In June 2008, students from St Joseph Seconday School (Streetsville/Mississauga, ON Canada) spent six days with the Cooperative "Guardianes del Bosque" in Penas Blancas, near El Cua, Jinotega, in Nicaragua's rural northern region.  

Their donation to the Cooperative went towards improving the existing eco-lodge. With the help of the students from St. Joseph, the eco-lodge will soon have a 2nd floor, improved sanitation facilities and much needed stone walkways to help guests and staff avoid the mud. 

In this rural campesino community the experience included carrying hand-sawed lumber out of the forest (cut by the locals from naturally fallen trees), hauling rocks from a nearby field to the eco-lodge site and A LOT of walking.  

In past years, students from both Robert F. Hall Catholic Secondary School (East Caledon, ON Canada) and from St. Augustine Catholic Secondary School (Brampton, ON Canada) have also contributed to making the eco-lodge a reality for the Cooperative.  

The rural community of Penas Blancas, sits on the edge of Bosawás Biosphere Reserve. Designated in 1997 as a UNESCO biosphere reserve, it is the second largest rainforest in the Americas, after the Amazon, making it the largest rainforest area in Central America. Penas Blancas sits at the base of tall forested cliffs with white rock outcroppings (thus the name of their village) and is graced with a 70m waterfall, a measure of the health of the local forest.  

The Cooperative's efforts to protect the forest from clearing for farming by small and large landholders alike and to bring more national and international tourists to the area as an economic alternative for locals are essential in preserving Bosawás and Casa Canadiense is very proud to be partnered with the Cooperative.