The Grupo Fenix Family located in Managua, Nicaragua Provides Opportunities for The Promotion of Solar Energy -The Production of Solar Energy Educational Courses-International Volunteering-International Development

Group Fenix & Las Mercedes Reforestation Brigade in Nicaragua, July 2010

Come spend a month volunteering in northern rural Nicaragua in the community of Totogalpa.  Live with the local rural families, assist the community in reforestation projects, all while learning about their Solar Culture. We have 2000 trees ready to plant, each pine can provide enough oxygen for two people.  Volunteers will also get the chance to learn local artisan crafts, traditional folklorico dances, enjoy hiking, and a visit to the beautiful Somoto Canyon. Volunteer fees are $500 + a $50 registration fee and include all expenses except for flight, for more information and to register, email thegrupofenix@gmail.com.

Solar Culture Course in Nicaragua, July 10th-18th 2010

Grupo Fenix offers hands-on courses, workshops and service trips for individuals interested in broadening their knowledge of renewable energy and sustainable development. Stay in a rural village in Nicaragua while working side-by-side local community members as they teach you about practical solar energy technologies such as solar cookers and photovoltaic systems. The July Solar Culture Course is now available for registration and includes the building of a solar cooker oven, a solar battery charger, and the installation of a PV system within the local community. Course fee is $750 and includes all expenses after arrival in Nicaragua. For more information email thegrupofenix@gmail.com. 

Click here for more information about our course offerings.

2008 SEED Initiative Award Winner
Grupo Fenix was one of five organizations awarded with the prestigious International SEED Award.  The SEED Awards are distinctive in the growing field of environment and development awards in that they identify, profile and support promising, locally-driven, start-up enterprises working in partnership in developing countries to improve livelihoods, tackle poverty, and manage natural resources sustainably. SEED is a global network founded in 2002 by UNEP, UNDP and IUCN to contribute towards the goals in the UN’s Millennium Declaration and the commitments made at the Johannesburg World Summit on Sustainable Development. PFAE, the Solar Women’s primary partner in this endeavor, is working with the Solar Women towards their eventual organizational independence while jointly building the Solar Women’s organizational capacity and fostering its business development. (www.seedinit.org).   

The SEED Initiative recognized that “he Solar Women of Totogalpa is a motivated group of women who are determined to improve the quality of life for themselves and their families in rural North West Nicaragua. Working in partnership with a university research centre, an NGO and experts on solar technology, they are aiming to set up a cooperative enterprise, Lighting Up Hope and Communities, producing photovoltaic panels from recycled solar cells, solar cookers and dryers, and solar cooked/ dried food products and medicinal plants.” 

In announcing the award, SEED’s Executive Director, Helen Marquard, noted that “he SEED International Jury selected the Solar Women as a winner of the 2008 SEED Awards . . . from over 400 applications . . . . The Award recognizes their innovation and entrepreneurship, the likely contribution to promote economic growth, social development and environmental management in Nicaragua, and not least the potential of the partnership to inspire others.”

Volunteer with us!

We offer opportunities for individuals and groups interested in supporting our projects and partner organizations. Individual volunteers should commit to a minimum of 10 weeks. Group arrangements are made on a case-by-case basis. Currently we have relationships with several universities who send student groups to work with us in the countryside for a week or more at a time. For more information about volunteering, please click here.