Nicaraguan family and friends

Vinnie, Arlene and Eveline with their Nicaraguan family

You'll have seen from the blog so far that each of our Community projects, in La Arenilla and Los Loros, provide a unique experience for venturers.  Whilst we are there we join our communities wholeheartedly; be that at work, at home or at play. 

Andrea makes breakfast

Venturers have relished the chance to be shown how to make tortillas, milk cows and feed chickens.  Our groups have loved the chance to spend time in the classroom teaching english classes (heads, shoulders knees and toes anyone?).

Anna, Alex, Jose and Sarah - heads, shoulders, knees and toes!

The language of sport is of course universal with football and baseball providing great opportunities for everyone to join together and get to know each other on the field.  Card games, Ninja and clapping games are other ways to break down barriers.

Aishath and Floor make a new friend

And of course we work alongside members of the community to provide the water supply or houses.  The families that will benefit from the projects are fully involved very step of the way, from planning and labouring through to creating the structures that will maintain the facilities once Raleigh has moved on to other communities nearby.  They are literally side by side with us as we dig, pick axe and build.

Ben working with the people who will live in the house we are buiding

Time and time again venturers come back from this phase saying that the best thing was the time spent with their families, the characters that they met along the way and the appreciation of the community for the work that Raleigh has done.

X-Ray 5 with the whole community

Zulu 4 say hola!

Digging those trenches... Zulu 4

Here in Los Loros we're all living with our new Nicaraguan families.  For example I have 3 new brothers and 2 new sisters.  My dad is Gonzalo who is a big man who gives big hugs to the whole the family, and that now includes me.  After a hard days work we play games together in the evening and their favourite is definitely Ninja.  I took so many photographs of my brothers and sisters on the first night (they loved seeing themselves) that I ran out of camera battery straight away.  But it was definitely worth it.  My only problem here is that I want to learn more Spanish so that I can really talk with them, so I'm borrowing a phrase book tonight.

Zulu 4 showing us the Raleigh chain in action

The first two phases of Expedition 12L did a great job in building the water tank and bringing water down from the water source to the village.  Our last phase of the project here in Los Loros is to build more trenches so that we can connect the last few houses and a church to the gravity feed water system.  One of the last ones to get water will be my family's home. At the moment they have a long walk to collect water so I know that it will make a big difference to their lives.  We work together as a team, meeting at Ben and Diego´s house every morning to collect our tools - and use the tried and tested Raleigh chain to get the spades and pick axes up to the work site.

Matt is digging this trench building

We have 900m to dig but the thought of how my family's life will improve certainly makes the work easier to enjoy.  We´re probably about a third of the way through now, but we´re all determined to get it finished before we leave.

Suwen and Puck put their backs into it

by Suwen,  Project Comms Officer

Which Zulu are you?

And all too soon we have reached the final phase of the 12L expedition.  We've gone from Alpha to Zulu and these are the new group allocations.  Deployment was bright and early on Friday morning with everyone now on their way.

Remember to quote the Zulu name in any messages that you send in via the blog, even though they aren't published on the website we do make sure that they are given to your nearest and dearest as soon as we can.


Zulu 1 - Coast to Coast Trek, Costa Rica
Claudia Fiedler, Claire Skelton, Sarah Crawford,
Henry Anderson, Ziggy Parris, Angel Mejia, Paul Darius, Ben Byers, Mela Piedra, Lilian Keller, Patrice Hollywood, Bo Brand, Eveline Kroese

Zulu 1 - Coast to coast

Zulu 2 - Miratombo Trek, Nicaragua
Sarah Flynn, Jim Howard, Barney Harker
Alex Robertson, Hidde Van Lent, Callum Blues, Jose Quesada, Hester van Marwijk Kooy, Jakeling Escoto Rivera, Frankie Owusu-Brobbey, Yorleny Bermudez, Andrea Grundke, Vinnie Moriarty Barron

Zulu 2 - Miratombo Trek

Zulu 3 - Environmental, starting in Carara National Park, Costa Rica
Jae Quiros, Vic Lapsins
Jonas Koch, Luke Waldock, Jonathan Corrales, Pedro Ocon, Archie Finlayson, Anika Kandola, Anna McManus, Arlene Rodriguez, Sophie LaMarre

Zulu 3 - Environmental

Zulu 4 - Los Loros Water project, Nicaragua
Florian Cross, Charlie Cox, Karen Malone
Marco Mora Jimenez, Diego Molina, Matt Whiteside, Ben Hilton-Delhaye, Omar Ochoa, Carlyn Brown, Puck Van der Vet, Suwen James, Shannon Potter, Claudia Audlie

Zulu 4 - Los Loros

Zulu 5 - Miraflor House building project, Nicaragua
Natalie Metcalfe, Pauline Wright, Nicole Ferris
Ben Persofsky, Jack Moxham, Louis Tindall, Harley Decker, Dave Rosen, Gustavo Granados, Floor van Selms, Vera Juarez, Tiggy Taliadoros, Vic McIrvine, Aishath Green

Zulu 5 - Miraflor

X-ray 4 (and a rooster) say hello from Los Loros

X-ray 4 - full of beans!

We are waking up bright and early every day to mornings that are consistently sunny and hot - we are now in the super hot, dry season.  This ensures that the work is adequately sweaty but we are treated to the cool northern breeze that is a feature of the Nicaraguan highlands.

View from the worksite, Los Loros

Having spent a phase and a half digging a 1km trench, we have now started to fill it in again.  Thankfully we did remember to lay water pipes in the bottom first.  The water tank has been installed and is up and running.  It may be made of breeze blocks but we think it is a thing of beauty, it is after all the essential component in bringing water to our community of Los Loros.

Florian after a hard day's work, waiting for some beans

We are having a lovely time with the community who endlessly show us their appreciation.  This is done most obviously by keeping our stomachs full to the brim.  We are literally and metaphorically full of beans!

by Florian, Project Comms officer

Introducing the new X-Ray groups

So everyone is on their way for Phase 2!

Even though early mornings are becoming quite routine now, 3.30am is still quite brutal especially after the Halloween party the night before.  No complaints from the new X-Ray groups though.  Everyone made their packed lunches, ate breakfast, stuffed their rucksacks and loaded the buses ready for a prompt(ish) departure.

So the X-Ray groups are as follows:

X-Ray 1 - Miratombo Trek (Nicaragua)
David M, Vic L, Charlie
Marco, Gustavo, Louis, Luke, Jonas, Matt Whiteside, Carlyn, Anika, Anna, Tiggy, Victoria M

X-Ray 2 - Environmental (starting with Playa Hermosa)
Claudia F, Jim, Nicole
Diego, Ben A, Jack, Harley, Ben H-D, Ben P, Jacklyn, Mela, Suwen, Puck, Aisheth, Hester

X-Ray 3 - Environmental (starting with Carara)
Pauline, Martina, Sarah F/Natalie
Matt Wilkinson, Jose, Omar, Claudia A, Floor, Dave R, Vera, Lilian, Shannon, Nick, Alex

X-Ray 4 - Los Loros water gravity project (Nicaragua)
Florian, Claire S, David A
Pedro, Hidde, Callum, Ziggy, Archie, Henry, Yorleny, Laura, Frankie, Lydia, Patrice, Andrea

X-Ray 5 - Miraflor house building project (Nicaragua)
Sarah C, Jae, Katie
Jonathan, Angel, Rory, Paul, Ben B, Max, Arlenne, Bodyl, Vinnie, Eveline, Sophie

If you could mark your blog messages with these X-ray groups it will help us get each one straight to your loved ones.  (Even though messages aren't being published on the blog at the moment we still print them all out and get them out to venturers just as soon as we can - so keep up the words of encouragement, they mean a lot.)

And speaking of the Halloween party here's a picture of Barney to put you off your breakfast...

Pretty in pink?

A woman's work...Alpha 5

In Los Loros tasks are clearly divided between the men and the women.  This is what Jonas and I found out when he was making a tortilla and I was watching him from a hammock.  Our dad explained this wasn't the way to go and took Jonas with him to show him his horse, pigs and chickens.  Now me and my mum have the whole kitchen for ourselves - lucky us!

Hester turns her hand to "man's work"

While the men are machete-ing their way through sesame seed fields and helping us dig the trenches (way better and faster than we can), the women are busy making tortillas, milking cows and washing Raleigh shirts (hell yeah, my mum does my laundry!)

Jonas, master of all he surveys

One thing is for sure, they treat you as their family, or even better.  We get huge meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner, loads of rice pudding and bananas all day long.  And last but certainly not least: the coffee!!  I didn't like the coffee at all before I came here, but now I can't get enough (I guess the loads of sugar they put in also helps).

Hester, Jonas and their new Nicaraguan family

But the full family treatment doesn't end with feeding and digging trenches.  Yesterday I had a manicure with my mum and cousin - my nails have never looked as bad as they do now but I love them!  We taught our little brothers to play cards and as we learn more and more Spanish we try to teach them some English.  As soon as we take out our head torches (at 17.30 it's pitch black out here), pen and paper the whole family gathers around just watching us write the alphabet and some easy English phrases.  My mum is the only one who can read and write but everyone is extremely interested (while I'm writing now there are three heads watching me) - it's a lovely feeling.

 from Hester, Project Comms Officer

The aliens have landed...Alpha 5

The aliens have landed!  Bleary eyed by our rocky road trip we arrive at the peaceful village of Los Loros.  With our green t-shirts, tool box and strange pills for our water.

Raleigh has journeyed for over two days to help locate, plan and build a gravity water feed to the rural  village of Los Loros.  Alongside Raleigh volunteers, the Achuapa Co-operative group will supply clean water to over ten households and one school.  The remote village of Los Loros is surrounded by beautiful Nicaraguan mountains 50 metres above sea level.

Hi Ho, Hi Ho, it's off to work they go

The water source is a further 70 metres above.  The local village men, Co-operative group and Raleigh volunteers from all corners of the world will plan and dig trenches through varying mountain terrain to bring fresh clean mountain water to within walking distance of the houses of Los Loros.

We greet the locals who have been awaiting our arrival.  It's just before dusk and outside the home of Maria Jesus we are introduced to our respective families who greet us with a big hug and a beautiful song that references our individual homes.

"Welcome England, welcome Holland, welcome Germany, Welcome Costa Rica, Welcome Portugal.  

Los Loros welcomes you as our children." 

Work mates - Alex and the Captain

We disperse into our houses and gobble a feast of rice, beans and plantain.  No need for an alarm clock here, we rise to the sound of a singing rooster and begin our plans.  My new mother shows us pictures of her 12 brothers and sisters and we are keen to learn of her family.

Anika, Mela and their new Nicaraguan family

My mum's name is Bertalina and my dad is Miguel, who tells me it was love at first sight when he saw Berta washing in a stream many years ago.   The following morning armed with a bowl, Berta takes me to a stream a few metres below our house where I wash whilst listening to the peaceful movement of water where previously I could only hear my ipod.  I walk back from the stream greeted by a roaring pig.

The community here in Los Loros has welcomed us with open arms, which has made the experience much easier and exciting to experience.  And this is only the beginning of phase 1...

Anika and Anna radio in the news

 Project Comms Officer, Anika

Alpha 5 - singing in the rain

Alpha 5 versus Los Loros

     Alpha 5 are in Los Loros, a small community near to Achuapa, 50 miles from the Pacific coast, working on a project to develop a gravity-feed water system to provide the community with clean and safe drinking water. This is a much welcomed project for the locals who often have to walk large distances to collect water and are forced sometimes to collect water from polluted streams as there simply isn't enough supply to go around. 

     Alpha 5 have been busy with the community to help find the water source, dam the spring by collecting the water in a cement tank, digging trenches and laying pipes to help supply all the local houses. 

     All the venturers live and work with the local families and join in with the cooking, chores and sometimes helping out on the farms. Alex the designated leader of the day  told me " a few of us have have tried our hand at cow milking without much success and have decided not to give up the day job and stick to trench digging!" They have also been receiving Spanish lessons and have returned the favour by teaching English at the local school.

      When I asked how the project was going today Alex told me "we are currently waiting for cement to be delivered (probably a case of mañana, which means tomorrow or rather not today  "and have therefore arranged a base ball match against the locals. We are expecting to get a hiding but will let you know the score tomorrow evening." 

     Any one like to take bets?????