Masaya

Masaya is the second largest city in Nicaragua, situated 27 kilometers south of Managua or about a 40-minute bus ride from the Managua airport. Masaya is composed of 87 urban neighborhoods (barrios) and 27 rural communities. In 1971, the population of the city was 47,174. In 1995 it had grown to 120,856. After Hurricane Mitch it grew again (131,244), and today the official figures show 157,928 inhabitants. Economic activity in the region includes formal and informal markets and shops, industrial manufacturing, artisans, and five clothing factories in the zona franca. In the rural sector there is much agriculture—about 5,000 acres are dedicated to growing corn, beans, peanuts, sorghum, yuca, watermelon, papayas, and some pineapples. In the areas where we work, 21.56% of the population earn less than $50.00 per month; 37.17% earn about $100; 15.98% earn roughly $100 - $150; and 18.02% earn over $150 per month.

The Masaya Project began in July of 2000 in the aftermath of an earthquake which destroyed hundreds of homes. Initially we restricted the beneficiaries to those whose homes had been affected, but soon we saw the need to reach out to many other families who were living in unbearable conditions. Many of their homes are built from black plastic, scraps of zinc, bamboo, and old scraps of wood. During the process of building, we came to know the leaders and the people of these communities, and in conjunction with Bridges to Community's overall mission of Community Development, we began to organize those leaders and take on new projects for a more holistic approach, even though housing continues to this day to be the communities' number one need.

We are working primarily in eight distinct, communities in Masaya: Las Conchitas, Pilas Orientales, Los Manguitos, Los Lopez, Los Mercados, Matildina, Pilas Occidentales and Plan Arenal.