Goodbye Jiquilillo My Back = USA

So my time in Jiquilillo has come to an end for this year. I’ve spent the last 2 weeks of my journey between bed rest and extremely light activity. It turns out the slight back pain I’ve been suffering from my whole life, has decided to flare up. I’ve seen specialists in Nicaragua, taken x-rays and MRI’s, and am now patiently awaiting my appointment on Monday with a specialist here in the USA.

As I left Jiquilillo, which was the hardest thing I’ve had to do, again, I spoke with the teachers, re-assuring them that I would remain in contact and hope to return in the future. The community and I are certain that with all the projects we have been able to set-up and all the new motivation to continue these projects, the school will continue to progress.

The day I left several mothers were gathered cleaning all window panes, while several fathers painted the metal security bars in front of the windows. There has been a recent push from the parents to be involved. It’s great to watch the parents and the community continues to grow and change and continue to show more and more interest in their school and their educational programs.

Last I hear from a phone call the day before I flew out, the teachers and community had riled together and have potentially ascertained a way to get power into the school! This is great news as I have several computers set aside for the primary school of Camilo Zapata. These computers were donated several months ago by Dotty Blanchette, who is an amazing person, completely dedicated to changing the world! I will be able to get the computers down, once the community has secured the electricity and a computer teacher!

Finishing Up

This past Saturday Assist Jiquilillo, Inc paid three amazing workers to complete several large projects at the primary school, Camilo Zapata. As I will be heading out within the next few weeks, it is important that the large projects are completed before with time to spare, in case of any loose ends. I am sad to say no new projects will be started any more.

Robert Ruiz and his helper Yakson were in charge of changing the broken roof panels over the 2nd and 3rd grade classroom. This was a huge problem for teacher Virginia, as the broken panels happened to be located just above her desk, so every time it rained it saturated all of her teaching materials and anything left on or in her desk.

Roberto has been working as lead carpenter of all school projects for the past several years, always donating his time and services for no charge. This time around, as it was one of the last large projects, Assist Jiquilillo Inc. will be working on, I thought it was important that he and Yakson his apprentice receive not only money but a power grinder to help further their careers! As you can see from the smiles these two were thrilled! Thank you Roberto and Yakson. Roberto still potentially has two more small jobs to finish up with us at the Camilo Zapata School, including the installation of new glass window panels and the reparation of approximately 50 broken desks.

The other large project that needed finishing up at the school is the latrine system. This has been a project two to three years in the making. It is a very exciting time for the school to finally have bathrooms which are almost completely functional.

Carpenter Abran Hildalgo, who has been working as head carpenter of Rancho Esperanza for the past several years, has been in charge of the last carpentry job for this latrine system. Abran was the lead carpenter in charge of making the doors, repairing door frames, and hanging the doors. All his work has been completed, and looks and works wonderfully. Abran’s work has been so meticulous that I saw it fit to give him a big surprise. On top of a small amount of pay, Abran received a new skill saw, which he has been saving his money to purchase for the last several months. This will go along great with his recent gift of an electric drill from Rancho Esperanza!

This means that projects at the school are winding to a close. Biographies are still being written for the sponsored students and will be completed and e-mailed to their sponsors soon. It has been hard and slow process as lately there have been many long lasting power outages due to the crazy amounts of rain we have been getting here. More to come as my stay winds to an end!

Sports Equipment, Baseball Team, and Other projects

Things have been moving slowly but surely. Current projects include, finish repairing the bathrooms, comic books, repairing the hole in the roof over the 2nd and 3rd grade classroom, fixing and adding new window panes, and fixing about 50 broken desks at the school. Most work is scheduled for tomorrow so I will have more updates soon.

One project which has been almost completely finished is the purchase of sports equipment for the primary school. Recently a family from Portland, Maine was down working in the community. Their visit was cut a little short due terrible weather and a bit of flooding, but their love and dedication to the community of Jiquilillo will never go unnoticed. They provided medical advice and supplies to the local clinic, activities for the after-school program, a inter-active comic book project also completed by a school in Maine, and lots and lots of sports equipment for the local primary school. Jiquilillo says "THANK YOU" to Elsa, Tom, Nick, Ashley, Alex, Lisa and Steve the Perkins and DiGiovanni Family! So far their monetary donation for sports equipment has been able to buy 10 soccer balls, 6 soft bouncy balls for the younger children, 4 jump ropes, 200 marbles, 4 cones, with more to come soon. The teachers of the local primary school in Jiquilillo, have set up a stipulation with the students that they are only allowed to use this equipment during recess, and only if they have completed their chores of cleaning up the school property. So far this system is working, we'll see if they can keep it up!! More photos of the kids and their new sports equipment to come soon.

So I'm not sure if any of you Assist Jiquilillo Inc. supporters where aware that we had been sponsoring the Jiquilillo's youth baseball team, by providing food and fresh juice to be delivered to every game. There is however sad news in this story. The gentleman who has promised to provide transportation and uniforms, has after only two or three games, pulled his funding. I am still waiting to find out if the baseball teams coach can arrange for other transportation, however it is honestly looking grim. The kids were great kids and they created a great team. I'll keep you posted as time progresses.

I'll be here in Jiquilillo, Nicaragua only until August 26th, so lets hope all these projects can wind up soon!!!!

Changes, Changes, and more Changes

According to the last blog about the school, bathrooms were underway and almost complete; well we are still underway, but at least a bit further along. The roof is on, three new doors have been made and two have been hung. A new unexpected problem has now occurred. We have discovered that the door frames are rotten through. So, now we have to take down three doors, purchase more wood, build new frames, then finally we can install all four doors. After which we can finally remove all fecal matter and then scrub, scrub, scrub! If this is the last catch, then we should be done sooner than later. We are hiring a carpenter and really getting down to business, work should begin on Monday, as long as this new storm can hold off.

Just as this problem is noticed, we also realized that the school roof is worse off than the community originally though. There is a huge hole over the desk of the 2nd and 3rd grade teacher’s desk. Now, every time it rain Professor Virginia’s desk gets soaking wet. Thankfully we have found another carpenter who will also be able to start Monday, and using the left over roofing panels from the bathrooms he is certain that this hole can be completely covered.

Good news about the health of the students at Camilo Zapata primary school. The governments food program PIN has finally made the delivery for this semester. Every semester this program falls a bit short. However this delivery appears to be much larger than the others. We now have to purchase new food storage bins to keep animals from contaminating it. Keep your fingers crossed that it is enough! Yumm… rice, beans, fresh tortillas and a nutritious cereal drink mix made from Jicaro or Calabash fruit in English.

Still to come … the continuation and completion of the 2nd and 3rd grade comic books started by a family from Portland. Nick, Tom, Elsa, Ashley, Alex, Lisa, and Steve I promise I’m doing my best!

Flooding, Flooding, and more Flooding....

(Nate, after a long day of trench digging, shows off the depth of our new and unexpected lake)

Ok, so personal projects have been completely put on hold. I'm sorry I know that you are all patiently waiting for your children biographies, yet I'm literally knee deep in puddles throughout my home and don't really know what to do. If you can all hang tight for a little while longer it would be greatly appreciated. Here are some pictures so you can see what's going on.

(View of the property sitting in the lake. Please note that the cabanas normally sit approximately 12 inches above ground level, and as demonstrated by the far cabana, water is actually flooding in)

The reason for the flooding in a new road which has been constructed on the peninsula in order to increase tourism and foreign investment to the area. The problem with the new road is that the lovely engineer who was hired forgot to put in any type of drainage system. Instead he raised the road up at least a foot higher than it was and literally plugged up the natural drainage of the entire peninsula. It is scary to see.

(Curly enjoying the ease of drinking water from the new lake. He doesn't even have to leave the comforts of the house, just needs to get to the door.)

Over the past several days Nate and I have secured a meeting with the mayor of El Viejo and collected over 150 signatures of community members effected by flooding from the construction of this new road. Yesterday we and several community members attended the meeting. We were really hoping for the best. But honestly they say they have done nothing wrong and the flooding is on our property which is considered private property, and therefore this is now a private matter. Haha, the funny thing is if you walk the road you can see how necessary it is for them to add culverts and drainage swales. Yet they do nothing, and help with nothing. The kicker, this property is really the governments, we just rent the land from them.

The Good the Bad and well… the Flooded

It has been a very exciting and trying past couple of week. Recently we had a lovely family from Maine staying with us. Steve, the father, is a pediatrician and is planning on working in the new local health clinic run by the Ministry of Health and owned by a group of firefighters in Canada. Lisa, the mother, is has put together a program with the Rieche School in Portland, Maine making comic books. The idea is to have an exchange of second graders ideas! The children, Nick, Tom, Elsa, Ashley, and Alex, will be assisting with the comic books and participating with the after school program at Rancho Esperanza.

Working with this family has been quite a thrill. The kids added a new energy into the hostel life as well as all projects which they participated in. Lisa brought down amazing comic books from two second grade classes which were received with awe by the second and third grade class in Jiquilillo. This was the first time most of the students in the Camilo Zapata School had ever seen comic books before. Once the project was explained the students jumped right into working on their personal comic books. As they had never seen examples before it was challenging to begin, however, many of the students had ideas which really began to take shape.

The next day Steve headed out to the clinic to begin a short term working relationship with the local health workers. He had spent time in Portland, Maine, fundraising for vitamins to bring with him to be distributed in the clinic. It’s a wonderful thing to do here, especially in the community, where antibiotics are handed out for everything including the common cold. Perhaps Steve will start a new trend here in the community!

The sad news in this story is just five days after the arrival of this wonderful family, who were planning on staying at Rancho Esperanza and working in the community for two weeks, they left. They did not necessarily leave because they wanted to. They left more because they had too. This year rainy season has begun early in Nicaragua. Over a month ago Hurricane Agatha passed through Guatamala just to our north and saturated the area with rain. We have been receiving almost daily rain storms since, which have left us at Rancho Esperanza and approximately 15 other family just in Jiquilillo flooded. Steve, Lisa, and all five kids packed up and headed out to explore the cities of Nicaragua. It was just not healthy to have them stay longer in what we now refer to as the laguna. Rancho Esperanza, where I live, has since been closed since June 25. We are completely inundated with water with levels rising to above knee deep in several spots and ankle deep inside many buildings.

It has been a sad scary and frustrating time. We have not been able to do anything. Since the hostel has been closed all community projects have also been shut down. Nate, Marissa, and I have actually had to move out completely. We are currently renting a house in Jiquilillo but are hoping to get back home soon. Currently we have been digging trenches attempting to alleviate some of the puddles. It has been helping; however, it’s just not enough. This is the worst flooding we have seen in over 6 years. No one in the community remembers this amount of water coming this early during rainy season. We still have several more months to go before we hit September and October when the real rains begin. Currently we have been only two of several people who have been working to help with the problem. The current community leader has been making phone calls and has been able to get several governmental officials out to this area to see what has been happening. The sad this is they have done nothing since. Just today Nate, while in town stopped by the governmental office and was able to arrange a meeting with the Mayor which will take place on Thursday at 9:00 am. We are hoping to be able to provide transport for all affected families to make a huge point at this meeting.

It has been discussed over and over again here in this community and a conclusion has finally been made. The reason the water seems to be more this year is because of the new road. Recently the local government of El Viejo partnered with US Aid has been working on bettering the road in this community to promote tourism. The problem here is that in bettering the road, they raised the level of it and did not take into consideration that proper drainage may need to be added as well. So essentially what they have done is put a huge plug in the middle of the natural drainage of the community, in turn leading to stagnant water.

Photos and updates to come soon.

Bathrooms almost Complete!!!

Day 1: Building in poor condition, doors falling off, roof inundated with holes, latrines full and super smelly!

So after a long meeting about the rehabilitation of the bathroom structure at the primary school in Jiquilillo, the parents have begun. It was decided that we needed a week and a few days to complete the majority of the construction. The plans were that every day a group of five fathers would assist the lead carpenter Roberto Ruiz, one day would be a group of 5 mothers. This was the plan and the hopes of the entire community, everyone at the meeting seemed to be on board! So the first day of work arrives, I get to the school to help oversee the project and make sure we had all the appropriate supplies, and what happens but I get there 30 minutes late (car problems), Roberto, the lead carpenter, arrives just after me, about an hour later two fathers arrive, 30 minutes after that one more father comes. It is always funny, and a bit frustrating, to see such dedication at all the community meetings but when push comes to shove, only about half are really on board.

Day 2 & 3: Sanding down the metal cross beams of the roof structure.

Although we started the construction a bit late on day 1, we were able to push through and get all necessary work accomplished in only 3 hours! The following five days were the same, only about half the fathers or mothers showed up, if we were lucky.

Day 4: After removal of roof and grinding of metal cross beams

Eventually all construction was completed. This included removing the roof, sanding all metallic surfaces and then painting them, painting the roofing panels, and then securing them on the building. With all this done we are now only waiting a bit until I return from my boarder run, as my visa expired. The next steps include emptying the latrine chambers, completely scrubbing the building, and finally hanging the new doors which will be constructed while I am in Costa Rica.

Day 5: Using a new liquid paint remover to remove remaining paint and begin cleaning building.

All in all, this has been a very successful project. The community has been able to take complete ownership of this project. Assist Jiquilillo, Inc., has only provided funds to secure all necessary materials (which were fairly expense for the typical income here in Nicaragua). This in turn is just greasing the wheel for the community who was able to muster all necessary man/woman power needed to complete a project to better the lives of their children! I am proud to be able to be a part of this!

More pictures soon once everything is done!

Bathrooms underway, if the rains can slow…

Just the other day while I was simply cleaning the library anticipating the arrival of the schools’ director; I noticed a strange sight. Slowly mothers and fathers began to filter into the school property. Some mothers came into the library and chatted and helped me clean, others hung around outside as if waiting for their children to be released from class. The metal pipes clanged signifying that the school day was over, and the children ran out the doors screaming in joy. This all occurring at only 10:30, about an hour and a half before the normal release. As several mothers and I continued to clean they began to ask me what today’s meeting was about. I answered slightly confused that I was unaware of who was presented at today’s’ meeting. This created several chuckles and then I realized that I was the one presenting at the meeting. Sweat began to pour off my brow and butterflies magically appeared in my stomach, as I realized how completely unprepared I was for said meeting.

I set off down the hall to chat with the teachers, who used their magic teacher calming skills to alleviate all fears. We began to prepare key points I should be addressing and 5 minutes later about 40 parents filtered into the classroom. Thankfully the crowd was small and many of them I considered good friends of mine. It was slightly reassuring looking out into the crowd about to give a presentation that I had no idea I would be giving.

Slowly I began, as I always begin… “Good morning and thank you all for taking your time to come today. As all of you know Spanish is not my first language and I still have difficulties, if you do not understand me please do not hesitate to stop me.” This raised a good chuckle as always. I continued on about how I have been slightly disappointed with the parent – school participation or lack thereof; to how I’ve been working in the Library Tuesdays and Thursdays; then onto how I have several projects I’d like to see completed before my departure this year, including a simple desalinization plant for the well and the repairs of the main latrine facility; then finally about future project ideas including the installation of electricity through the main power company.

The result of the meeting was such. The bathroom project will begin on Tuesday June 1st and continue through Monday, June 7th The anticipate plan of attack is I will meet the head construction man and a group of 5 fathers 6:30am Tuesday morning with all the supplies loaded up. Tuesday the roof will come off the building and sanding of the metal surfaces will commence, Wednesday sanding will continue and potentially painting will begin, Thursday painting will be finished, Friday the new roof will be installed with all finishing touches to be completed Monday the 7th. This is the plan, but who really knows if this will actually happen as planned… We are now fighting nature as it has been raining nonstop for the past two days, keep your fingers crossed that the rain slows and the clouds lift!

Just a quick update on the sponsorships, all sponsorship packages have been distributed, we are now only waiting until I complete the biographies and photos of all families. It should be just two more weeks before you all get your information!!! Thanks for your patience.

Science Books!!!

So I've got some fun news from the Science world. A lovely woman from California, whom my mother met on a book exchange website, has become the schools new godmother of Science. She has managed to compile over 30 used but in perfect condition Spanish Science books. These will be used in the 5th and 6th grade classroom. Both teacher and students are incredibly excited and spent their recess (break) poking through the books. It was really fun to see the fascination and interest from the students. These are the first really good science books that they have been exposed to! Thank you Mariana!

Students sponsorships have been passed out. I will be beginning the biography's on Thursday for all 18 students. You will get your bios' soon!

Sorry for no News My Folks are here!!!

I think the title says it all but, well the last post never went up as we had a cloud covered day and go figure the internet doesn't work when there are clouds. And then to boot my parents showed up on the 2nd, and I've been enjoying every second with them. Sadly but surely today was the last day and I sent them on a plane around Noon. So just to update as you may have all guessed I only have time and energy to tackle my internet post and e-mails on Wednesday. So I'm trying.

Tomorrow is the day to finish the shoe and notebook purchases for the 18 sponsored students. It is exciting! Hopfully there is enough time, as I'm working around a bus schedule this time. Hmm.... also as my parents got a taste of what one would think will only take 2 minutes in 1 store, ends up taking 6 hours and having to hunt down Eduardo around the corner, then Pablo around the next corner, then Mario 6 blocks down, and well before you know it it's dark and you've already missed your ride home. So keep your fingers crossed and we'll see what tomorrow brings.

Oh and for all you Maine folks, I saw the funniest thing today while in Chinandega. A Gobiel's furniture truck. So if anyone is in contact with them. Let them know they are famous even down in Nicaragua!!!

Roof Plans Change Again... and Other News

This is written on February 24th. Yesterday was a school day and it was an interesting day to say the least. Several community members had approached me with questions regarding the schools roof. Just an update, as of the most recent town meeting the town had decided that it was a good idea to change the roof of the school. They felt that although the cost would be high it was important to make sure that they school was secure from the rain before additional expensive materials were added to the building. Therefore I was a bit surprised to be approached so recently after the town meeting.

It turns out the community has decided that they are not sure how they feel about change the entire roof. They feel that the panels are structurally sound enough and will last several more years. To prove this a carpenter in the community climbed up to the roof and walked around surveying the roof itself. Just as he was telling me how structurally sound each panel was, and there was no need to worry... he fell through. He didn't fall through all the way, just a foot through the roof panel, but still, it was just perfectly appropriate. Honestly, I don't think anything better could have happened to prove my point.

However, now the problem is that I have a hole in the roof of the school directly above the classroom with the library. I have a town who does not want to change the roof to aluminum because the material is thin and they are not sure how long it will wear. I have over 1,000 screws which need to be changed in order to secure the current roof in place. I have over 216 delicate roof panels that need to be taken off in order to change the screws. And all the panels are currently made out of asbestos.

What to do what to do.... I think this project may take a bit more planning and may be waiting for next year; which is absolutely fine. I will get a very light weight person up on the roof to fix the new hole and several of the old damaged roof panels; I do not think it is even appropriate to change the screws as it will be very damaging to the roof panels itself. I hope the town understands. I will surely find out at the next meeting. Therefore, I've decided to start the bathroom, which I have been given the go ahead to use the aluminum as a trial. This way we can find out for how long an aluminum roof can last.

Other news includes school sponsorships. Tomorrow I will be heading back into Chinandega to exchange several of the uniforms which were not the right sizes, purchase one more backpack, and purchase all the shoes for the 18 students. New sponsors are continuing to join and sooner than later I think I may be able to begin sponsoring several additional children.

Uniforms and Backpacks Purchased

Quick note regarding last weeks post. I had mentioned that the government was supplying textbooks for grades 1 through 6. Please note that this is a typo and it should have read, the government is supplying textbooks for 1st grade through 3rd grade. I have been able to supply the textbooks for 4th, 5th and 6th grade. Sorry for this misunderstanding. The above picture shows Johana using one of these textbooks to work on her homework!

As for projects going this week it has been a very exciting week packed with great news. Monday I was able to get into Chinandega for several hours to begin the purchased for the students which are being sponsored this year. As I got late start due to an unexpected school meeting I was only able to purchase the uniforms, backpacks and a small start to the necessary school supplies. I am hoping to make it back into town Monday or Tuesday of next week to look for shoes, and the remaining necessary school supplies.

Other exciting news about the school includes a roof raising party. We are still working out the logistics of this party, but the community is totally behind it and I think it will work out well. The main objective is for community members to raise enough money to change the entire roof of the school. Currently we are using asbestos roofing panels held on the roof with large screws. The original idea for roof repairs was to only change the roofing screws, as the majority are rusted through. However, the more we looked at the roof we realized that to change any of the screws we would have to remove the entire roofing panel put in a new screw and then put the roof panel back on and tighten it down. Upon this discovery we, as a community, decided it would not only be damaging to the roofing panels by weakening them, but it would also create asbestos dust in all classrooms. This was unacceptable not only to me but to the community members, as it puts them and their children in danger. Therefore, we have decided to flip flop our yearly budget a bit, and have re-worked things so that we are only slightly short for the roofing materials. The community has decided to take part in raising the additional money by throwing a party and collecting money for a 50/50 raffle. All in all it seems like a great idea, but only time will tell.

For questions and comments please e-mail me at helpinginnicaragua.gmail.com

So a quick update we are now in our second week of school and attendance has increased from just a few students on the first day to around 115 students! The government has been working hard this year and has been able to provide textbooks for all students, grades 1 through 6, who were enrolled before the 1^st day of school. I have also been able to make my first trip into the city to start buying supplies for the school. Tomorrow I will be heading into the school to distribute notebooks, pencils, erasers, and pencil sharpeners for each student. The other day I purchased enough supplies for 200 students even though there are less students in the school, I figure better safe than sorry.

For the school itself I purchased 36 textbooks for 4^th, 5^th, and 6^th grade, 20 packs of modeling clay, clear tape, boxes of chalk, poster paper, markers, and plastic food storage bins for the food coming from the world food program. For the property maintenance I have purchased the first batch of fencing to keep out the animals, and did some double checking on prices for several expenses including a new aluminum roof for both the bathroom and the school which will get rid of the asbestos roof the school is currently using. The problem however is that is will cost a total of $3,535 just for the main school building. This cost includes 216 aluminum roofing panels and all necessary screws. As for the bathroom it seems that the original expenses were priced too high meaning the budget can be cut by almost half, which is exciting as it provides more money for the potential main roof project, or for the potential solar water purification project!

All in all the projects appear to have full community backing. The fencing for the school property will be put up by Maciel, her husband, and her children living directly across the street from the school. As for the roof project a committee of three have been formed to collect money from the community members in order to help pay for manual labor. Community members feel that it is very important that the lead carpenter of this roofing project feel compensated for their time and efforts. Therefore Nelson, Geronimo, and Alin will be working together on this collection, we will see if we are able to raise sufficient funds.

Next week we have another parents meeting, on the 16^th, to discuss more options and make sure we are all in agreement as to what the best plan for the school repairs are. On the 16^th we will also find out how much money the committee has been able to raise. Next week the teachers and I are hoping to have a chance to sit down and choose all the students which will be sponsored this year at the primary school. We have put if off this long so that we are able to see which students are actually interested in attending school and we have been double checking the necessity of all students. I am hoping for the best and will keep you all posted as to the progress.

School Starts Tuesday February 2!

So just a quick update about life here in Jiquilillo, Nicaragua. As some may know I now have access to internet right here in my home, where I am sitting by the beach soaking up the shade on this 90 degree day! Sorry for those still in the snow, vacation anyone?!

So good news first school starts this coming Tuesday February 2nd, and I have been able to raise what appears to be enough money to fulfill all projects goals for the year of 2010 with the exception of sponsoring 9 secondary school students ( this is the high school level). Projects scheduled for this year of 2010 include sponsoring 24 primary school students or four students in grades 1 though 6. All students will be chosen within the first week of school. with appropriate materials purchased shortly thereafter. Other plans include completely restoring the current bathroom facility; securing the main school structure with new locks on the doors, window panes, and new screws to hold the roof on; a small amount of grounds maintenance for the school yard potentially including a new entrance gate, and pulley system for the current well; a multitude of supplies for the teachers and students to help bring learning to a higher level; and the constant expansion of the library. Originally I had budgeted in money to pay for the city water which the school uses for the students to drink and brush their teeth, however, this year I have been given a wonderful water purification/desalinization design which is quite within my budgeted goals. Therefore we may be able to get drinkable water out of this well yet!! A special donation of $200 was given by the Rotary Daybreak of Cape Elizabeth and South Portland, so I think I will be using half to start the school on city water and the other half to get this project lifted off the ground!

To back up a bit since my arrival on December 4th. Nate and I have recently moved into our new home so honestly that move occupied most of the month of December. X-mas with the little guys in the community went well. We had approximately 150 children signed up for gifts and a few extras who showed up a bit unannounced. Everything worked out fine though, Nate and I always buy in bulk as a just in case process. After Christmas New Years was celebrated with a s

mall bonfire on the beach with our guests and friends from the community.

Sadly, however, shortly after New Years another fishing boat was lost to sea. The boat was on a two night trip with three men on board. The second night into the voyage gale force winds came up out of nowhere and capsized the boat about four days later two of three men were found floating between 30 and 40 miles from where the boat capsized. One man was floating on the top of a cooler bin while the other man had tied himself and the third man together to a small buoy for the fishing nets. According to the men the third man cut himself free in a delirious state and they were unable to get him back. This is sad new

s, but the beauty is two were found alive and are now well and leading their lives as normal!

On a different note, the school sign up for classes is complete and we have just under 150 students enrolled in 1st grade through 6th grade. The teachers and I spent Monday of last week cleaning out the library in the school and beginning the reorganization process. Tuesday we met over a lovely grilled fish lunch to discuss my goals and other ideas for the school year. The teachers are excited to get things underway and see where this year takes us.

For those who are still interested, my paperwork process is underway for my 501(c)(3) non-profit status. I will continue to keep you all abreast regarding this process as well as the school projects. For those who have made donations towards specific projects I will also be keeping you updated via e-mail. This year as I have internet at home, I am hoping to keep in touch a bit more frequently than I have been able to over the past several years. If I am slow to respond please know I am doing my best!

The well at the Camilo Zapata Primary School in Jiquilillo

As I mentioned in my last blog post, we had some difficulties in starting the well. These difficulties were all frustrating but most were comical to be a part of. First, the well was started once by another organization and then two times by me before it was completed. As you may know the teachers and community members and I have been talking about the construction of a well for over two years now; so it was amazing to see if finally taken from start to eventually finish this year! So sit back, and enjoy the journey as the quasi comedy unfolds.

For starters, this year, the well was started by a newer hotel in the area of Jiquilillo. They came in full force with lots of man power and started digging, in what the teachers later told me was not an ideal area for a well. So, they broke cement and dug and dug, then purchased supplies and left. They actually left before the well was completely dug, and just left the supplies at the school. The sad part is, this was a group of volunteers from this other hotel in the area who really thought they were doing something good for the community. The problem: the volunteers didn't have enough time, the project was not headed by someone capable to actually complete it, and for the material to build the well they were using metal barrels which say "dangerous chemicals," and previously contained both paint and glue. The teachers and I were devastated, this well project by this other hotel in the area was unexpected, unplanned, and in the end almost unwanted. It was a cheap cry to pretend to help. The following is a picture of the barrels showing they are dangerous and say chemicals these were two of three barrels they were using to complete the well. So after scratching our heads, lots of meetings, a quick change in my plans, and a couple hundred dollars later the teachers, community, students, and the Assist Jiquilillo, Inc, and the owner of Rancho Esperanza, came up with a solution. We had no choice but to fix the situation. So we made some calls and rounded up some appropriate building materials and had a delivery made to the school!

With both deliveries complete we were able to get the help of all students, several parents, and the crew from Rancho Esperanza to help unload:

These are photo's of the two deliveries we received which included: 400+ cement blocks, construction sand, zinc, wood, nails, and a few other supplies. Also the pictures on the right are of the school children, teachers, fathers, and staff and friends of Rancho Esperanza lending a hand!

All materials were unloaded and put into an unused classroom in the Primary School. This room is the old Director's office, as the director of the school now has an office at the secondary school about forty-five minutes outside of Jiquilillo. The teachers and I decided this was the best place to store the building supplies until the time was right to start construction.

So now the real fun begins. After several more community meetings and little push from me with Assist Jiquilillo, Inc. we were able to start construction. This means first you have to dig a really big square hole. Let me tell this is not the best part, at all. So, we dig, and we dig, and we dig some more; the going is real slow as we are trying to dig through clay. Thankfully we had the help from Marcel a father of several students at the primary school, Roberto (not pictured here) also a father of several students, Aldrin a community member and son to the pre-school teacher, management from Rancho Esperanza and several friends who were staying at a nearby hotel as guests. With all this said and done, we worked for about two weeks, and, only managed to dig about 5 measly feet out of the 12 to 15 that we would need. It was a sad and frustrating time, but we needed a break, so we took a few days off and then started work again, only to find that the rains were about to begin and collapse our beautiful yet small hole for the well. This lead us to more community meetings, a well needed rest from the back breaking work, and finally plan number 2.

Plan number 2 seemed easy, fill in hole, find new location, and well start all over again. Finally we begin. Our work force consists of: Pedro, the president of the school committee at the time, Amanda and Roberto parents of several children who attend school, Jackson a 13 year old student at the primary school (not pictured here), Carlos another 13 year old student, several other students, Juan a prior student of this primary school, several other parents of students, me with Assist Jiquilillo, Inc., and guests and management at Rancho Esperanza. So we dig, and we dig, and we dig some more; the going however is super easy; it's all sand (which is a plus as it's said to be a better filtration system) and complete the digging of the well in only 4 hours. It was miraculous! The next day construction begins. We lay cement blocks and cement them in place, until the structure is approximately 5 feet high! Next we wait, and we wait, and we wait some more. The rains began to fall again and we all get a little nervous that the hole and the structure will collapse. A couple days later, once everything was dry again Robert, our lead mason and father of several students, with his assistant Jackson, a student, finished the well! The major problem, which we thought we may face, was the water was brackish. However, the teachers and students are excited at the idea of having access to water for washing their hands, and cleaning the school and latrines. Therefore, even though the water is brackish the well was very necessary. Plus Assist Jiquilillo, Inc. currently has drinking water bused in from the city of Chinandega on a weekly basis.

Several days later, with the remaining blocks, Don Roberto and Jackson built a hand washing and cleaning station. Their dedication and persistence has led to amazing changes for the Camilo Zapata Primary School of Jiquilillo. Next year we are hoping to install a pulley system for hauling water from the well, and in the future a hang pump system to make hauling water a much easier experience. The teachers and I have spoken and would like to make sure that only a little bit is done each year on each project. This is so the students can be a part of the process and see how much work and persistence is needed to make a change and keep the change working for the best! Through the construction of this well I've learned cutting corners isn't worth it, the students and the school are too important to suffer. I've also learned that although things may seem easy at first, there are hidden complications which need perseverance and a lot of community involvement to overcome. If Assist Jiquilillo, Inc. hadn't been able to supply the materials and community had not been willing to work to better their own lives and the lives of their children, this project never would have come together the way it had. I am very proud and very happy especially in thinking of all the people who have lent a hand, this makes me smile yet also makes me shed a tear for joy, because I have never felt a part of a community like I do now. Even though the well took longer than anticipated, the community participation was not as much as I had hoped for; it was completed, and completed by several very dedicated men and women. It feels empowering, knowing that you not only have the support from your friends and family but also from an entire community!

Great Projects Complete! More Ideas Brewing!

So I’ve finally found more than 10 minutes to sit down and write about my adventures in Jiquilillo since February. As usual, I wish I had kept better notes on everything that happened. During my stay in the community from January 28 until September 17th I saw a family of five fishermen lost at sea and never heard from again, two homes burn down, one woman leave her abusive husband, at least five new healthy babies born, several trips to the hospital, children break bones and heal quite nicely, properties transferred, and major renovations at the school including a well (started three separate times and finally completed), two new latrines, a food storage area, and a small new Spanish library.

As you all know my main focus in the community of Jiquilillo is the children, with a current focus on the local public primary school. Last year, thanks to many people caring about this community and making donations, I was able to sponsor children to attend school, purchase a vehicle to be used as a community ambulance, bring in well needed simple supplies to the local public primary school including pens, paper, calculators, maps, dictionaries, and much more.

This year I was also able to complete some exciting new projects. After many meetings with the head teacher of the school, the community leaders, the school committee, the parents, and even the children, I was able to pick and choose a few projects which were considered the most important for this year. We were also able to compile a list of projects to be completed within the next two to five years. This year’s projects were more about maintenance and the functionality of the school rather than specifically focusing on the education. This doesn’t mean programs to improve the educational needs weren’t also addressed.

Starting with the fun stuff, the educational improvements include new textbooks for the teachers so the students can work in small groups using 2009 textbooks as opposed to the old outdated textbooks they were previously using. Basic supplies including notebooks, paper, markers, pencils, erasers, and pencil sharpeners. This year the teachers decided sponsorships were not as important as last year as almost all the students had a one uniform. The teachers and school committee thought it may be more beneficial to provide sufficient supplies to the school including notebooks and pencils which could be distributed by the teachers accordingly. This honestly seems to be working quite well this year. Perhaps we will go back to the normal sponsorships as in 2008 for next year or keep it the same; however, this all depends on the teachers and the community members.

As for larger functional projects, well this was actually fun too, and includes some pretty major work in my mind. First, a well was started by another hotel in the area; however their volunteers working on this project returned to their homes before finishing the project leaving a gaping hole and toxic metal barrels in the school yard. The teachers and I decided this was not appropriate or acceptable. A bit of brainstorming, a change of my original plans to build a food storage facility for the school, a couple days, and a couple hundred dollars later, a huge truck filled with all necessary building supplies arrived (bags of cement, several hundred cement blocks, construction sand, nails, lumber, zinc, and cement pillars).

The community all joined forces, and after only a little difficulty in organizing many people began to dig and construct a well, two latrines, and a sink/washing station. (Refer to the pictures). During all this exciting construction not only was I able to lend a hand but I also managed to round up an excited owner and some motivated guests and volunteers from Rancho Esperanza to assist with a school property clean up including trash removal and tree and shrub trimming. After the completion of all construction projects and cleaning, I was able to start what I had really been excited about, a food storage unit for the school lunch program associated with the World Food Program, and a mini community Library. Just take a peek!

I’ll post more information soon; I’ve got tons of photos and would really like to get into more detail on the projects. The school and I are excited about several projects for the upcoming year including the expansion of the library, (a generous supporter has just donated 160+ children’s Spanish books), reparations of the school structure including an entire new roof, reparations of the old latrine systems, and a mangrove reforestation project on the school property. These were just a few ideas the teachers, community leaders, school committee, and I were mulling over. However, we’ve got plenty of time to think some more. Enjoy and please drop me a line, I’m in the United States only until December 3, 2009.

Stephany (Estefani) Guyot

Craziness in Jiquilillo and not the good kind

Right now, I don't even know where to begin. Things have been soooo insane this week I don't even know how Nate and I are still standing and moving. To start things off Wednesday, February 4th our friend Oscar lost his small store known as Tina Mata in Los Zorros. Although this store was small it was one store which was growing within the communities. They were expanding with Nate's help to include a small menu in both spanish and english. Nate and I, along with his guests played firefighters for approximately 3 hours before the actual firefighters showed up. The entire building was lost in a matter of minutes, but we were at least able to control the fire enough to keep it from spreading.

Most recently, Nate and I have been exhausting our energy attempting to find resources to help a group of five fishermen who have now been lost at sea for 6 days. We are at our wits end. Due to high winds here in Nicaragua the Guardia will not release any boats nor helicopters to help. We've even tried Costa Rica and the US both to no avail. Together we've spent a total of $500 on gasoline for several boats to go out and search however, the guardia has asked that no more boats go out as the seas are too bad. This makes sense, but is very very frustrating. We need the US Coast Guard here, with their big machines. However, according to Lieutenant Martin in Alemeda, California there is no US help within 500 miles and they therefore are unable to help. I know this is protocol but it is soooo hard to deal with.

Nate and I are soooo exhausted, yet we don't know when these ordeals will ever stop. Everyone keep us in mind and if you have any connections please let us know! My cell is 011 505 473 9011 and the number to the hostel is 011 505 879 1795.

I'm HERE!!!

I know it’s been a long time since I’ve written. I’ve been crazy busy and was hoping to get an e-mail out to you all before I headed back down to Nicaragua. That however, did not happen, and well I’m here! As you know it’s always hard for me to adjust but it’s been a few days now and I think I’ve got the hang of it again. Classes are to start this week so I will be walking the kids to school every day! I’m hoping this will increase the motivation in the community which appears relatively low this year. It’s sad but as always the issue is well mom and dad just can’t afford the supplies. I’ve been on the lookout for materials and need to speak with all teachers about the sponsorships. So if you sponsored a child last year and would like to continue the cost is still a mear $60 for the primary school attendance. Nate, the owner of Rancho Esperanza, and I have been playing with the idea of sponsoring secondary school children however costs would be $175 per year and bus fare is required by each student. The secondary school is still only a thought, but we really like the idea of giving more opportunities to the students. The main reason for not attending secondary school is the cost of the bus.

The ambulance has only been used once this year, which is a good thing as it is in major need of repairs. Current problems include new rear brakes and a new clutch. Nate and I just repaired the supports and had the car re-aligned. The road really seems to be taking it’s toll on this vehicle. This years ambulance run was for an elder gentleman who had broken his arm and dislocated his shoulder in a fishing accident. Nate transported him to a local healer, who set his arm and spent an hour massaging his shoulder back into place. Therefore, a successful trip!

Kids club has been going strong and Nate has informed me that a new generation of children are now joining the ranks. Therefore we need to find something to do with our older kids who feel silly still coming. I’m hoping to help support a Saturday baseball league which has begun to pop up! However, club attendance has been averaging at 20 kids per day. A far cry from the 40 to 60 which we had earlier, but I figure with school starting up again, word will spread fast and the kids will return in full force.

Donations are still being excepted so if you’re interested we could always use a hand. Please make checks payable to the Assist Jiquilillo Fun and send to:
Assist Jiquilillo Fund
284 Range Road
Cumberland, Maine 04021