Nicaragua: Never let you down

A true test of the sustainability of my project was presented during my recent absence. October is the month of student business plan competitions here, which involve a considerable amount of organization. Some communities rely on their Peace Corps volunteer to do most of the work in securing a location, sound system, projector, judges, prizes, etc. It can be a stressful process, as I experienced last year in my attempt to pull off the perfect municipal and departmental competitions in my site. This year my approach was a bit different, partially by choice and partially by force.

I arrived back to my site to find that the majority of the plans for the first round of competitions had already been arranged. Participating student groups had been selected, a location for the event was determined, judges had been contacted, and other details planned. Good, I thought, this is a sign that the event has potential to continue after my service has ended and there is no longer a volunteer here. In other words, the process is not dependent on my presence. I was not necessarily in favor of all of the decisions that had been made by the organizing committee; however, I told myself to let go of control to see how my community counterparts would pull off the event.

Arriving to the chosen destination was somewhat of a logistical nightmare, as 80% of the participants had to arrange a way to travel an hour and a half by private vehicle on a muddy, torn up road to a rural town in the municipality. In a combination of one bus and three trucks, close to 50 students and their teachers made the adventurous trip. Students piled into the backs of pickup trucks, and despite riding under the pouring rain for the majority of the ride, everyone arrived in good spirits. My counterparts were ambitious in this endeavor, and I was pleasantly surprised in a well-executed event. It all came together...somehow. 

"Welcome to the 4th Annual Entrepreneurship Fair. Innovation is what distinguishes a true leader from everyone else."

Each student group had 7 minutes to present their business plan to the judges, and then 3 minutes to answer questions. They discussed the origin of their product idea, the raw material they use to make it, their potential consumers, results from their market study, financial status, and marketing plan. This year the products that were presented included paint, an orange-carrot drink, a pineapple drink, salsa, tostones (fried plantains), chile (a spicy condiment), chocolate, a drink powder made with cocoa seeds, and a hair treatment product made with aloe. The idea is that the students use local resources to make a creative and feasible product which could generate income for their business. 

Cocoa seeds, ayote seeds, and dried banana ground together in a powder form. Makes a tasty drink when mixed with milk!

2nd place at the municipal competition

Hair treatment made with an aloe base. 

Salsa...a red kind and a green kind.

Pineapple drinks.

Chocolates made with cocoa and coconut. The winning product of the municipal fair. Watch out, Snickers.

Lined up for the awards ceremony

1st place winners at the municipal level

We still have the departmental round to tackle. That will happen at the end of October, and during that event we will select the team which will represent our department at the national level in November. In the meantime I will be helping students to revise their business plans and assisting in the organization process for the next levels. We shall keep moving forward.