Objetive: to provide a centre to foster and sustain long term development in Cardenas.

The “Turtle” Community Centre was created thanks to the effort of the participants of the Quebec-Nicaragua Solidarity Projects of May, 2002 (SQN2) and of December, 2002 (SQN3), as well as of the help provided by the township of Cardenas. It is located in front of the Nicaragua lake and next to a soccer field. It is jointly managed by a local board of directors and by the ADIRO. It offers a resource to the 7,000 inhabitants of Cardenas, who live in 22 communities. The local board of directors, made up of eight inhabitants of Carfdenas, has created four committees to manage the following activities offered by the centre for the period 2003-2004:

1. Activities for the young (people in charge: Glenda and Martha)
- sports, cultural and educational activities
- computer courses

2. Reforestation plan (Ramon, Daniel, participants of SQN 5 and SQN 6)

- To work jointly with the students and the directors of the elementary school of Cardenas.
- To give a sense of responsibility to the youths by investing in their future and becoming the owners and caretakers of the trees.
- To create awareness that the trees are the lungs of the Earth.

3. The community bakery (Grez, Sodelva and participants of SQN 7)

- To start up the collective kitchen project.
- To bake and to sell bread. The profits of the sale will be used to start up a “Breakfast Club, Nicaragua version”, for the elementary school students.

4. General maintenance of the centre (Daniel, Luis and Álvaro)

- To manage the centre and to organize different activities.
- To be in charge of the electricity and fresh water supply, and of the general maintenance. All proposals, ideas or suggestions for projects aimed at encouraging the long term development of the township of Cardenas are welcome.