LAS LAJAS - SUN-POWERED HEALTH CARE & EDUCATION

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From November 20-27, 2010 Power to the People successfully installed a 1.32 kW photovoltaic system on a rural 4-room school, a 225W battery charging station on the same school, and a 340W system on a rural healthcare center in the community of Las Lajas, Nicaragua. Situated in the middle of an ancient volcanic crater, Las Lajas and surrounding communities enjoy the slow-paced life of a rural agricultural community. Las Lajas, part of the municipality of San Lorenzo, Boaco, is the community located the farthest from the municipal town of San Lorenzo where most of the public services are available.

Las Lajas and the surrounding communities are home to over 5,000 people who currently live without access to electricity. Most residents in Las Lajas travel by foot or horseback, and even aid trucks that occasionally visit the community cannot enter the town during the rainy season because two large river block access to both roads leading into the area.

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The two community buildings in the town of Las Lajas are an elementary school, and a very unequipped healthcare center in the middle of town. 14 Power to the People volunteers and many local volunteers installed a solar electric system on the school in order to bring lights and power to the students and teachers, and Toshiba donated a laptop to the school which has become the first computer the community has ever had. The presence of lights in the school makes the buildings a perfect place for town meetings, adult classes, and other community gatherings.

The healthcare center in town is run by a volunteer group of nine people. However, on a recent visit we were surprised to find that the healthcare center had no medicine or medical supplies, no medical signs or charts, and hardly any furniture. For thousands of people in the area that are sick, elderly, or pregnant, making the two hour trek by foot to the nearest hospital is not an option. In addition to installing a solar system on the center, Power to the People brought a donation of basic medical supplies to the center, donated by Medshare.

If you're interested in traveling with us to Nicaragua on a future trip. Please visit our Voluntourism page or email info@powertothepeople.org.

The Las Lajas trip itinerary included:

Day 1: A one-day class by solar professional Ryan LeBlanc about designing and installing an off-grid PV system in rural Nicaragua. Volunteers learned the basics about off-grid solar and learned about the installation they were about to complete in Las Lajas.

Day 2 - 4: We traveled down the long bumby road in 3 pickup trucks to Las Lajas, stopping by the town of San Lorenzo on the way to have lunch with the Mayor. After meeting the families we were to stay with, the volunteers had dinner with the local people and then met in the school in the evening (in the dark) to reflect about the day. The next two days were dedicated to installing the solar systems alongside local volunteers. During breaks, volunteers had the chance ot milk a cow at a local ranch, swim in the river, play with the children.

Day 5: On Thursday morning, the whole community had a "fiesta" at the school to celebrate the electricity. Power to the People presented the community with two computers (a laptop donated by Toshiba), some solar toys donated by Sanmark Solar, and some books. The local kids showed us their traditional dance, and one of our volunteers played the flute for everyone. As the fiest was winding down, we loaded up our trucks and headed out down the bumby dirt road, waving goodbye to our new friends. That evening, we celebrated Thanksgiving dinner at a restaurant in Granada and then many volunteer danced the night away at a local dance club (where did they have the energy for that?).

Day 6: On Friday morning, we met with the professor of the school from our last project and presented him with a laptop for his school. Then the group headed out and visited the butterfly and orchid reserve on Mombacho Volcano. We rode the a large truck to the top of the volcano and took a guided hike all around the top of the volcano where we enjoyed amazing views of Lake Nicaragua, Granada, and the Granada islands. In the afternoon we visited the town of Catarina to see the "Mirador" (lookout) that overlooks the Laguna de Apollo. In the evening we went to a nice little Italian restaurant in Granada where many of us bought "hicaro" moroccos that were hand-carved right in front of us. We ended up in Managua for our last night at the Hotel Camino Real, and the group stayed up talking and drinking our last "Tona"s and preparing for the trip back to the US the next day.

Day 7: Departure from Managua to the US.

For more information about this project, fundraising activities for our next project, or info. about how you can help, please email info@powertothepeople.org.

Thank you for your interest and support!

Boys hanging out at "La Barrera"

Two boys from Las Lajas, Nicaragua

SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS FOR THIS PROJECT: