Nicaragua Expedition (November 20 to 30, 2023)

Gratitude for an unforgettable time - the unanimous conclusion after a 10-day trip to the country where Buy Food with Plastic was born: Nicaragua. The poorest country in the whole of Latin America, which was not originally on the travel wish list of the majority of participants.

Nevertheless, 10 curious people from Switzerland and Germany decided to get to know Buy Food with Plastic Nicaragua with their own eyes from November 20 to 30, 2023. They were accompanied and supervised by co-founders and management members Anna Gracia Herbst and Khalil Radi, volunteer Vanessa Lochbaum, Country Manager Nicaragua Frank Sarria and Project Manager Blanca Lopez and myself, Murielle Galliker, a long-time volunteer and 50% employee in Legal & Operations since August 2023.

Together, we were able to discover the most beautiful and the saddest sides of a country that all participants have since taken deeply into their hearts:

While the Explorer group was able to climb a volcano on the island of Ometepe and experience a canoe trip, the charity team lent a hand at factory and supported the recyclers Luis and Yerlanes in sorting, washing and processing the lids and bottles. Regardless of the travel package chosen, all participants were also able to take part in yoga, surfing, golf and horse riding sessions as they wished. Our BFWP chefs Brenda and Johanna, who usually cook for the community at our Buy Food with Plastic events in San Ignacio, accompanied the expedition with culinary delights. It was great that we were able to involve the whole team in our program and that the expedition participants were able to build a close bond with them.

The preparation, follow-up and effective implementation of the BFWP community event in El Higueral is certainly one of the undisputed highlights: On a moving afternoon, we were able to support 125 people in need together with the local team on site. The local population had collected an incredible 14,295 (!) plastic bottles and received a hot meal in exchange. It was absolutely overwhelming to witness the joy and gratitude that our help brought to the locals.

The expedition has shown all participants in a remarkable way the transformative impact we can achieve when we stand together, as evidenced by the touching statement from participant Yvonne: "The unity and commitment of Buy Food with Plastic is truly admirable. My sincere thanks go to the founders, Khalil Radi and Anna Gracia Herbst, whose vision and commitment have brought this extraordinary initiative to life. Their work is a source of inspiration and I am proud to be part of this team."

Testimonials like this speak for themselves and are a clear expression of interpersonal success, which in turn has an impact on the economic aspect: Apart from the fact that we were able to gain 10 new BFWP ambassadors through the expedition, we were also able to raise CHF 5,929 (USD 6,751) for the project in Nicaragua.

This result proves once again that together we can make the world a better place and the more people who join forces, the greater the impact.