And a whole new project was born.

So to prepare to help effectively I decided to take a TEFL course online so that I would feel confident to work with the students.
https://www.futurelearn.com/

  Jose then suggested that it would be good if I hired a scooter to get around, a big challenge as I had not ever driven a scooter and  been on one for 50 years.  But I decided it was another 'go for it' moment and signed up for some lessons.

Meanwhile Jose had been in touch with the local primary school, Rafaela Herrera, where the headteacher Amada Griselda Cruz Barrios, wrote a letter by hand, which Jose photographed and sent by Whattsapp.




The school had no computers,many of the children had no school uniform to come to school and the buildings were in a bad state of repair.  In addition there is no sports equipment and when the team plays football, the children have to borrow balls and kit. But the children appeared happy and enthusiastic, whether in their lessons or helping to clean the school.
Sometimes the families go without food to buy the school uniforms. The poor children have very few clothes.
This morning I saw a boy climbing a tree to get a coconut.  There was no food in his house for his breakfast.
Jose

At first I was overwhelmed with the responsibility of meeting the expectations of this very needy community, but then I found a quotation on a magnet on  my fridge by Al Weiwei
A small act is worth a thousand words.

and I set about following this advice, by writing a pamphlet to give out and compiling a list of people to whom I could appeal.  Some has fallen on deaf ears but as you can see from the donations page there are many kind people around.  I take pamphlets everywhere with me and have become quite brazen in the people I will strike up conversations with and tell about this project.  I just feel so fired up when I talk about what needs to be done as it seems that the world is an unfair place and many inequalities need to be addressed. I have an accumulation of things to take with me, and I have no idea how I will transport them, at the moment, but its probably no different to the famous bible  story of the loaves and the fishes.  There will be a solution!
This dream of being able to help the children is another of my dreams which is being realised with the help of Carolyn and her good friends.  Together we are achieving it. When I come to visit England, as a representative of my community, I want to thank all those who have helped and bring photos of the children they have helped.
 It is one of my dreams to help poor children who cannot study due to lack of uniform.

 Talking of his life and its challenges

 Difficult times lead to good things and therefore you can appreciate what you have and understand how people suffer.
 Jose
My local village magazine gave us free publicity in the Village Tweet. The picture is actually me sitting on a bull in Ometepe December 2016, slight confusion there!
see p.26

 Local publicity, Tweet village magazine, Billingshurst

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