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Eat United Nicaragua

Why choose Eat United Nicaragua?

FOOD POVERTY AND FOOD WASTE SHOULD NEVER COEXIST.

Eat United Nicaragua: building community food solutions.
We are a team of volunteers (90% local), food vendors and community centres who come together to ensure food security and combat food waste.

Our main actions are: RESCUE & SHARE:
- We RESCUE food that would otherwise be unnecessarily wasted
- We SHARE this with several communities around Managua, cooking it with the community

Founded
2013

Reviews

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Pauline
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Home away from home!

My internship with Comamos Juntos was a great experience. I was convinced from the very beginning that I had chosen the right place and organisation to volunteer. From day one, I felt like a part of, what we call, the Comamos Juntos family. They all became more than just colleagues, they were friends, family. We were a small team of very dedicated local and international volunteers working hand in hand to fight food waste and food poverty. What I loved about my internship is the perfect balance it offers between social action and office work. Since all the members of this small NGO are considered as equal, I could think myself about how much time I wanted to dedicate to the collection and the communities and how much time I wanted to dedicate to my office work in order to achieve my goals. My opinions, thoughts and ideas were always taken into account and respected. I feel like I've learned things that my daily life and university could never have taught me in Belgium. My tasks varied a lot, from the smallest things to more important tasks. I've been taking care of the social medias of the organisation and the fundraising. I had the opportunity of working quite indenpendently but anytime I would need help or advice, I could ask for it.
Apart from the work, Nicaragua is a country with a lot of resources and I was able to discover the culture, differences and all the amazing places it has to offer. Don't ever be afraid of going there because it is really safe and welcoming!

Read my full story
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Alina
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Your opinion is highly valued!

My internship with Eat United was a great experience. The NGO is small and therefore you become an integrated part of the team. I had the opportunity to work self-sufficiently and could decide myself what I would like to get involved with. I learned a lot and grew as I've managed a lot of tasks for the first time.
I got a lot of support and input from the other members of Eat United. My thoughts, opinions and ideas were highly valued and I could contribute a lot to the change of the operating system. The atmosphere within the team is very warm and friendly. Everyone is treated equally. I made really good friends.
If you are very motivated and take the initiative, then you get the possibility of influencing the development of the organisation. Plus you have personal freedom!
During my stay, the internship role was more general. My tasks varied from future intern communication,to grant writing and re-definement of the operational model of the organisation and writing guidelines for local volunteers.

What would you improve about this program?
The division of tasks could be even more efficient.
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Alumni Interviews

These are in-depth Q&A sessions with verified alumni.

Pauline Maes

Pauline is a Linguistics student from Belgium who took a gap year from her studies to volunteer for Comamos Juntos.
Lake Nicaragua, Granada

Why did you pick this program?

I had been looking for a volunteer program for quite a long time when I finally came across Comamos Juntos. I picked it because their mission and vision really spoke to me and my interests. I was really happy to know that I had been accepted as an intern because to me, Comamos Juntos cause was my top pick for a program.

What do you tell your friends who are thinking about going abroad?

Just go for it! I've been away from home several times for a few months and I have always enjoyed it so much! Volunteering is a great opportunity to go abroad because you will learn and grow so much.

What is one piece of advice you'd give to someone going on your program?

Don't be afraid of expressing any doubts, ideas, criticisms you have. Your thoughts will always be listened to and taken into account. There is no real hierarchy here and everyone has the right to speak up! Be sure to come packed with initiative as well.

What's your favorite story to tell about your time abroad?

The amazing times we had at the food collections are my favorite memories. Sometimes, we would get a little bit demotivated seeing that we didn't collect enough food, but then vendors would just bring us more beautiful veggies and fruits out of their own initiative. Through this, we would always end up with a truck full of food to distribute.

What did you learn from this experience?

I learned things that I could not have learned from academic sources or university. Being a part of a growing social initiative and being able to see from the inside how it works was really interesting. I took care of social media and fundraising, which is mostly unrelated to my studies, and I'm so glad to have been able to learn about this.