It was about time......Working with the kids to protect our environment

In Nicaragua as a whole, there is worryingly little concern about protection for our planet.  Rubbish is happily chucked onto the streets, and it is equally common to see people burning their plastics and garbage.   There is not one single recycling plant in the country. 

For the kids we care for, environmental care is also a fairly abstract concept, and on the whole one of little concern.

It is bearing this in mind that at Casa Alianza Nicaragua we have decided it is time to turn the tables around, and we are now doing what we can to make sure all the kids we care for and support are fully aware of the dangers of global warming, and aware of what they can do to protect the environment.    

In light of this, I thought I would share a few things happening at Casa Alianza to carry this out:  


We are currently working with the British Embassy in San Jose, and the British Ambassador to Nicaragua, who have prepared a quite brilliant animated film called Odyssey 2050.  The film is set in the future, and concerns the destruction being done to the planet.  After the film, the kids contribute to the development of the film by putting forward their own ideas through group discussions, art work, poetry and other forms of expression.  It is proving to be a great way to get kids involved in environmental protection.

We are also working with environmental students at the University of Central America to train members of staff and kids on what we all need to be doing to protect the environment. 

We are trying to get as many kids involved as possible in recycling projects, including making floral decorations out of old bottles, or earrings out of used drinks can.

We are also planting our own crops in the green space avaliable at our main residential center. 

It is a work in progress, and one that in reality we are only just starting, but I am delighted we are doing it.

As I said at the beginning, for the kids we work with, caring for our environment is largely a foreign concept.  We now hope to show to kids that by caring for our planet they are not only engaging in very important and necessary work, they are also gaining new skills and abilities, which is essential in their recovery process.   As such, we have a double aim, one to make sure we are doing what we can to be environmentally sustainably, and secondly, in doing so, our kids learn that through doing this, they themselves are stronger and more sustainable individuals.

As the program moves forward, I will try and update the topic from time to time.