It’s been a tough year for Nicaragua. Political turmoil has affected every aspect of life, and that includes our work. We continue to maintain our policy of remaining apolitical, but there’s no denying the impact that this conflict has had and will continue to have on the poorest communities of Nicaragua, including the rural communities… Read More →

We apologize for the radio silence over the past five months. It has been a particularly difficult time for Nicaragua. Since April of this year, Nicaragua has been embroiled in the worst civil unrest it has seen in the past 30 years. The last thing we want is for our silence to be interpreted as… Read More →

2018 marks SCSRN’s 25th year of working alongside the people of San Ramón, Nicaragua. It is a time of reflection, celebration, and gratitude. Below is a video of our celebration in San Ramón this year. If you’ve been a part of this journey with us, or would like to know how you can become part… Read More →

As we close out our third quarter of the fiscal year, we’re feeling very proud of all that we’ve accomplished so far! Here are just a few highlights of some of the local initiatives we have funded this year: School constructions in El Horno, Sabana Grande, El Jicaro 1, and El Flores: This year we… Read More →

In January of this year, SCSRN hosted nursing and opthamology students from Durham Tech Community College for the first time. It was a wonderful experience for both them and us! Professor Stephanie Dawson, MSN, agreed to share her impressions of the trip with us. I am thrilled to have this opportunity to chronicle my week… Read More →

Here are a few images of the work we’ve been doing this year in San Ramón. Thank you to all of you who helped make dreams come true for the people of this wonderful corner of Nicaragua – either through donations, going on an ecotour, or purchasing crafts or coffee. A very happy holiday season… Read More →

When people decide to work together, things happen. A perfect example of this is the Campaign to End Teen Pregnancy in San Ramón, a collaboration between ten different organizations, including ourselves. We’re pooling our resources to confront this serious health problem in San Ramón. And when I say it’s serious, I mean serious. So far… Read More →

If you live in the U.S., you probably start cooking by turning on your gas or electric stove. For the majority of Nicaraguans, it’s not so simple. First, you have to collect firewood. If you don’t have enough on your land, you have to look elsewhere, and that can get you in big trouble (if… Read More →

On September 21st of this year, Nicaragua signed the Paris Climate Agreement. Originally, Nicaragua had abstained out of principle: poor countries like Nicaragua were being asked to shoulder the burden of lowering carbon emissions (Nicaragua produces 0.03% of global carbon emissions, while countries like the U.S. produce twenty times as much). Also, Nicaraguan negotiators felt… Read More →

In July of this year, two Chapel Hill students, Gillie Weeks and Lena Cohen, decided to take their Rural School Partnership a step further and visit their sister school, Río Negro, for a week. These amazing girls stepped out of their comfort zone and into the world of these rural Nicaraguan children. The result was… Read More →

April in Nicaragua is hot and dry.  In a blog post from October 2016 I referenced a poem by Nicaraguan poet Ernesto Cardenal called Hora Cero, in which the poet contrasts the dry and rainy seasons of Nicaragua. Here is the stanza where he describes the month of April: En abril, en Nicaragua, los campos… Read More →