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!