press releases

Peace Corps Nicaragua Inducts 40 New Volunteers

November 20, 2008

U.S. Ambassador to Nicaragua Robert J. Callahan and vice-director of the Nicaraguan Agricultural Technology Institute,Miguel Obando, swore in 40 new Peace Corps Volunteers who will work on environmental education and food security.  The event took place at the  U.S. Embassy.

The volunteers will serve two years in Nicaragua,  living and working in rural communities in Boaco, Chinandega, Chontales, Estelí, Jinotega, León, Madriz, Matagalpa Nueva Segovia and Rivas.

Volunteers with the food security and agriculture program will work with families to teach them to apply better techniques for managing their gardens and orchards.  They will also work with local farmers and their families to help with water and land conservation, crop diversification, and plague control.  They will promote techniques to better production and income from crops for self consumption as well as for selling in the markets.  Efforts will also promote better processing and value-added marketing techniques for their produce.

Volunteers with the environmental education program will teach environmental science to school children and train teachers in semi-rural areas.  Through this project, these rural communities learn how to protect and conserve their local habitat.  Most Volunteers will live in small communities and work with at least three schools with students ranging from third to sixth grade using a curriculum developed by the Peace Corps and Nicaragua’s Ministry of Education.

Students will apply what they learn in the creation of nurseries, reforestation, organic fertilizers and vegetable garden management.  Together, they will organize community cleaning, trash collection and recycling efforts.  Students, their parents and the whole community will learn to work together to reduce deforestation and to better trash management.

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U.S. Embassy website: http://nicaragua.usembassy.gov/