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Ambassador left buzzing after visit to El Ojochal

Chris Campbell, the recently appointed British Ambassador for Nicaragua, took the opportunity to visit Nuevas Esperanzas whilst he was in León a couple of weeks ago. The timing of his visit was no coincidence; he was here for the Nicaraguan Presidential Elections, held on 6th November.  To give the Ambassador a feel for Nuevas Esperanzas' current work, four of the team and a British volunteer accompanied him on a visit to the community of El Ojochal del Listón on the slopes of Volcán Telica.

The Ambassador and an Embassy colleague swapped their chauffeur driven car for a standing position on the back of the Nuevas Esperanzas Toyota Land Cruiser. Whilst holding on tightly and ducking for occasional overhanging branches, they were able to view first-hand the road which New Hope helped us build with the community over two years ago.  Access to El Ojochal del Listón was previously only possible on horseback and the improved road continues to make a huge difference to the lives of the families who live in El Ojochal.  It is easier for the farmers to bring produce down by horse and cart to the market and the road has greatly reduced the time it takes to get down the hillside in the case of an emergency.

In El Ojochal, the Ambassador met some of the members of the community and was shown one of nineteen rainwater harvesting tanks built here as part of the Mountain Rain project. He was introduced to Carlos Alvarado, a local farmer, who showed the Ambassador this years’ bean crop which appears to have been severely affected by ash from the volcanic eruption in May.  Carlos explained that, whilst in a good year a bean plant might typically produce eighty pods and in an average year might yield forty, this year he considered that they would be lucky to get two pods per plant. Whilst the extensive crop damage was unexpected, it only serves to emphasise the need for diversification which is something one of the aims of the Mountain Rain project.

No visit to El Ojochal would be complete without meeting the bees which have been introduced to help the community produce honey commercially. The bees not only provide an alternative way of making a living but also help promote sustainable use of the forest. As part of the project, members of the community who were keen to have a go are being given training in beekeeping and learning how to manage a hive.

The Ambassador was brave enough to don a bee suit and accompany Nuevas Esperanzas’ beekeeper, Erika Pérez, to the apiary. They were also joined by two of Erika’s local trainees who were on hand with the smoker (used to calm the bees). The honeycombs were extracted and examined. Amidst the frenzied stirring of bees and the accompanying loud buzzing noise, Erika was able to point out the queen bee. Africanised bees, which have colonised Central America over the last 30 years, are more aggressive than their European counterparts although they do produce more honey. Fortunately the bees respected the VIP presence and the Ambassador did not get stung!

After derobing, the Ambassador took the opportunity to talk to community members about their views on the presidential election the following day. Nicaraguans rarely pass up the opportunity to discuss politics and of course this was no exception!

As the light started to fade, it was time to embark on the return trip down the volcano. The Ambassador said: “It was fantastic to see the excellent work being undertaken by the Nuevas Esperanzas team in the field. I can honestly say that I will not forget my first experience of bee keeping on the side of a volcano! How can I follow that?”  It appears he very much enjoyed the visit, even though he can still hear that buzzing sound!

05/11/11