthy projects....
"There are several areas in
Humanitarian Aid one can work in, Orphanages, Clinics
and Communities. Ongoing projects are plenty in
Nicaragua and provide opportunity for service. Simply
providing a free meal in a poor area or painting one
of the schools in an area. At every level there are
opportunities already established. It is not necessary
to start or build new schools or churches in
Nicaragua. There are hundreds already built that could
use upkeep or support. In an afternoon, just over six
hundred fifty people in one small village near Masaya
were fed by financial contributions from Bogart
Georgia Church, Heritage Fellowship. This same funding
provided meals for another two days with people
arriving from nearby villages. Typical Native dishes
were prepared over open fire then served to a very
excited crowd outside. Streets were filled and roof
tops used for better positioning. .." (everything
unusual seems to turn into a fiesta (festival) in
Nicaragua..you may be the cause of one in the near
future!) "For the short-term commitment other
opportunities are building repair and providing
everyday financial needs. A School in Managua needed
painting, funding was provided for paint and labor.
The equipment was brought through customs at the
airport set up on site with fifty gallons of paint
shot to the building over two days." "Another trip
offered a simpler solution to a problem. A friend’s
family needed funding for his grave marker in Masaya.
Another family needed work done on their house to keep
weather out and a little boy without the use of his
legs was getting to large for his mother to carry. He
received the only Radio Flyer in the area making him
the most popular kid of the block. Simple short term
goals that are completed in under a week." Common
sense and economical solutions to solve problems, no
consultants, no offices nor employees to pay, every
cent you donate to CINDURMA goes directly into the
local community via the local community. If you wish
to donate equipment, tools, books and school supplies
from the USA and are willing to carry with to
Nicaragua please do contact us to arrange all
logistics, otherwise best to donate cash and your time
if you decide to travel here.

*CINDURMA must charge
visitors for the tours& lodgings featured on our website since
our native Nicaraguan associates must provide you with
all these services.. meals, lodging, transfers, transportation, guide
and other vital services while on land. Any profits
above and beyond expenses go back into the community
and the project. punto.
However, don't fret, if you
are traveling on a limited budget and wishing to see
Nicaragua on your own, of course you will save money
and still have a lot of fun. And as stated above,
there are hundreds of volunteer opportunities to seek
out in the country if you are wishing to stay around a
while, some offering room and board if a person or
couple posseses special skills required by an ongoing
NGO or project. You are always welcome to join our
Yahoo User Group 'Nicaragua_Photos", view our
extensive photo gallery there and ask questions of
other members, some who reside in or travel to
Nicaragua and the rest of Central America frequently,
or share your travelling-volunteering experiences with
us when you return. To join the group on the web, go
to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Nicaragua_Photos/join

8.
Some practical travel tips... If planning on
volunteering and vacationing with CINDURMA...please
give us the time to help you plan your journey. We
love to handle all the detail work and logistics in
advance for you, so that from arrival to departure, A
to Z, your adventure shall be completely hassle free!
We would like to ask you always make your airline
reservations and preparations with CINDURMA at least
several weeks in advance, especially during high
travel and vacation seasons such as July-August,
December through Christmas & New Year's and Easter
Holy Week (Semana Santa) holiday periods. Nicaragua
has 14 national holidays a year, each one usually
stretching into a four-day or local festivals even a
five-day weekend. During the Semana Santa (Easter Holy
Week), just about everything--except certain coastal
resorts and restaurants--closes for a week. Hotels and
guesthouses are usually full. Show up during one of
these holidays without plans and without reservations,
and you'll find the only lodgings available will be in
the almost deserted capital city of Managua or
expensive luxury digs in Granada or at the beach. Also
please note that weekends and local festivals for
Nicaraguans are sacred here. Nicaraguans are festive,
party people and can drink and dance away the night in
the rythm of cumbia,salsa and merengue Forget about
getting anything done from Friday evening until Monday
morning. For ATM machines "On The Run" service
stations, as well as Esso and Texaco, where you can
get fast food or fuel 24 hours a day, all around
Managua and outside Granada, Masaya, Leon, Matagalpa,
Rivas and Chinanadega on the main highways, as well.
If you use the ATM machines in either Masaya city or
Granada, located unguarded outside the bank buildings,
bring a friend or your driver or guide to watch your
back. Traveler's checks are rarely accepted. In rural
areas, credit and debit cards are useless. . bring
only as much cash as you'll require for small
purchases of meals and souvenirs while on tour. Leave
passport and valuables in hotel safe. Carry only
photocopy of your passport. Don't be discouraged by
these words of caution, just common sense, just like
anywhere else in the world. Nicaragua is beautiful,
and outside of Managua, the safest country to be in in
Central America (I have the stats e mail me!).
Everyone who lives or travels here loves it. But we've
learned to adjust our expectations. We'd love to help
you do the same. Please just do us one big favor! HAVE
FUN!
And please, por favor, don't keep comparing
Nicaragua to Costa Rica and vice versa!

Hasta Luego, Le Esperamos!

CINDURMA Nicaragua
www.cindurma.org

Moderator:
http://www.couchsurfing.com/group.html?gid=1575
Cindurma Nicaragua Group on Couchsurfing.com*

http://www.care2.com/c2c/group/volunteernicaragua
Volunteer in Nicaragua Group on Care2.com

http://www.care2.com/c2c/group/Help_to_Help
Help to Help, Work/Volunteer Worldwide Group on
Care2.com

*If you require hospitality enroute, Central America, Mexico, South America and worldwide join us on http://www.couchsurfing.com/ non profit organization natives and residents helping travellers.

There are now literally thousands of people
volunteering in Central America while travelling, if
not interested in volunteering make a small donation on our website
and enjoy your travels!

Avoid companies in US, Canada and UK that charge a
"fee" to place you as a volunteer.

If you find full time employment abroad(such as teaching ESL, travel industry i.e. specialized eco guide) remember your
employer is responsible to sponsor you for a work
permit and you are responsible to obtain one..there
exist jobs 'off the books' for those with special
skills, teaching ESL or working in the travel
industry..but take care working illegally.

PS April to Mid-May is the hottest part of the year in
the tropics, it begins the rainy season mid
may...Semana Santa or Holy Week is April 9-16th this
year, don't arrive at any travel destination without
reservations during this period..all of Latin America
is on vacation that week.

Information required regarding El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras or Costa Rica? Message or E mail the Author.