On the trail with Alpha 1

We caught up with our brave Maribios trekkers in Colonia Santa Cruz, a small village in north-west Nicaragua, as they prepared to climb Volcan Casita.

And we've got some photos of Alpha 1 for you too:

On the ground with Alpha 5

At the next stop on our Nicaraguan trip, Amy and your correspondent joined Alpha 5 on their water project in Rio Arriba, a small village near Achuapa in north-west Nicaragua.

The natural water source for the project is an hour's walk through stunning mountain scenery and on the day we visited the team were laying the first pipes to carry the fresh water down to the village with the help of their local foreman, Chico. The source will provide 60 litres of water every minute, which I'm reliably informed is a huge amount for a natural spring.

A small holding tank was dug around the spring and filled with rocks to create a natural filter before it was covered with plastic and cement to prevent any rainwater contaminating the supply.

Alpha 5 are now cracking on with trench digging for the pipeline and each day they get closer to their goal - providing fresh water for Rio Arriba. 

The locals, who are very excited about having a reliable water supply (currently their taps often run dry), have taken our Venturers into their home and also provide a lot of manpower on the worksite.

Now some photos:

Photos from Delta 1

Delta 1 are making incredible progress with their school project in Nimari. Our Fieldbase team trekked in for a visit a couple of days ago - here are some photos: