The Forgotten Children of the Land of Lakes and Volcanoes

On Wednesday we collected all the boxes from Marvin's house and took them to Santa Teresa. There were a few hiccups with the timings, but eventually everyone was gathered and the boxes, with Jordy accompanying us and Fanor once more our driver. We arrived at Santa Teresa and were warmly greeted. The equipment was delivered, staff were gathered and more speeches given. Jose was really good, talking a lot about caring for the equipment and the cost of maintenance.  The headteacher said this had been her dream and now it had come true. The speaker will be used for their cultural activities and the computer for making teachers' work easier, for preparing lessons and to access information for pupils. We purchased a Bluetooth device that enables them to connect to their mobile phone, as we cannot commit to installing Wi-Fi. We finalised measurements with Manuel who will build a little office space to keep everything safe. Next we went to Santa Teresa beach where we met with...

On Tuesday we visited the little schools attached to Rafaela Herrera. They are in the villages around Urbaite. Tilgue is en route from Santa Domingo, so Allan collected me to meet José there. The teachers all gathered offering us refreshment, it was s warm welcome and some teachers I had met before. We gave them a selection of stationery, glue and cleaning equipment, brooms, mops, paper, glue, marker pens, all basic stuff. They were thrilled and all thanked me very warmly, but I had to apologise that it felt like something small. They said , it was something very grand to them. And knowing that I have them in mind and am looking out for them obviously gives them comfort. Next en route was Sintiope, just before Urbaite. This is another small school and again the teachers gathered to receive their small gift. Here they mentioned their need for a speaker and costumes for their cultural activities, so important here! Next was Las Pilas, a village, past Marvin...

Over the weekend I was advised to rest by my helpers here; they think I have been too busy,  but I had four visitors from the family on Saturday and a birthday party on Sunday involving musicians. It was a great traditional occasion and it was lovely to spend time with the family again and meet some new people. We were also celebrating the graduation of Jesus and Jordy. Amada didn't arrive. She has lost her telephone and we cannot seem to get in touch. Monday had been organised by Jose and was the day of the box delivery, which had involved him in a lot of organisation. On Sunday he took funds to Moyagalpa which were passed to the ferry captain and signed for. On Monday Marlon, our taxi driver,  drove to Managua, collected the parcels and tried to do a bit of shopping. He brought everything back to San Jorge. Then Jose and Francisco who had gone in place of the Headteacher, went in search of shopping in Rivas. They managed to source footballs, the replacement c...

For more information on how the Project started  Click here To donate   The Forgotten Children of the Land of Lakes and Volcanoes On Thursday  we visited Santa Teresa to deliver the rest of the notebooks. The children ran up to greet me like a long lost friend. We then spent a while discussing the office space and taking measurements. Yasmina will look for a quote from someone in the local community and Jose will approach his friend we met the other day to make a table. So all will provide further work for the community.  The rest of the day was spent at Finca Maria, relaxing and enjoying fresh roasted and ground coffee.  On Friday I went to the school to see the work that had been done to mend the audio systems. $69 seemed a very realistic price given that several parts had been needed. All the equipment looked new after the work. I am impressed by the approach of the new Headteacher. The renovated sound system. The speakers befo...

To read the background to the project  Click here To donate  The forgotten children On my morning walk I encountered various dogs again, but was prepared with a couple of sticks, but the dogs failed to recognise they were to protect myself and yanked them out of my hands with their teeth. Well at least with a stick in their mouth they were occupied. I had decided to catch the bus, another fun morning with people in every space. Getting off is a challenge but I know the routine now. Keep near the door, hop out and across the road to catch the bus to Urbaite ! Today, arrangements had been made to visit the families, who had received uniforms, to learn a little bit about them, their life and circumstances.  Before I got  that far, I encountered Alivia and her two bothers in the street. They are nephews and niece of Jose.  We were chatting as I had met them in the school. Two of the children were due to go to school this afternoon, but little Ronnie said h...