Volunteer Guide

Volunteer Guide - Donations to Bring

Thank you for inquiring as to what donations you can bring with you.  Below are a list of needed donations for Nicaragua. 

If you are planning on involving people in your network to make a difference with you, we encourage you to invite them to be financial donors, as well as to donate supplies.  Funds provide the most flexibility in meeting current needs.  

Please remember that all donations need to be brought with you in your checked suitcase(s).  Sending supplies to Nicaragua is expensive; the funds used to ship things could probably be better used in-country. 

 If you receive donations of supplies beyond what you can bring with you, we encourage you to prioritize your donations, and to donate the extra to a good local charity. Or conduct a yard sale, and convert the extra donations into needed cash. Of course you should let the people who donated supplies know if you are doing something other than bringing them with you on your trip. 

Thank you!

Nicaragua:

Food (highest priority)  - Items that are expensive or unavailable in-country; for use by volunteers
  • Masa (corn tortilla mix)
  • Pancake Mix
  • Oatmeal
  • Cream of Wheat
  • Rice
  • Syrup
  • Peanut Butter
  • Plain Spaghetti and Elbow Macaroni
  • Jelly and Jam
  • Cake & Cookie Mix, Frosting, Sprinkles, Cupcake Paper 
  • Pudding and Jello Mix
Household Items
  • Dish soap
  • Scrubbing pads and brushes
  • Liquid hand soap
  • Hand sanitizer (large bottles with pump)
  • Can opener (HEAVY DUTY)
  • Kitchen Aprons (Cotton - Heavy Duty)
  • Shower curtains & rings - HEAVY DUTY!
  • Tape: DUCT & MASKING TAPE
Clothing and Shoes
  • Note: First priority is to bring clothing and shoes for children up to age 10, but all shoes and clothing will be utilized in the poor communities where we are working. 
  • Tee-shirts
  • Girls dresses 
  • Dress Sandals
  • Jeans & pants
  • Shorts
  • Tennis shoes 
  • Sturdy sandals with velcro for boys and girls
  • Underwear for boys and girls
  • Socks for boys and girls
  • Sweaters, rain jackets & windbreakers
Educational Needs
  • Pencils, erasers & sharpeners
  • Notebooks: sturdy and bound (NO spiral)
  • Whiteboard Markers & Whiteboard cleaner spray
  • Copy paper
  • Colored paper & Construction paper
  • Arts and crafts supplies
  • Multi-lingual games
  • Working notebook computers
  • Nametags
  • Friendship bracelet making (non-elastic) supplies
  • Laminator & laminating film
  • Permanent Markers: Black & Coloured
  • Bilingual Books for Children (Spanish-English)
  • Super large children's books in English or Spanish to read aloud to a large group of kids
Sports and Recreation
  • Volleyballs
  • Kickballs
  • Basketballs
  • Basketball nets
  • Pumps for balls
  • Pylons (sports cones)