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La Palmerita Housing

“La  Palmerita” is the name for a former cotton plantation in the Department of León, near the town of Malpaisillo.  It is occupied by former coffee workers from the north of Nicaragua who were displaced as a result of the terrible hardships associated with a slump in the global coffee market in 2000/2001.  

Since October 2001, some of the coffee workers have been living on the land in very basic conditions with limited access to services and only very basic shelters.  Nuevas Esperanzas and its predecessor have been involved in helping this community since they first arrived at the site with emergency food supplies, water, sanitation, temporary housing, agricultural projects, medical attention and education.  In 2005, Nuevas Esperanzas started to develop detailed designs for the housing, water supply and sanitation, including site investigation and survey work, thanks to funding of $45,000 from the Peace and Hope Trust.

A major breakthrough was achieved when the land was transferred to the ownership of the Mayor of Malpaisillo in August 2005, paving the way for a permanent settlement.  In December 2006, government funding of $221,760 was awarded to Nuevas Esperanzas’ local partner FUNDAPADELE for the construction of the first 112 houses at the site with a further donation of $56,000 given by the American Nicaraguan Foundation.  Nuevas Esperanzas was appointed to manage the project, supervising construction and coordinating the participation of the community. 

The houses each have three rooms and are made of prefabricated concrete panels following a design which originated from Colombia.  The design has been thoroughly tested for earthquake resistance and thousands of homes across Nicaragua have been built with this system.  The construction of this first phase of the project was completed in February 2007 and Nuevas Esperanzas is currently preparing legal titles for the 112 beneficiary families.  A further 41 houses are planned for a second phase as well as a water supply and sanitation project for the community.

This is a large and long-term project covering a wide range of sectors and Nuevas Esperanzas is continuing to look for support for further activities which will help to bring stability and self-sufficiency to this desperately poor community of 153 families. 

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