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MPI's first international site in Managua, Nicaragua began operating in August of 2004. The first "Team Nica"
consisted of eleven recent college graduates who cultivated community
relationships, implemented a variety of program initiatives, and
developed local leadership. Since then, three additional teams have continued to develop the programs, build relationships, and foster leadership among local community members.
MPI Communities in Focus
Cedro Galan and Chiquilistagua are neighboring communities just outside of the southwestern city limits of Managua, Nicaragua on the Carretera Vieja a León (Old Highway to Leon). Because of their proximity to both the modern metropolis and the rural agrarian landscape, the two neighborhoods exhibit an interesting juxtaposition of the contemporary and the traditional. Read more.
Otherwise known as Managua's city dump, La Chureca is one of the country's most desperate communities. Working together with La Chureca's local health clinic, Manna Project sponsors many of the neediest children in the area and is also helping to build the community's trust in their local healthcare professionals. Read more.
About Nicaragua
The people of Nicaragua have faced a trying history, with struggles that have undeniably contributed to their difficulty in climbing out of poverty, never fully recovering from the economic damage dealt them by the political instability of the 1970s and Hurricane Mitch in 1998. The resulting social constructs present the Nicaraguan people with many additional challenges related to this poverty.
The government does not enforce school attendance, and education is not a priority for many parents-71% of the population never finish primary school. While public school tuition is free, there are many children in our surrounding neighborhoods that do not go because they simply cannot afford the start up costs of uniforms and supplies. This inactivity, coupled with difficult living conditions, often leads to further troubles.
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