EL DELIRIO, NICARAGUA - SOLAR SCHOOL

TRIP DATES: AUGUST 4-12, 2012

To sign up for this trip, please email info@powertothepeople.org. The trip fee is $1,600 per person which covers all in-country expenses from hotels, food, tips, taxes, entrance fees, travel and snacks. Space is limited.

The community of El Delirio (The Delirium) is located in the department of Matagalap, the coffee region of the country which is known for its mild and pleasant climate. The town of El Delirio is located at the end of a long dirt road and sits on top of a plateau. The town has no access to grid electricity or basic services like health care, secondary education, and phones lines. The 2-room school in El Delirio is a well-kept building and is the only school in town. It's a perfect building for a solar system, with a sold roof and no shade.

Like many towns in Nicaragua, the community members go to bed around 8pm when the sun goes down because there is no light to see by, no way to read, no way to study, no entertainment or news to watch or listen to. The people of El Delirio has asked Power to the People to bring lights and power to their school when they saw us installing a sysem in a nearby community called Agua Fria.

In August 2012, Power to the People will be bringing lights and power to the school by installing a 1kW photovoltaic system on the elementary school roof. The system may also include a PV battery charging station, allowing community members to charge car or deep cycle batteries at the school and take them home to have lights and power in their houses.

A sample trip itinerary includes:

Saturday - Volunteers arrive in Managua throughout the day, meet each other and have dinner at Hotel El Camino Real.
Sunday - Walking tour of Granada, boat tour of Granada islands, hike around rim of Volcano Mombacho. Stay in colonial stylel hotel in Granada.
Monday - Head to El Delirio and begin solar installation. Stay overnight with families in El Delirio. Volunteers experience life in rural Nicaragua.
Tuesday - Continue working on solar installation. Stay overnight with families in El Delirio.
Wednesday - Finish solar installation. Celebrate with community at the "fiesta de despedida".
Thursday - Leave El Delirio and visit and swim in the local waterfall La Estansuela. Have lunch in Matagalpa and head to sustainable coffee farm, Selva Negra.
Friday - Explore the Selva Negra woods, take a tour of the coffee production process and stay overnight in German-style chalet.
Saturday - Leave Selva Negra and head back to Managua.
Sunday - Volunteers head to the US.

Thank you for your interest and support!

Hiking on volcano Mombacho

Orange flower on side of hill

SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS OF THIS PROJECT: