After a cramped but picturesque bus journey from Managua to the Nicaraguan highlands, we were met with a warm reception the second we disembarked in Parcila; a little village in North-Western Nicaragua consisting of about 50 households. The members of the community had, in conjunction with our fellow Nicaraguan volunteers, prepared a welcome party for us, where we all had an opportunity to introduce ourselves in our broken Spanish accents, and mingle with the locals.
In true Nicaraguan style, the party also involved a traditional dance, piñata breaking, and lots of laughing. The welcome party was followed by a tour of Parcila, where we got to see some of the work that the previous cycle had done with building eco stoves and pilas (water reservoirs), and how it has had a positive impact on the community.
The past two days all the volunteers have received training from ASOMUPRO, our Nicaraguan partner organisation. Learning about the devastating effects that climate change is having on this community has been a simultaneously interesting and appalling experience. Floods, droughts, and hurricanes are increasingly becoming a problem in the area, and the repercussions can easily be witnessed first-hand: as the dry season has commenced, the lack of water availability means that crops have been damaged and thus, food is scarce. In spite of that, the people have been incredibly generous: after staying here for five days only, our host family has made every effort to be as accommodating as possible, feeding us delicacies such as raw honey straight from a beehive, organic eggs from the chickens in the garden, and homemade pork scratchings. I believe I can speak on behalf of everyone when saying that we are enthusiastic to see what the next 12 weeks will bring.
Written by ICS volunteer Vilde Riise Hamre
