Hi everyone My name is Drew Boland and I am a first year student in UCD. I have been selected to travel with UCD Volunteers Overseas to Nicaragua this summer to undertake construction and educational projects. Nicaragua is located in Central America and is the second poorest country in Latin America after Haiti. Respiratory disease and malnutrition affects a huge number of the population, with deaths from HIV and AIDS on the rise. UCDVO has been positively impacting the local community in Nicaragua since 2007. With the help of Irish Aid, UCDVO have built two Health Centres in Santa Isabel and El Kairo. Facilities such as dormitories and drip irrigation systems were constructed at an agricultural training centre while working closely with the local charities Instituto de Promocion Humana (INPRHU) and Movimiento Comunal Nicaraguanese (MCN). In collaboration with the local community, the educational programme has successfully taught 40 children in Las Palmiras primary school in a country where 1 out of 10 Nicaraguans cannot read or write and only 29% of children complete primary school. This year we will spend 4 weeks on a construction project in a local agricultural college. Nicaragua’s economy is predominantly agricultural with coffee being the main export. The €2600 we are required to raise will be used to purchase and transport construction materials (approx.€1200) and will also go towards my training, flights and insurance (approx. €1400). Excess funds if generated will be used solely on the projects detailed above.If you have any questions at all don’t hesitate to contact me, my email is [email protected] or you can have a look at this page : www.ucdvo.org/projectsoverseas/nicaragua/ . While I hope to hold fundraising events in the new year, any donations at all would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance for your generosity. Drew

Voluntary organisation for UCD students, staff and graduates to engage in volunteering and global citizenship education programmes.

• €15
  Caoimhe Dwan

• €30
  Keith Mulqueen

• €10
  David Nevin