In the first week of November, fifteen supporters came to Nicaragua for the biannual Friends of Fabretto trip, which gives participants the opportunity to see Fabretto’s work in person and travel through beautiful Nicaragua.

The first day provided a taste of Nicaragua’s famous lakes and volcanoes, including active Masaya Volcano and colonial city Granada, and the following day marked the beginning of the journey to six of the seven Fabretto Centers. At the Managua Centers, visitors interacted with beneficiaries through a SAT nutrition class presentation of healthy cooking, a Nica HOPE jewelry cooperative demonstration, and meeting with volunteer mothers that cook daily meals for more than 600 students at a local public school. That night, the group headed north and watched the sunset at dinner in the quaint city of Estelí.

One of the most impactful moments of the trip was the visit to trash dump community La Cruz, just outside of Estelí. Although the conditions are shocking, the group found great joy in running around and playing soccer with children who attend the primary school that Fabretto established. The group continued to move north to the three most rural Fabretto Centers, where highlights included Reading Club book dramatizations, interviews young coffee entrepreneurs and 4-H club members, and a challenging ride out to one of the most rural communities, El Naranjo, to visit a rural Fabretto preschool and see SAT students cultivating beans and corn on the side of a mountain.

With so much to take in over the course of a few days, the group found themselves sharing reflections as friends and bonding over dedication to the future of Fabretto and Nicaragua. Despite traveling all over Nicaragua in just four days, they were energized and inspired by the children, families, and teachers that they had met over the past few days. This powerful experience will not easily be forgotten and we welcome our Friends of Fabretto to return any time!

John Manley, a longtime sponsor and trip participant, reflected on his experience on the November 2013 trip:

There is much to recommend a Friends of Fabretto trip to Nicaragua. I have been on four such trips and hope to make more.  Each time I return from Nicaragua I am re-inspired by the outstanding efforts of Fabretto and the progress evident since my prior visit.  

A Friends of Fabretto trip is truly an experience that will remain with you long after the trip ends and may even be a life changing event.

Most memorable are the children you will meet: attractive, eager to learn (many walk miles to school each day over rough dirt roads), and proud to demonstrate their achievements. The opportunity to meet a child that you are sponsoring is a heartwarming experience for both the sponsor and the child. Then there is the chance to observe the dedicated Fabretto teachers in their classrooms.  Finally there is the unbelievable poverty of the families of these children; however, it has not dampened the children’s desire and enthusiasm to learn but only reinforces it.

I strongly recommend that you consider participating in a Friends of Fabretto trip to Nicaragua. I hope to meet you on one of them.

We’re already planning the next trip in February 2014, and we’d love for you to join! Visit the Events page or read the Introductory Brochure for more information; to sign up, please e-mail Ally DeCruz.