Home community in Juigalpa

Nicaragua is among the poorest countries in the world. Support for people with learning disabilities is not institutionalized by the government and depends largely on private initiatives. The current support facilities mainly focus on children. Very little exists to support youth and older adults who are intellectually disabled. The majority of parents and families don’t get any support and often do not know how to relate to their disabled relatives. There are no courses that train people to understand learning disability and how to relate to those who suffer from it. Medical and social care for this vulnerable group is hardly or not available, and consequently people with a learning disability may die due to neglect.

In Juigalpa a group of very dedicated volunteers and parents formed a ‘reflection group’ (grupo de reflexión) which has worked since 2013 on the establishment of a home community in which a group of people of at least 15 years old who have a learning disability live together with some non-disabled people who look after them.

Living together

Vivir Juntos literally means ‘living together’: people with and without learning disabilities live together as equals, and create an atmosphere of a community rather than a care institution. The community may also be open for someone who works outside the community, but supports the community by being an active resident and providing income by renting a room in the community

The home community also wants to create contact between its members and the neighbours, so that the wider society gets a more positive picture of the gifts and talents of our members, and vice versa. We intend to establish an activities centre in which our members and persons with a learning difficulty from the neighbourhood work together in a meaningful way. To work towards integration is part of our vision.
Please view our newspage for the latest news about ‘VivirJuntos’ in Juigalpa.