Bridges to Community Canada (BTCC) is an organization that is focused on improving the lives of Nicaraguans in a sustainable and long-lasting way. We have a special focus on the farming communities in the department of Jinotega in the north of Nicaragua. These communities were deeply impacted by years of warfare throughout the 1970s and 1980s, leaving nearly 60% of the region’s population living in extreme poverty. Within this region, BTCC works closely with community leaders to help mitigate poverty in four distinct but overlapping program areas: HOUSING, WATER & SANITATION, EDUCATION, and ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.

The moment you arrive at your job site you immediately realize that you will make a difference in the family’s life. The family will show you their existing house and living conditions. Despite all the photos you might have seen, when you experience these conditions firsthand it can be overwhelming. The abject poverty is shocking!  The homes have dirt floors and chimneyless wood fired cooking that results in the inherent smoke inside the dwelling. Combined with the lack of basic necessities such as beds and furniture gives you a sense of how desperate the situation is. Yet, despite these conditions the families you will meet are happy to see you and welcome you into their homes. They know from seeing the impact Bridges has had on their neighbours that they too will soon be living in a home with tiled floors and a proper roof to keep the rain and mud out. They know that soon their children will be in a much safer environment and that their lives will be enhanced by your presence. In four short days you will create memories that you will cherish for the rest of your life.

Each day you take a drink of water from a tap or flush a toilet you take for granted  basic amenities that many in the world do not have. Arriving in rural Nicaragua you will see people washing their clothes in each river that you pass. You will notice when you visit a home that an outhouse is as good as it gets for a bathroom. And inside the house you will notice the black soot covered walls caused by open fire cooking in an enclosed space. You soon realize that your role in constructing a bio digester will make a significant difference in both sanitation and in the health of the family.

The bio digester is a flush toilet constructed outside of the home that not only makes the human waste sanitary, it has other incredible benefits as well. Because of the climate in Nicaragua the waste that the families create can be turned into methane gas and organic materials. Once the bio digester is constructed Bridges installs a gas burner in the home. The gas produced from the waste is used for cooking, replacing the need to burn wood. It is clean, odourless and is produced naturally. The solid waste is also odourless and can easily be disposed of, or used as organic fertilizer. Better sanitation and no breathing in of smoke from within the home makes an immediate difference in the health of the family.