Service Trip Casa Alianza

Latin America Service Trip to , Nicaragua August 1 - 4, 2018

We are thrilled to have the opportunity to have you visit our Casas in Latin America and believe this will be an inspiring experience. The following are further details on the trip to help you plan for your stay. Feel free to contact us with any questions, comments, or concerns. Thanks!

Donation

We ask that all participants commit to a personal contribution of $3,000, or create a fundraising campaign (platform provided by Covenant House) for $3,000 to support our life changing work in , Nicaragua, and .

Travel and Transportation

Each service trip member will be responsible to book and pay for their own plane tickets.

Please plan to arrive in Managua, Nicaragua on Wednesday August 1st and to depart on Saturday August 4th. The delegation will take place all day August 2nd and 3rd. We will take care of all the arrangements such as ground transportation, agendas, and hotel reservations.

We ask that you please email a copy of your flight itinerary to [email protected]. We will be using this information to monitor your arrivals and departures for any disruptions so we can be prepared to offer our assistance.

Casa Alianza Nicaragua staff will provide ground transportation for all of our off-site events throughout our stay in Managua. If there are any transportation issues or questions, you may contact [email protected].

For information on our Latin American sites please contact: Covenant House International, Carolyn Collantes at [email protected] 5 Penn Plaza, 3rd Floor, New York, NY 10001 - 212.727.4056 1

Service Trip Casa Alianza Nicaragua

Translation

We are aware that the language barrier will affect those of us who speak only English or Spanish. Interpreters will be readily available throughout all of the delegation events and activities. Additionally, some Casa Alianza Nicaragua staff are also bilingual.

Entrance into Nicaragua

Please have your original, up-to-date passport with you. Keep one or two photocopies of your passport (front page) in a separate location. You do not need an official visa to travel to Nicaragua before you travel but you will purchase one when you arrive in the country. In the airplane or upon arrival in Nicaragua, you will be asked to fill out an Immigration Form as well as a customs form. On those forms please mark the “TOURISM” box as your reason for visiting.

Please fill-in “Holiday Inn” where the forms ask for your address within Nicaragua. You do not need to provide the physical address of the hotel but you have it below if they should ask for it. When you go through Immigration, you will pay $10 US for a tourist visa and a receipt will be given to you by the Immigration officer.

After Immigration, you will pick up your bags if you have checked them. Please make sure and keep you baggage tickets as you will be asked for them when you leave. You will then proceed to pass through Customs where you will give in the customs form you filled in on the plane and all of your baggage will be put through an X-Ray machine. You will then proceed to the airport exit which is glass doors with lots of people will be waiting behind.

There will be someone from Casa Alianza Nicaragua waiting for you with a sign so keep your eyes out. If no one is there, please wait in that vicinity until someone from Casa Alianza Nicaragua or Covenant House meets you. Carolyn Collantes and/or Peggy Healy from CHI in NY will most likely be there to meet you.

Hotel Accommodations

We are staying at the Holiday Inn and Convention Center in Managua. More information on the hotel can be found by clicking this link www.holidayinn.com/Managua .

Casa Alianza Nicaragua will reserve a room in your name at the hotel.

Upon your arrival at the Holiday Inn you will be asked to provide your individual credit card for payment. Breakfast is included in the room cost and the hotel has a lovely pool and a small exercise room so pack accordingly if you wish to use those facilities. The cost of all lunches and dinners and other personal expenses will be paid by each member of the delegation.

For information on our Latin American sites please contact: Covenant House International, Carolyn Collantes at [email protected] 5 Penn Plaza, 3rd Floor, New York, NY 10001 - 212.727.4056 2

Service Trip Casa Alianza Nicaragua

Communications

There will be wireless internet service in the hotel rooms. If you plan to use your cell phone while you are in Nicaragua please call your provider ahead of time to see if there is anything you need to do in order to access service.

Meals and Food Safety

Most of our meals will be eaten at the hotel restaurant or other restaurants where food and water are safe for consumption. Any meals we arrange outside of the hotel will be at restaurants selected by Casa Alianza Nicaragua and CHI staff to ensure food safety.

You should have no trouble with illness if you take some simple precautions: • Do not drink water that is not bottled or has not been treated • Do not order drinks with ice cubes outside of the hotel or restaurants where we eat together as a group • Do not eat raw fruits (except ones with skins like bananas), raw vegetables, raw fish, or raw meat • Do not consume unpasteurized dairy products • Do not eat food from street vendors • Wash your hands appropriately

More information can be found at Health Information for Travelers to Nicaragua – CDC

Safety, Weather, and Money Exchange

The high temperatures will be in the high 80s/mid 90s with lows in the evening in the 70s, so please pack accordingly. It will be the rainy season so please bring an umbrella or rain poncho just in case. We will be going out into the streets and barrios during our trip so please bring sunblock, a hat, sunglasses, mosquito repellent, and a pair of comfortable walking shoes.

Currency in Nicaragua is in Córdobas with one US dollar equal to a little more than 30 Córdobas. If you wish to purchase gifts or anything else while in Nicaragua, there are currency exchange booths at the airport where you can change dollars to Córdobas as well as ATMs located on your way to the airport exits where you can exchange money with a US credit card or bank card. Casa Alianza Nicaragua staff will be able to assist with this.

For information on our Latin American sites please contact: Covenant House International, Carolyn Collantes at [email protected] 5 Penn Plaza, 3rd Floor, New York, NY 10001 - 212.727.4056 3

Service Trip Casa Alianza Nicaragua

What to Bring

Please bring the following: • Any necessary medications • Cash or credit card for the ATM • OTC diarrhea medicine (Just in case…) • Your original passport plus one or two photocopies of your passport page with number and picture that you should pack in some place different from your passport • Sunblock • Hat, sunglasses, umbrella, mosquito repellent, and comfortable shoes • Exercise/swim clothes if you choose

Our Agenda in Nicaragua

A Welcome Orientation, where you will receive a detailed agenda of the trip, will be held on once you arrive at the Holiday Inn Hotel.

During our two-day visit we will have a chance to experience the major aspects of our program in Nicaragua with our boys and girls aged 13-18 including street outreach, our residence for boys and girls, our teen mother and baby center, our family reintegration program, our community integration project, as well as visit with some of our youth who have now created new lives for themselves.

The days will begin between 7:00AM and 7:30AM and finish at dinner time, which will be free time for all.

Dress for all of the visits to Casa Alianza Nicaragua will be very casual including shorts (no short shorts) and tee shirts, sneakers/sandals if you prefer.

Contacts

Please feel free to contact us before or during your stay in Nicaragua. We will be happy to answer any questions and offer any assistance you may need.

Peggy Healy, Senior Vice President Latin America – 917-494-5033

Carolyn Collantes, Project Manager Latin America – 201-693-7389

For information on our Latin American sites please contact: Covenant House International, Carolyn Collantes at [email protected] 5 Penn Plaza, 3rd Floor, New York, NY 10001 - 212.727.4056 4