Búfalos
Los Pequeños Búfalos de El Sauce
We are 30 boys and girls from the poorest barrios of El Sauce, Nicaragua. We are from families who have received houses from the 4Walls Project. We want to see lasting change in our families and in our community. We are learning to grow and work together to make that happen. We want to be catalysts and role models for others in our pueblo.
Our Name means “the little buffalos of El Sauce.” We like the image of the buffalo because it represents our strength and energy. In addition, many of our benefactors are from in and around Buffalo, New York. We partner with DIDES (Asociacion Dimensiones de Desarrollo or Dimensions of Development). DIDES is an NGO that was chartered in Nicaragua in 2011 to work on local development. DIDES leads our efforts. We meet every Saturday morning in the DIDES office to review our projects and plan our next steps.
Our Accomplishments:
- Backyard agriculture. Our first endeavor was The Pig Project (see JOS Completed Projects). We continue to work at improving the health and livelihoods of our families with better nutrition, especially fruits and vegetables that are so well suited to the Nicaraguan sun.
- Dengue education and prevention. In October 2013, during our rainiest month, our Nicaraguan government declared a “red alert” for dengue fever. We went door to door in our neighborhoods, pointing out potential breeding places for mosquitos, and explaining to people the risks and preventions of Dengue fever.
- Los Peroles cleanup. See the video of our environmental cleanup project that took place in April, 2014.
- Pulsera business. We are in the business of making pulseras (bracelets). Being in the business means not just making the bracelets, but establishing quality standards, controlling costs, and investing for the long term.
- Fogones mejorados (improved stoves). In the poorest households of our pueblo, people still cook on open fires. There is no ventilation. Respiratory disease is rampant. We know how to build stoves with chimneys. They cost $50. They save lungs. They also save firewood. Our stoves reduce firewood consumption by more than half.
- Soccer. We love football. We play all the time. Our hope is to form a team that can compete with teams from other cities in Nicaragua.
- Computers. We have learned a little about how to use them. We are hungry to learn more.
- English. When there are people in town from the United States, we do everything wean to learn English from them.
Our Wish List:
- Send us your old laptop
- Sponsor an environmental project
- Provide soccer equipment — new or used
- Come and visit us in El Sauce. Share your knowledge. Teach us a skill.
- Buy our bracelets
- Ca$h for $eeds, $oil improvement, plant$, improved $toves
- Our needs are many. Our list is long
To Contribute:
Click here and follow the options. Please note Bufalitos when making a contribution. A contribution as small as 10 dollars goes far in our community. We have no overhead — 100% of your money goes directly to our projects.
For Additional Information:
Colleen Dunham
[email protected]