Tour Leader: Amy Wiza
Tour Dates: February 16 - February 27, 2006
The Learning Centers Mission is a unique opportunity for people from Wisconsin to travel to Nicaragua and share a skill, craft, or educational concept by teaching informal workshops at select W/NP Learning Centers. This year, our itinerary included northern, central, and southern Nicaragua as Learning Centers workshops were held in Estelí, Managua, and San Juan del Sur. We had sixteen participants from Wisconsin and 186 from Nicaragua. The following workshops were taught and proved to be a valuable and educational experience for all involved: Lace Angels, Quilting, Crocheting, Embroidery, Macrame, Necklaces from Paper Beads, Self-Esteem, Beading, Food Garnishing, T-Shirt Painting, Repair Projects, Waste Baskets from Recycled Newspaper (Nicaraguan presenter), Cooking Gallo Pinto (Nicaraguan presenter), and Natural and Herbal Medicine (Nicaraguan presenter). In addition, 173 reading glasses and 200 sunglasses were distributed.
Cultural activities were an important component of this trip as we learned about the culture and the geography. Sprinkled between workshops were visits to the Masaya and
Mombacho volcanoes, hammock and tapestry factories, Learning Centers in Akualinka and Estelí, the Loma de Tiscapa Canopy Tour, the Las Maderas Poultry Project, the Selva Negra Coffee Plantation, a cigar box factory, the Gotita de Amor Pre-School, a Granada boat tour, the San Juan del Sur Library, artisan markets in Masaya, San Juan del Oriente, and Huembes, and Pochomil Beach, where lobster and shrimp were served ocean-side.
Now more than ever, people all over the world are recognizing the value of people-to-people exchange and how individual involvement can contribute to improving economic and social development. Join us again in 2007 as we continue to work together to make a difference!
