Lifting up through learning

Following the annual plans and objectives of Wisconsin/Nicaragua Partners, at the service of the Nicaraguan population, we recently set out to visit and offer workshops in Bilwi Puerto Cabeza in the Autonomous Region of the North Caribbean Coast and the Ocotal Municipality of the Nueva Segovia Department in the Northern Region of our country.  Both trips started with departures at 4:00 am, traveling many hours to reach the destinations to offer workshops: Cooking, Pastry, Sewing, Jewelry and Ribbon Embroidery.  At the core of our Nicaraguan team is enthusiasm and dedication.  We are ready and willing to share what we have learned and experienced over the years being involved with Wis/Nic Partners, driven by the desire to serve and the desire to learn.  As we travel to new areas, we enjoy learning more about our national geography, the customs, traditions and its beautiful landscapes.   

Our volunteer driver happens to also be a Chef by profession, so at the request of the group of enterprising women (and men) interested in acquiring new knowledge and qualifying what they already possess, he developed new recipes to share for the cooking class: Chicken in jalapeño sauce, Fish Cutlets Fingers, Lobster with Garlic and Barbecue Pork Rib. 

The Pastry Class participants (women and men) learned about the methodology, materials and procedures, acquiring the basic knowledge of pastry (preparation and decoration of cakes). On this occasion they requested to learn something new and innovative that would allow them to improve their entrepreneurship and increase profits and facilitate the maintenance of their homes.

In addition to working in the Pastry Shop, our volunteer teacher María also works in the crafts area, so she shared the methodology, materials and procedures to learn how to make the materials that would be used in the Jewelry Class. In the same way that they became interested in the Pastry themes, they did so with the Jewelry Theme because it was something new, unknown and very novel for them to work with homemade porcelain clay, earrings made by hand and with molds.

It was very satisfying to be able to fulfill the request that they repeatedly made to teach sewing classes, specifically: Cutting and Making of Pants for men.

I had the pleasure and satisfaction of sharing with an excellent and interested group of women and men the sewing classes in which on the first day they learned all the theory about the methodology, materials and procedures to learn how to take measurements, design and cut patterns to make men's pants; On the second day they applied the theory when cutting and assembling the piece of men's pants.

There was so much interest and motivation among the participants that, surprisingly, each of them learned how to design and make men's pants in a workshop as elegant as this one.

We believe that our Wisconsin/Nicaragua Organization is reaching the Heart of our Nicaraguan people and satisfying their needs by bringing to every corner of the country what they need in knowledge, means and materials to learn, undertake and excel to improve the living conditions of their people families.  Thank you for your support to continue offering learning opportunities.