Building Communities Together Inc.
Registered Name: BRIDGES TO COMMUNITY CANADA INC.
Business No: 809339674RR0001
This organization is designated by Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) as a registered charity. They comply with the CRA's requirements and has been issued a charitable registration number.
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In January of 2005, Rick Bauman was the sole Canadian in a group of 21 US insurance agents. He went on a house building trip to Nicaragua sponsored by Bridges to Community, a Westchester, New York based charity. He was so taken with the experience that he vowed to return the next year with a group of Canadian insurance brokers.
And he did. In January, 2006, a group of seven brokers and their friends traveled to Las Conchitas, Nicaragua, built two houses and formed Vision #1 (2007-2012) to build 100 houses within the next five years. Bridges to Community Canada was created in 2006 and house#100 was dedicated in January of 2012!
Despite our modest beginnings, our relationship with the people of Nicaragua flourished and by April of 2018, we had successfully built 235 houses, over 100 latrines and 3 school buildings, and our future in the Jinotega district appeared to be long and rewarding.
It was not to be! In late April 2018, the frustration of the people with their government boiled over and there were spontaneous protests throughout the country. For us, this meant the conditions were not safe for volunteers to travel to Nicaragua and we regretfully suspended our housebuilding trips.
Fortunately, our US partner at the time, Bridges to Community had established a base several years prior in the Dominican Republic. Late in 2018, we began to redirect our fundraising and volunteer trips to the Dominican Republic. After several volunteer trips and the start of the construction of a school in the community of La Guama, the pandemic struck, and since then our trips have been stalled indefinitely.
Additionally, as of June 2020, our organization is now independent of our US counterpart (BTC US) and we have changed our name to:
Building Communities Together Inc. (BCT)
Although our name has changed, our mission has not!
BCT Values:
- Passion – We are passionate about making a positive, sustainable impact on the poverty we see in Nicaragua
- Respect – We respect the people and communities we work with
- Sharing – We believe we are truly blessed and we share our gifts generously
- Advocacy – We tell the BTCC story to anyone who will listen
- Community – We continuously build our community of supporters
Our goal is to return to Nicaragua late in 2022, but not until it is safe to do so! For the time being, we must see a significant improvement in the political and pandemic situation. When it’s time, the first trip will be a reconnaissance team of BCT Board members! Stay tuned for more information about the mission to return to Nicaragua!
With your support, we will continue to Make a Concrete Difference in the World!
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