Providing homes

Giving 69 families a permanent home

In the north-west corner of Lake Nicaragua is a peninsula surrounded by hundreds of beautiful little islands called Las Isletas de Granada (The Little Islands of Granada). These islands are home to indigenous people who have lived there for generations. In recent years, however, the rich have started buying islands in order to develop holiday homes in this tropical paradise. The islanders are now being dispossessed from their land, forced to uproot their lives with no compensation and nowhere to go.

In 2004 SIFT bought 37 acres of land on the peninsula to house these 69 dispossessed families. Over the next few years we are looking to develop this land into a beautiful new community, which will give the families a home that is theirs, forever.

Slide 1: A tropical paradise

The 360 Little Islands of Granada are situated in idyllic surroundings. This tropical paradise has attracted the attention of the rich who have come and built their holiday homes on some of the islands.

Slide 2: A traditional way of life

The islanders who are being dispossessed have lived off the land for generations, many of them being fishermen. The land that SIFT has bought borders on Lake Nicaragua and so will enable them to continue their way of life.

Slide 3: New homes

This shack is an example of the current standard of housing for our families. We want to give each family a decent and appropriately sized masonry house, capable of withstanding earthquakes, along with a portion of land that they can develop.

Slide 4: Village facilities

As part of the infrastructure, SIFT looks to construct a village centre which will include a harbour, town hall and other communal buildings. This inlet (pictured) will become a small harbour for the use of the villagers.

Slide 5: Eco-tourism

We are also planning to provide some form of eco-tourism on the land, taking advantage of the amazing natural beauty of the peninsula. This will give some of the islanders employment as tourists visit the area.

Slide 6: Current progress

During 2009 we had consultations with the islanders to find out what they would like to see in their new community. Their inputs were then incorporated into the plans that we will submit to the local town council. We hope to get full planning permission for the development in the near future.