A tale of empowerment, social change, simplicity, and the concept of time.

Some tunes while you read:

This past week, I had the opportunity to travel to Masatepe, Nicaragua with Illinois Enactus. Our team of six left for the trip not quite knowing what to except. Six days later, we returned–not quite knowing how to express the power of all that had happened and the depth at which our trip had impacted us.

Nicaragua is a beautiful country filled with volcanoes, lakes, lagoons, and vast spans of countryside. Its towns are colorful and full of life, crowded with Nicaraguans selling homegrown goods, socializing, or simply sitting and enjoying their days.

Despite this liveliness, Nicaragua faces a set of problems both unique and detrimental to its growth as a country. Nicaragua is the second poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, only second to Haiti. Nicaragua’s government is immensely corrupt, with the Sandanista National Libteration Front, a democratic socialist party, at the reigns of its problems. Despite various overthrows, this party has continued to maneuver its way back to power, ever since 1979. Bribery within the government and the economy creates obstacles for all business-owners and residents trying to increase their standard of living, where currently the average Nicaraguan earns about $3 per day.

On our trip, we learned that this translates directly into their way of life. Hannah, one of our hosts, explained to us that Nicaraguans live for the single day. They purchase groceries, supplies, and other items based on what they will need for that day, and nothing more–when the next day begins, they repeat the process. This “live for the day” mentality corresponds with how Nicaraguans choose to spend their time: in the moment. Work often gets done at a much slower pace because more emphasis is placed this. Relationships are prioritized, and villages morph into tight-knit communities.

We spent our entire trip with Hannah and Brandon, our project partners in Masatepe. Hannah and Brandon are in Nicaragua on behalf of International Teams, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving lives in communities abroad. Hannah and Brandon first traveled to Nicaragua on a mission trip with International Teams six years ago. After they’d been on four mission trips to Nicaragua alone, they realized that only so much impact can made on a short-term trip. So they packed up their bags, sold most of what they owned, and made the permanent move to a life in Nicaragua.

Three years later, they are completely integrated into and are integral members of the community of Masatepe. They devote their lives to this community’s projects. Their first big project was launching Beto’s Bistro, a coffee shop.

Beto’s started as a way to provide Masatepe with a safe place to hang out and have easy access to internet (a rare find in this town). Since its beginnings, Beto’s has morphed into one of Masatepe’s centerpieces. Beto’s employs 18 Nicaraguans as baristas and craftsmen that keep the coffee shop running. All of the money Brandon and Hannah have put into Beto’s goes directly back into the community of Masatepe.

After the coffee shop, Hannah and Brandon turned to their next project (which is where we come in): a chamber of commerce. Illinois Enactus developed a relationship with Brandon and Hannah last year and was presented with their mission to open a chamber of commerce in Masatepe. Throughout this past year, Enactus has helped research and decide whether or not this project was feasible. One year later, with our eyes wide open at the Masatepe Chamber of Commerce, we realized that it was feasible after all.

This chamber will provide local businesses with opportunities to form a community, learn from each other, and grow. Whenever problems arrise, the chamber will serve as the middleman between the corrupt government and these businesses. The chamber will provide jobs and facilitate growth for all businesses in Masatepe, from the owner of the large shoe store to the woman who sells cheese at her market every morning.

After spending a few days getting the building ready, Brandon invited ten Masatepe business owners to the Chamber’s opening ceremony. Our team and Brandon’s team presented, pitching the value of this chamber to these business owners. We wanted to show them how it could help their businesses grow, and how it could shape the future of Masatepe. At the end of the presentations, we offered them the opportunity to pay a one-time fee and monthly stipend to become the founders of the chamber. When we asked who was in, the entire room shot up their hands.

We felt empowered to witness it–the launch of a chamber that could revolutionize this community. A year from now, the chamber may have 100 members. In two years, maybe 500. History happened, and we were there to see it.

It’s rare to find yourself in an environment where competition doesn’t cross your mind–in a community where collusion comes first. What we found in Nicaragua was a group of people from different backgrounds, coming together with open hearts to help each other and help their greater community. This was something truly special and unlike anything I’ve ever experienced abroad, and for that I am incredibly grateful.

It was a pleasure spending time in a place so raw, where life is so different from what you know, yet so simple. There are few places like this left in the world, and Nicaragua is one of them.

Thank you to Beto’s, Brandon, and Hannah for being such gracious and wonderful hosts–I hope to return to Nicaragua again someday.

Stay tuned for the next adventure, beginning in the end of December…high in the mountains of Nepal.