My Nonprofit Reviews

I chose to work with blueEnergy because of their commitment to real, positive change over the long haul. blueEnergy provides sustainable electricity to rural populations that would otherwise rely entirely on candles and diesel generators, but they are dedicated to doing so in a manner that will remain viable for generations. This is achieved through a strong emphasis on education, training and local ownership. All of blueEnergy's wind turbines are manufactured by local residents in Bluefields, Nicaragua and installed in outlying communities with the support and integration of leading members of those communities. Each community nominates a community operator who receives hands-on training and is responsible for the upkeep of their community's energy system. As a result of this method and the history of blueEnergy as an organization, strong personal relationships are developed between community members and blueEnergy staff and volunteers while simultaneously empowering communities with ownership of their energy systems. The volunteers in Bluefields work side by side in the workshop with local laborers and share experience, meals and friendships everyday. On trips to the communities, blueEnergy staff and volunteers are welcomed into individual homes and integrated into the fabric of the community for the duration of their stay. The long standing relationships that have been established by local staff and long term volunteers in both the outlying communities and in Bluefields itself, have created a strong foundation of trust and respect for the organization. As a result, new volunteers are welcomed to the region with open arms and are able to immediately accomplish positive results that would take independent operators years to achieve. For example, I was recently investigating the possibility of harvesting locally grown bamboo for use as a building material, but had no idea where to start. The director of blueEnergy Nicaragua suggested that I start by talking to an old family friend who had some experience working with bamboo. As soon as I met with him and explained my position within blueEnergy, he offered to give up his weekend and accompany me, at his own expense, to a bamboo cooperative located a few hours up the river. His willingness to do so was based entirely upon his previous positive experiences with blueEnergy and his trust in our ability to achieve lasting results.

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