Compas de Nicaragua (formerly Compas de La Primavera) was founded in 1993 by Ash Eames of Wentworth, NH. Compas began as an informal friendship group from central New Hampshire who traveled to Nicaragua each year to carry out a community project in La Primavera, a poor neighborhood of Managua, Nicaragua.
The trips usually took place each year in January. A few months before the trip, participants would organize events to raise funds for a community project.
Between 1993 and 1998, Compas helped build a community center in La Primavera. The center included four rooms, and was utilized as a doctor’s office and community pre-school. A tree nursery was also developed and used to re-forest the La Primavera community and other Managua neighborhoods. The center and tree nursery were run by a local group of community leaders who formed a community council.
In 1999, Michael Boudreau, a native of Littleton, NH, began living in La Primavera and working to support the projects of Compas. With Michael’s full time presence in Nicaragua and his work fundraising for the projects, the organization began to grow.
At the end of 1999, Compas ended its working relationship with the community council and began to look for ways to support the poorest residents of La Primavera. The community center continued to be run by the community council without the financial support of Compas.
In January of 2000, Compas began to support women and children in the poorest settlement of La Primavera. The settlement is located next to Lake Managua, one of the most polluted lakes in the world. There are about 75 families living in the settlement. Many households are headed by women. Families live in small, one or two room, tin houses. Most women work as street vendors in order to provide for their families. There are few education opportunities and little access to health care in the settlement. Families cannot afford to send their children to public school or pay for health care.
A women’s group was formed called, Women in Action. Activities and workshops were organized, including a soy food program, arts and crafts project, community school, and medical clinics. There was no project center, so activities and workshops were held on the dirt streets of the settlement.
In June of 2001, Compas began to rent one of the tin houses in the settlement and run programs from there. The group grew from 5 to 30 members.
In January 2003, Michael Boudreau and his Nicaraguan wife, Ana Narvaez began working full-time as Compas de Nicaragua’s Executive Director and Project Coordinator, respectively.
In October 2003, Compas was able to purchase a piece of land near the settlement. The lot had a cement wall enclosing it, but had no roof or floor. Over the next two years, Compas began to build the roof, floor, and room divisions to create a project center. The center now includes a community store, an activity room for Women in Action (WIA), a school room, and a library and computer room.
WIA organized several health, education and income generating programs from the center. The programs have succeeded in dramatically improving community health and nutrition, providing educational opportunities for adults and children, and offering sources of income for families.
WIA are currently running a gourd art cooperative, managing a backyard chicken project, coordinating a soy food program, facilitating a child sponsorship project, and running a community store. Families are succeeding in maintaining a self sufficient chicken raising program, earning extra income through gourd art sales, improving nutrition through soy food trainings, and sending their children to school through the sponsorship program.
WIA members are also being supported through the sponsorship program so that they can learn a trade or attend adult education classes. Compas has also begun a micro-lending project that gives small loans, of $100 or less, to women for their micro-businesses. All project activities are run by WIA members with supervision from Compas’ Project Coordinator, Ana Narvaez.
Since 2000, Compas has organized 5 to 7 service trips each year. Trips include groups from high schools, universities, churches, and organizations. The service trips provide opportunities for individuals to volunteer in Nicaragua and to experience life the way the extremely poor experience it. Participants live with host families, actively participate by working side by side WIA on projects, meet with various organizations, visit places of interest, learn about the culture and history, and also experience the natural beauty of Nicaragua.
All service trips are led by Compas’ Executive Director, Michael Boudreau and Project Coordinator, Ana Narvaez. T rips usually take place during the following months: January, February, March, April, May, and August.
In the Fall of 2004, Compas organized a dance tour that brought 5 WIA members to New England to carry out traditional dances and promote projects.
In June 2005, Compas purchased a house in La Primavera to be used as a visitor center. The visitor center includes 4 guest rooms, kitchen and dining area, a project office, and garage. Compas has recently purchased a 14 passenger van for use with visiting service trips.
In the Fall of 2008, Compas organized its second WIA dance tour. The tour brought 4 WIA members to the US. The group visited Arizona, Washington, DC, Virginia, Maryland, and New England. They performed at over 20 communities.