Hey all!
If you're reading this and don't know me, I am currently a third year undergrad at the University of Vermont studying Forestry with a minor in Geospatial Technologies! I am passionate about the environment and doing what I can to help people in need. I enjoy skiing, growing trees, snowboarding, hiking, looking at trees, swimming, traveling, hugging trees, and creating new experiences while learning new things. I have wanted to go abroad for a semester for a while, but a strict schedule of courses for my major suggested it would be a major headache, so when I saw the opportunity to go abroad during spring break to a beautiful country AND help members of the community there I jumped at the opportunity. I am excited to see what experiences and newfound knowledge this trip will bring!

COOL NICK, YOU WANT TO GO ABROAD, WHY AM I READING THIS?
In order to help the community in which we will be traveling to, I need YOUR help! If you are able to donate, any amount helps and is appreciated greatly. Thank you letters will be in order, so don't make it anonymous so I can contact you for your address! If you are unable to donate, a simple share would also suffice!

ALRIGHT, WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO BE DOING?
If you have made it this far and are wondering what exactly we are going to be doing in Nicaragua, then congrats! I am about to tell you! We are going to be traveling to a rural ranching community called Boaco (Bo-ah-co) where we will be working with a local non-profit health clinic called Clinica Verde to teach their current and future leaders about nutrition and train them in sustainable agriculture practices. These practices will be implemented on the clinic's 2-acre farm and the crops produced will go to feeding residents in the community as well as those who work at the clinic.

SO, WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?
The importance of this work is that it will empower the doctors and farmers to diminish the impact that malnutrition has made on this community -a problem seen throughout Nicaragua. It will enable them to provide their community with necessary nutrients in their diet and to improve the lives of many more people than just the patients they see come into the clinic. Providing the community with information such as this is an invaluable service as this knowledge will continue to be passed on throughout the community and down to future generations. Sustainable agricultural practices also provide invaluable services as it enables the farmer to use his land in a way that produces a wide array of crops, and it reduces the depletion of nutrients in the soil that monocrop (single crop farms) practices tend to do.
It allows the farmer the best chance to provide the clinic with the largest and most diverse selection of food.

IF you are looking for more information on the trip visit this link: https://globalstudentembassy.org/get-involved/travel/boaco-travel/ or contact me on facebook or here if you have any questions.

If you have made it this far, I applaud your commitment, hopefully you can commit to showing some love and support in sending me to Nicaragua, too! Kidding. (not really). All jokes aside, if you do choose to help out, I greatly appreciate it. I thank you for reading this far, even.
If you donate and see this, contact me and I will doodle or sloppily paint you something of your choice or teach you about trees!!

Thanks,
Nicholas Hayward