Intern or Volunteer with a Grassroots Community Development Organization in Nicaragua

  Nicaragua

• Other Cities in Nicaragua: 
Masaya,  Jinotepe,  Ciudad Sandino

Term: Academic Year, Fall, Spring, Summer, Throughout the year, Trimester, Winter 
Durations of Program: 1-2 weeks, 2-4 weeks, 5-8 weeks, 9-12 weeks, 3-6 months and 7-12 months
Typical Duration of Program: 9-12 weeks
Dates: See FSD Website

Description: Examples of how you can support Community Development in Nicaragua:

* Offer community workshops for poor, rural farmers on topics such as: micro-credit opportunities, natural medicine, preventative health, domestic violence, agricultural management, cooking, nutrition, and organic agriculture.

* Support expansion of an FSD project that is in the process of building a women's community market for local entrepreneurs.

* Assist a program that recruits youth from local communities to become promoters (peer educators) on issues such as reproductive health, birth control methods, etc. Youth groups work not only in their own communities but also in secondary schools and rural areas, organizing talks and workshops, and training other youth leaders to multiply their efforts.

* Plan and host community educational workshops and discussions that address vocational skills, local leadership, and education curriculum for local schools.

* Support an organization that provides comprehensive resources to communities for sexual and intra-familial violence, vocational and technical training, HIV/AIDS awareness programs, and legal assistance for rights violations.

* Work toward the preservation of indigenous culture by assisting the building and maintainence of a local museum to house artifacts found from nearby archeological digs.

For more community development opportunities in Nicaragua, visit our website or contact us directly.

About FSD

The Foundation for Sustainable Development (FSD) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization founded in 1995 to support underserved, international communities in a collaborative and sustainable manner. Our model incorporates three overlapping programs:

1. Sustainable Development Training Programs for Interns and Volunteers
FSD provides comprehensive training and immersion programs for interns and volunteers seeking hands-on experience in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Program participants come from countless professions and more than 300 universities worldwide to collaborate with our partner organizations on community-driven projects that reflect sustainable practices.

2. Grantmaking to Projects and Initiatives Led By Our Partner Organizations
Donations and grants given to FSD are used to support projects and initiatives implemented by our partner organizations, site teams, interns, and volunteers.

3. Sustainable Development of Community-Based Organizations
Our professional field staff, consultants, and program participants provide on-site technical training and capacity building to more than 200 community-based organizations.

Highlights: Development Issues Addressed in Nicaragua
In a country where over half of the residents live below the poverty line, many do not have access to health services, education assistance, micro-enterprise loans, and basic needs such as water, housing, and food. Government funding for programs that provide these services is extremely minimal. Sixty percent of Nicaragua's population lives in urban areas and the growth rate in urban areas is twice that of rural areas. However, the majority of land is rural and the majority of economic output is steeped in agriculture. This puts added pressure on community development initiatives in these rural areas to maintain economic and cultural strength.

The best resources for community development are Nicaraguans themselves and their locally-born, grassroots movements. Through peer training and peer education, community promoters are instrumental in every aspect of development: serving on boards and processing administration funds and policies; conducting surveys and outreach visits in homes and community centers; and organizing work projects that range from a health education radio programs for teenagers to the installation of a solar-powered wells for clean and accessible water. These promoters transform communities as empowered local leaders who offer culturally sensitive education programs and capacity building that is proving to be one of the more successful development movements in the country.

Support for the promoters and their affiliate organizations is constantly in need. Interns in Nicaragua might assist in this type of community development through support of implementation of workshops, training programs, and development projects that benefit all aspects of the community.

Minimum Education: High School

Cost in US$: Depends on Program Selected; See FSD Website

Experience Required: no

Typical Volunteer: FSD supports participants who boldly wish to initiate the change they believe is necessary in the developing world. Interns are passionate about sharing their practical knowledge, heart-felt enthusiasm, and economic resources with communities abroad that suffer unnecessary hardship. They wish to gain hands-on, grassroots development experience because they believe change is most powerfully cultivated on a community level. The aim is to experientially learn how their work can empower the community toward applying sustainable development solutions, rather than increasing reliance on foreign aid. Participants choose FSD because the program structure enables them to design and implement their own sustainable projects in collaboration with their host organization and the FSD Site Team. They are able to test their ideas and theories in the most direct way possible, giving them the experience and knowledge they seek. The flexibility of the host organizations allows for participants at all stages and levels of experience in international development to participate, thus opening the programs to a diverse group of capable applicants.

Age Range: 18-75

This Program is open to Worldwide Participants. This Program is also open to Couples and Individuals

Participants Travel to Nicaragua Independently

Typically Participants Work Independently or in Groups of 3-10

Application Process Involves:

• Letters of Reference
• Phone Interview
• Resume
• Written Application

Post-Program Services Include:

• Alumni Network

Foundation for Sustainable Development's Mission Statement: FSD supports the efforts of grassroots organizations in the developing world that are working to better their communities, environments, and the economic opportunities around them. We believe community development is only sustainable if it empowers the people to effectively use and cultivate their own resources in a conscious manner. Through our programs, we aim to raise international awareness of the economic challenges in developing countries and to support cross-cultural communities in finding more effective solutions to development issues.

Year Founded: 1995