Every spring or summer we host a casual gathering that focuses on an important topic in Nicaragua, with speakers from experts in their fields. We provide dessert and coffee, update you on our community development work, and ask for donations to support our mission.

Topics in past years have included environmental sustainability and climate change, immigration and the sanctuary movement, and the recent political and social unrest in Nicaragua due to government policies. More information and speakers below.

Summer Gathering: re-connecting & updates about our work in Nicaragua (June 2021)

We were not able to hold a summer event in 2020 or gather in person for our fall fiesta so it was wonderful to see each other in person this summer at Como Park.

About 25 PML supporters joined us for a short program, fellowship and refreshments.  Presentations by Elizabeth Moreira, PML’s Director, and Sheila Cook Sanchez, our newest board member, shared:

·      updates on community development work in San Carlos and La Gallina

·      recent developments in Nicaragua and the pandemic

·      daily life in Nicaragua today

One exciting update that we shared is that 42 households have participated in a loan program sponsored by PML to borrow $50-$150 each to develop home-based business initiatives to increase family income.  All loans from the first round were paid back on time! This program has been so successful in La Gallina that a new round of loans is being funded from the revolving fund.

 According to PML’s Director of Community Development, Rosa Lira Ulloa, “the PML model is successful because through reflection and sharing, participants feel united. They are borrowing from the community, not a faceless institution.  For them, this is a deep experience, not just a project.  The engagement doesn’t stop at getting a loan or taking a course. Money generated is more than an income, it represents a life-style change. Residents learn how to use resources – “Do I buy a TV with my profits or re-invest in the business?” “How much is my product worth after labor and raw materials?”

Conversation with visiting Nicaraguans: Sharing perspectives about the current political climate in Nicaragua, PML's community development work, and other professional and personal insights (july 2019)

Rosa Lira Ulloa - PML's Nicaraguan employee and community organizer working on locally-empowered rural community development in San Carlos and La Gallina, Nicaragua.

Luís Alejandro Quijano Valle - has expertise in renewable energy efforts and specifically wind energy. He is an electrical engineer who works as plant manager of Blue Power and Energy, a wind farm in Rivas, Nicaragua.

Doris Giselle Morales Zeladón - a registered nurse working towards a Master's degree in Hospital Administration.

Immigration & the Sanctuary Church and City Movement (april 2018)

Two immigration experts discuss current challenges that immigrants face in obtaining legal status, including DACA recipients, as well as hardships people face given the uncertainty of U.S. immigration policy. We will also explore the U.S. sanctuary movement and offer ways to volunteer

Alison Griffith, Immigration Attorney at the Advocates for Human Rights, works in the Refugee and Immigrant Program where she handles asylum cases and other humanitarian immigration matters. 

Jim Erlandson is a senior pastor at Lutheran Church of the Redeemer in St. Paul (ELCA), a long-time community leader in St. Paul, and a founder and clergy leader of ISAIAH, a faith-based community organization in the Twin Cities and MN

Urgent Fundraiser and Dialogue: Updates about recent political unrest in Nicaragua and our community development work in San Carlos (july 2018)               

Rosa Lira - PML Project Coordinator has over 15 years of experience in grass roots organizing and has been working in the rural community of San Carlos

Julia Torrez - President of the Water Committee and a key leader of the women's advocacy group to improve quality of life in San Carlos. 

Elizabeth Moreira - was a PML founder and the first in-country coordinator 1984-87. She returned to Nicaragua in 2009, and has been PML Director since 2014.          

Climate Change Impacts in Central America (april 2017)

Shiney Varghese leads the International Agricultural and Trade Policy Institute's work on global water policy.

Jose Hernandez from Costa Rica, now working in the US as an Agronomic Data Scientist at Indigo Agriculture

Jennifer Powers is a professor at the University of Minnesota who studies tropical ecosystems, especially the dry forests of Costa Rica.  

Elizabeth Moreira was a PML founder and the first in-country coordinator 1984-87. She returned to Nicaragua in 2009, and has been PML Director since 2014.

Friendship and Birds: A Dialogue Between Bird Experts From Nicaragua and Minnesota (April 2016)

Discussion of birds both countries, and their migratory path between Nicaragua and Minnesota. The impact of climate change and our mutual responsibility for environmental support and sustainable development.

Francisco Munoz, a Nicaraguan farmer and respected authority on birds, and author of A Guide to the Birds of Nicaragua.  

Carrol Henderson, 40+ year career in the MN Dept of Natural Resources and an internationally known birder