LUNA Backpackers Hostel

NEW PROJECTS

Luz Verde is our active social project office. We work facilitating and consulting with local communities and individuals in the Esteli and Miraflor region.

Red de Jovenes, Miraflor 

Currently we are co-facilitating a locally inspired vision to  develop a Youth network "Red de Jovenes" for all the youth across Miraflor. The vision is to see model projects and farms run by, used by and developed by the dynamic young people across the protected area of Miraflor.

This includes youth training & empowerment, social development, community development, educational opportunites, leadership development, horticulture, tourism and hospitatility, life-skills development, arts and culture, food security, micro-financing, earth stewardship and economic growth.

Collaboration and support of existing rural development groups and structures will ensure sustainability.

We are looking for financial support in the earlier stages. Please contact us for advice and your support regarding this dynamic project

Library & mobile library project/Bibilioteca Movil

A new initiative, looking for funding opportunities to provide the opportunity to lend books to rural communities in Miraflor and communities to the south of Esteli.

Already with a generous donation of 200 Spanish books, we plan to extend our library.

Transport, expense funding,  personnel and more books are needed to start this exciting and much needed facility. Contact Us!

Kitchen Gardens, organic and sustainable / 'HUERTOS'

WIth the cooperation of friends in Ireland, we are initiating a new self-sustainable, non-profit project with small kitchen gardens in poorer rural communities.

This will provide Cafe Luz with organic vegetables, and provide a whole lot more for the small producers. A seed bank, technical training, culinary workshops to improve nutritional options, food security, greater diversity in times of climatic changes, and life-development skills along with economic opportunities for new entrepeneurs. 

Volunteers and organic gardeners are welcome to contact us with advice, support and asking for volunteer options.

We accept donations to help develop any of these programmes.

Primary School project, El Sontule, Miraflor.

We continue to work in the "Vicente Talavera" primary School of El Sontule, Miraflor, Esteli. Our continued work over 5 years with the Miraflor Foundation and further collaborations has seen the rebuilding and partial re-construction of the poorest community school across all of Miraflor.

 Further help is still needed for furniture for the children, a playground, books, and writing and play materials, which are non-exsistent, plus reforestation & garden project for the school grounds.      www.miraflor-foundation.org

Volunteers Needed: Environmental educators, fluent in Spanish, are needed to help develop community awareness and to teach the local educators, all as requested by the community of El Sontule.

Contact us for volunteer opportunites

We are continually updating this page. Please stay in touch.

If you need to contact us about our projects then please email us

info@cafeluzyluna.com

LOOKING FOR VOLUNTEERS 2010, minimum 3 month stay.

Volunteers needed for project work, from May to August, based in Esteli but working with rural communities. Intermediate Spanish a minimum requirement, working on own initiative, with grass roots development projects. Guidance given.

To work in Miraflor, or other communities to teach English. All volunteers need to provide their own funding to cover room, board and travel.

From May 2010 English and Spanish speaking volunteer/s required to help host tourist information office at Hospedaje Luna. 3-4 months and varied project administration.

If seriously interested, you have funds and can speak intermediate Spanish, then please contact 'Juanita' on our contact page. Give as much relevant information as possible.

IMPORTANT NOTE FOR ALL VOLUNTEERS

We should emphasise that here, especially in northern Nicaragua, we are seeking volunteers who are financially independent or those who have raised other funds to sponsor their work, stay and food while offering to "volunteer" in Nicaragua.

Unfortunately for the worsening economic situation in this country, and for Cafe Luz y Luna, including Luz Verde, we are in no position financially to be offering beds/food or otherwise to "volunteers". Ethically, we would rather pay local Nicaraguans who are in greater need for the employment and opportunity than foreign travellers who are running out of money, sorry!

Therefore when applying for interest this will be the case for all volunteers across the region, and if you do not agree ethically, perhaps you should rethink your motives or learn a little more about Nicaragua first!