VOLUNTEER IN NICARAGUA

Alright, back to breakfast: you’ll be sharing meals with your group.  Meals are provided by a cute cook who serves up classic Nicaraguan dishes. Not quite sure what that’s like? You can count on lots and lots of rice and beans at most meals (if not every meal), paired with fried plantains and fresh tortillas. Even the meals are a important part of your Nicaraguan experience. You’ll share big lunches (it’s the most important meal of the day) then joining all together for a smaller dinner. It’s just like how the locals eat. Along with the food, the people of Nicaragua lend so much to your experience. Nicaraguans are happy, so welcoming, and for most volunteers, are a huge part of their ILP experience in this country! 

On your way to school, you pass happy neighbors and kids playing in the street who are waving and saying “hola!” as you pass. You’ll be doing a lot of walking during your semester. Plan on packing comfortable shoes for your walk to class and walks through the jungles and beaches. In Nicaragua, you’re living right in the middle of two worlds. On one hand, you’re just a short walk to the bright and colorful downtown, filled with cafes and restaurants, but walk to where you teach, and experience some of the poorest areas in the country. Tin roof homes, dirt roads scattered with wandering roosters, and donkeys pulling carts are common to see in this part of the country.

After teaching finishes up in the early afternoon, the rest of the day is yours! Some volunteers say it’s more free time than they anticipated, leaving you time for joining in on a neighborhood soccer game, playing group games with other ILP volunteers, or walking down to the colorful city center found in Granada. Your teaching days leave time to explore what Granada and nearby spots have to offer, but you’ll have lots and lots of places to choose from on the weekends and vacation days. Lucky for you, some of our favorite vacation spots are just a couple hours (or less!) from where you live. Take a trip to dip in a nearby lagoon, trek to the top of volcanoes, hang out on a string of beaches … all of this and more is so close to where you live. Think about all the adventures you can have every weekend if you wanted to!

For your vacation days, you’re also set. Easily, our favorite spot are the magically pretty Corn Islands, found on Nicaragua’s Caribbean coast. Come for a beyond relaxing trip full of sugar-soft sands and sipping coconuts. It’s totally off the tourist map with travelers flocking to other islands, you’ll feel like you have the whole place to yourself. Want to put a few stamps in your passport too? Panama’s islands, Costa Rica’s adventures, and these rad secret swimming spots in Mexico are also options.

A difficult history has kept this adventurous country off the map for most tourists, but that’s slowly changing. We think you’ll love all the travel and adventure this country has to offer (without all the crowds and high prices you’ll find in other tourism-driven countries). Welcome to Nicaragua!

You’ll be teaching English in an underprivileged neighborhood right outside the popular tourist spot, Granada. In a country so torn by poverty, what you’ll be doing gives you a chance to really connect with the kids in and outside of class. The kids you teach are here as an after-school program. It’s a resource that not only gives them an English education, but also is a way to help them spend time in a safe place, rather than on the streets. In any case, volunteers headed to Nicaragua should be ready to dive in and connect with these kids. Since you’re living close to the school in this neighborhood, you’ll often see the kids you teach after school playing soccer, who will want you to join in, of course. So far, the American teachers have quite the losing streak, but maybe that’ll change your semester!

Be ready to embrace the casual culture even when it comes to teaching. Sometimes you’ll be inside, sharing a big open space with all of your fellow teachers. In fact, on some days you’ll be teaching under the pavilion in the park! The culture here is laid-back and volunteers who do well just going with the flow are a great fit for this country. So many of our Nica volunteers come home and say the very best part about their semester was the people. Tthe kids you teach are a huge part of your semester, so if you’re looking for a humanitarian experience where you can have a direct impact, Nicaragua is the spot for you!

Why is the program fee higher here? Unlike the Exchange Program, the families of the children you work with will not be helping to subsidize your costs. All the children you are working with come from very limited means, and the service you provide is completely free for them. Thank you for wanting to provide the best care for these kids by volunteering in this humanitarian program! 

Interested in other ways you’re needed? Compare ILP’s Humanitarian Programs here.