Statement of Need and Opportunity for a Community Development Center in La Calle Real, Nicaragua

This building will create both a commerce and educational center that is sorely needed in this impoverished community. We hope to have the building completed and operational with training programs in place before the end of 2016. The programs and projects offered by the center will enhance a more economically viable community.

There are several factors for the poor economic situation in La Calle Real. This impoverished rural area has a very high level of unemployment, with money streaming out of the village for purchases of food, clothing, school, supplies, and other services. Also there is a limited amount of commerce that promotes business in the community. There are neither facilities nor opportunities available for community members to learn skills to become economically independent.

The center will be located on the main highway between two major cities giving the community an economic opportunity to attract business from travelers and tourists. Tourism in Nicaragua contributes approximately $500,000,000 annually to the economy, and accounts for one of the largest income sources for the country.

Equally important will be the education and training that will be offered at the community center. Courses offered in at the center will feature skills that will help people transition towards economic independence. With the proper entrepreneurial skill sets, there is a higher probability that an improved quality of life will follow.

Hope and opportunity are scarce in La Calle Real, Nicaragua. Most families do not have running water, refrigeration, washing machines, and exist on meager meals consisting of rice and beans cooked over a wood fire. As remote and out of contact one might imagine, LCR parents still want their children to be healthy and have economic opportunities that will lift them out of poverty. As we meet with families they always express their heartfelt concern for their children’s future. Their concerns range from clean drinking water to educational and job training opportunities. It is WCRF’s goal to help them to help themselves to a fuller life, with an abundance of hope and opportunity.