From the perspective of everyone who participated this Mission trip was a total success and achieved the goals we set out for the Mission. Before I go into details I would just like to comment on why this Mission is so important. Leaving politics aside because although we cannot condone what has happened we cannot risk even commenting on those issues. What I can say is that most of the people on the government side at our level were very cooperative and had the same interests of the people at heart to improve their life. If people left the country or tried to migrate most did so for safety reasons( political or gang related) or to get out of the abject poverty that we see here every day. The conditions in some rural areas are every bit as bad as Africa or  3rd world countries and most are worse that our Northern Communities. We never felt threatened or unsafe during our stay and we never had anything stolen. Whether we like it or not we are one world and North America is our continent to share and help.

We have many people to thank for this Mission. The Rotary Club of Stratford and the Charitable Foundation and the International Committee have been totally onside and very helpful with our endeavors. Although we may have given our treasurers a few gray hairs I hope they realize how important and appreciated their efforts have been. Also the Executive of Janice, Laura, Pam, Jessica, David, Pat, and Miriam have worked tirelessly on our behalf. This is not a two week affair but consumes 52 weeks of the year. Thirdly I would like to thank all the members of the Mission Team this year who took a chance in going in uncertain times and who worked incredibly hard and meshed perfectly as a team. NPH Nicaragua and Edgar and Marlon did a wonderful job as usual as our hosts and in providing our infra structure but also made us feel totally welcome. Our local team of translators and our cook Eva made our stay all the more effective and pleasant. These are our friends not our employees. Special thanks also to Ontario Home Health for shipping our Container and Doug Pinder for likewise helping and allowing us to store contents in his container. Thanks go also to our many supporters such as the Gleaners of Cambridge who supplied 8000 lbs of food to fill a lot of hungry stomachs, Jim Kelly and the Dental society for the help with dental products, Romeo Optometry and Joan, St James Church and Tom and the other churches that gave us clothing and dolls  and other supplies. The dolls made many children happy and may have been their only toy. Also Thank you ADIDAS for the 350 new shoes you donated. Many worn out sandals have been replaced by spanking new runners and happy feet. Many have never had a pair of new shoes. Of course Spruce lodge and the many people there who donated equipment dental and other supplies. Thanks also to the Lion's recycle for Sight for the 1000 pairs of sunglasses and reading glasses you donated. To the sponsors of our many fundraisers and to the people who donated money or in kind we also say thank you.

Now for what we have done and have planned for the next year.

Luckily our 40 foot container arrived just before our arrival. It was sorted by our team and dispensed to our various project sites. Equipment and Medical supplies wheelchairs and Walkers went to the Nandaime Hospital, NPH Medical Clinic, a Senior's Home and Maternity house for moms and our villages. The clothing and blankets and food went to NPH, our Villages and many needy families in areas we visited. Our 15 computers loaded with a library or 12000 books and many educational programs went to our two Village schools, worthy university students in the NPH house in Managua, courtesy of the Mayor of Nandaime to other needy schools in the area, to an Adult literacy program in our villages and one to Samaratana House on Ometepe Island where disabled children are looked after.

Even the pails and barrels that the food was transported in were gobbled up by our communities for water containment and distribution.

We bought 2 pigs ( 1 month old  boy and girl) for one family with donors previously arranged. We brought down 10 luminex solar lights to try in houses without electricity which was a great success, to provide good light for up to 8 hrs through the evening and night for a family that might otherwise remain in darkness. Many more are needed.

We visited our 3 communities and provided support and assessment of our projects there which include our 3 drilled wells , food distribution and our sewing projects . Three extra sewing machines were bought and provided for that project and material for 50 school uniforms was purchased for our sewing group in San Luis  to kick start that program.

We provided school supplies and one text book for all grades in all subjects at $12 US per book for all three villages. The teachers will be able to photocopy worksheets from these books for the students.

We delivered firefighting equipment donated by Andy Evans from Saugeen area to Nandaime and Rivas, two communities badly in need of the equipment.

Safe and clean drinking water is still our major focus in the area. We met with the Mayor and Alcaldia of the area to plan our strategy going forward. They indicated they desperately need more wells drilled in villages with no effective wells. They have to truck in water twice a week dispensed from a tanker into every type of container imaginable but none or which looked very sanitary. We felt we could probably manage two wells in very deserving communities. Nandarola which was one of the first wells we drilled needs to advance their system to an electric pump, water tower and piping down the main corridors. We discussed a cost sharing effort going forward for that project. The second well we drilled at San Luis, again their only source of clean and safe water needs to have the pump upgraded. The 3rd well in la Flor needs to have testing done on water and slight odour of sulfide rectified. We are working on all these issues with the local government officials. They have agreed to cost share and supervise the projects and do the initial engineering and planning required. Porvenir and Rob Bell came down for a day to visit our sites and to advise us about our water projects, as well and provide guidance from their extensive experience in the area.

We got our pilot stove project off the ground this year. As we have indicated previously they cook on open fires very inefficiently and the smoke in their small kitchens is a hazard to the health of the whole family. We chose Prolena/Ecofogon as our supplier of a beautiful eco-friendly stove. We put 6 stove in Nandarola on a cost sharing basis ($200 discount by us of 95%), secured a contract from the recipients and we have the option of purchasing the technology so they can build their own in the future. When we asked the community who might want such a stove we had 100% buy in so we had to do a lottery to assign the initial six. We were able to see that completed while we were here.

We are very excited about our Garden project. We chose Nandarola as our pilot project. The land there is barren; their yards devoid of much vegetation and only very traditional crops are grown there in the rainy season. Thank you Pat Feryn and Jane for your guidance and direction on this project. Ten families agreed to participate. We bought all the basic gardening tools for them including shovels, machetes, rakes hoes, axes, iron bars , fencing, watering cans and spray bottles and two wheelbarrows. However we realized that would not be enough unless we had someone skilled to work with them whom they trusted. It is going to take time and some modern technology to renew the soil and conserve water for the dry season. We found such a person in Jimmy Espinoza whom we have known for a while and has worked for us in the past as a translator. We signed a contract with him and we are optimistic the project will provide better garden produce for the families and in the future cash crops and fruit for the market. Wish us luck! We visited organic farms in the area so we know it can be done.

The other big need is for a second-hand school bus for NPH. There present bus is unsafe and falling apart. I cannot explain well enough the great job they do in providing education both Primary , Secondary and industrial for the children, not only in the orphanage but they are now also mandated to take about 180 disadvantaged  children from the communities around for 8 hrs per day with very little funding. The moral guidance and family life they provide these children is immeasurable to their future success. The school bus is needed to transport these children to and from the orphanage.

So what do we need to do. We need your help to donate or help us fundraise for the following projects. Keep in mind we all work for free so we have no administrative cost.

If you would like to donate go onto the Rotary Club of Stratford website and under donate there is a COMMIT area. We are not sure how much we can do but hope there are lots of humanitarian people in the world and we have an ambitious fund raising team and list of events in the upcoming year.

Respectfully submitted,

Doug Thompson for the Rotary Club of Stratford Charitable Foundation and COMMIT team

Bob

BLOG, JANUARY 31ST

Thursday, January 31st

Another day comes to a close in this beautiful country of Nicaragua. We are thoroughly enjoying the warm weather, especially when we hear from home how cold it has been. Going for a speed walk in the morning requires putting on shorts, a t-shirt and a pair of running shoes unlike what it would require in Canada at the moment.

This morning we had an interesting and informative meeting with the mayor of Nandaime. Many things were discussed and agreed upon concerning wells and our water projects. We discussed the roles of COMMIT, the villagers and the government in relation to our planned projects. On the table are the drilling of two wells, and the further development of the other three already functioning in La Flor, San Luis and Nandarola.  

After the mayor and engineer left we jumped into the truck and headed to Nandarola where Eco-Fogan had started to install/build the new stoves. The road to Nandarola has many speed bumps built into it. Bob commented that this was ironic as the road itself is a speed bump. Riding along in the truck requires constant readjusting of one's position as we are jostled about, driving through the many ruts, holes, rivers and bumps on our way there. It certainly is always an adventure getting there with the different livestock using it as a fairway. Dogs walk down the centre of the highway and refuse to move, and herds of cattle clog the road and require us either to slow down or stop to let them pass. The cattle here are super cute with their huge brown eyes and big floppy ears.

Once we arrived in Nandarola and found where Eco-Fogan was building the new stoves, we discovered that they were actually building them outside their houses instead of removing the old stove and putting the new one in its place. The intent is for them to use these stoves exclusively so the other stoves need to be decommissioned. We were thankful that we had arrived before the rest of the stoves were installed and insisted that the stoves go inside the houses. COMMIT had the 6 lottery winners of the stoves sign a contract that they would use the stove exclusively, maintain it and discuss the technology with the rest of the village. Once we see that the people are willing to use these eco-friendly stoves which will better their health, we plan to launch a village wide installation of stoves in every household. This would take place this fall or next January. These stoves are much better for their respiratory health and will use less wood too.

Our highlight of the day was giving out the Adidas running shoes to the NPH children. They were thrilled to receive the shoes and we even made a short video. Each child and caregiver also received a pair of sunglasses donated by the Lion's recycle for sight. The children enjoyed posing for pictures and we enjoyed seeing their smiling and happy faces. We are so thankful to our many sponsors for their very generous donations to the people of Nicaragua.

We were also excited to meet Clyde, the male pig that Doug had purchased for Orland'o's family to breed. Clarabell seemed much more relaxed and happy today to have a pen mate.

Adios

Janice

BLOG-JANUARY 29TH

Tuesday, January 29th

Our day dawned cooler than usual with the familiar sounds of chickens clucking, roosters crowing, cats meowing, birds chirping, dogs barking and howler monkeys grunting in their low rumbling voices from behind the visitor's casa.

Rob from El Porvenir arrived at noon for a lunch meeting with us. El Porvenir is an NGO involved in water, sanitation hygiene and conservation/reforestation. Most of their projects are in the northern part of Nicaragua but being a Canadian from Nova Scotia, he was willing to come advise his fellow Canadians on their water project in Nandarola.

After loading up the two trucks with our garden supplies and tools, donated Adidas shoes and photocopying paper we  headed out to the village of Nandarola. We arrived at the remote village and headed to the well for a town meeting with a representative from the mayor's office and the village leaders. It was a sight to behold as our small group of 8 people exploded into a large assembly of people from the village, eager to see what we were up to. They came and they came and they came. Small children ran about playing with each other, dogs weaved in and out of the throng and some passed out in the heat of the day at our feet. Women breastfed their infants sitting or standing,  the elderly came with their canes and sat under the shade of the canopy over the well while others sought shade from the trees nearby. Everyone strained to hear what the group of Canadians had to say. They knew that we had came to talk about the possibility of bringing them an electric well pump and developing their water distribution system further.

Rob who is fluent in Spanish and has lived here for 15 years, talked to them about his experiences in many water development projects in communities he has participated in. The people listened attentively as he discussed the need for cooperation between the village people, government and the NGO groups. He stressed that it must be a shared process with the villagers part being paying an amount each month for the water and electrical system, conserving water and water use appropriate to the wells' capacity. From the village's history of the wells ongoing output, he assessed that the well is in good condition and should be able to support the size of the community. He also mentioned the importance of retesting the water again for purity and the presence of hard metals such as iron, magnesium etc. With the number of cranks that it took to get water output, we determined that the water table is at about 24 feet, although the well itself was drilled to 160 feet. Our hope is to start the project by installing an electric pump and putting in a water reservoir.

We were also able to discuss our stove pilot project. Eco Fogan will arrive on Thursday to install 3 Angel stoves (made of brick/blocks) and 3 of the portable metal versions. The people agreed to pay a fee of 100 cordobas for their stove as a way of ownership. They are very excited to receive a stove and an agreement was made between COMMIT and the people that they would use the stoves exclusively and show other people how they worked. They also agreed to keep up the maintenance of the stoves by cleaning out the ash and the stove pipe and flue. We promised them that if things go well with these stoves and the people like them we will install more stoves in the households when we come again. At that time people will be taught how to build the stoves.

The garden tools were dropped off in the community centre. We will return on Friday with Jimmy Espinosa to talk about his success stories farming techniques and to get the garden project started. As we were leaving the firefighters arrived to remove a swarm of bees from a large tree right by someone's house. They are the African bees which can become quite dangerous. We hope everything went well with the extraction as only two of the five firefighters had beekeeper suits, the rest were in their fire fighter outfits, donated by us.

Tonight we were able to enjoy supper with Marlon, the director of NPH. We learned that the infrastructure of the home is changing as they have fewer children that actually live at NPH (120) and a larger amount of children that are bussed in each day to receive an education (over 200). This is due to government regulation changes. The home is desperately in need of a bus, so we will try to fundraise the 26 thousand dollars needed to buy a used one. At the moment they have had to turn children away from their program as they don't have room on the only other bus that they have. These children are disadvantaged and need more than just an education, which is exactly what NPH provides. 

Buenos Noches mi Amigos

Janice

BLOG, JANUARY 28TH

Today is Monday  January 28. We are only 3 strong now having bid goodbye to 5 of our  amigos and remaining  team who made it safely back to Canada in the wee hours of the morning. Judging from the weather reports we should be feeling sorry for them rather than vice versa. At any rate we started the day in a bit more leisurely fashion heading to a hardware store called a Ferreteria in Jinoteppe. We are doing a pilot program  of 10 family gardens in Nandarola so they gave us a list of tools they needed for 10 families who volunteered to try. ( I think as favor to us with some commenting that it was  "easier to buy the food in town" ) Now we are not talking advanced farming. Their list of one set of tools per 2 families for a 10x10 m plot per family included 1 machete, 1 axe, 1 iron bar, I pick, 1 garden rake, 1 hoe,1 watering can , and chicken wire and 1 strand of barbed wire to keep out the animals.

 Now shopping in Nicaragua is always a challenge as we have learned from past experience. in this case they had only one of each and most of the handles come separately and look crudely whittled from a freshly downed tree     (they do not believe in to much  inventory) and after 1 hour of making out the list and paying  they assured us on our return trip 4 hours later  they would have it all. Machetes are a standard garden tool in tropical countries and when we observed a guard who goes around the orphanage several time through the night carrying a machete we assumed he must be getting some gardening in in the middle of the night. Since we are taking all the tools out to Nandarola tomorrow which is an hour trip you do not get a second chance to go back if any are forgotten.

We then went on to visit a friend and translator Jimmy  who runs an almost organic farm and resort about 20 minutes north of Jinoteppe. Good thing he met us in the town square because we would never have found his place. He and his family showed us exceptional hospitality including a delicious meal at a time when most Nicaraguans are struggling to feed themselves. His farm of 1 acre was quite incredible. He built it up from scratch with hard work and now grows a variety of fruit trees, bananas, plantain , coffee and cocoa bean along with some peppers and dragon fruit all of which bear abundantly.

He is especially proud of a variety of avocado that he grafts onto a creole avocado root and which bears huge fruit all year round. He says he can sell each avocado for $1 each and that  his fruit trees are a money maker for him. His tangerines and bananas were the sweetest I have ever tasted.  He is self taught, uses the same basic tools as above and has enriched the soil over the years  including his present worm containers and composting operation with their urine running into a jar at the bottom that he sprays on his fruit. (I know what you are thinking) . He also uses water conserving measures like mulch and banking  around his trees to conserve water through the dry season. He is also such a motivational speaker so we decided to have him come out and talk to our volunteer farm families about his success story. So  far they have resisted having any educated city slicker  agronomist advising them when they truly know their land  but there is always room for new ideas.

After bidding he and his gracious family goodbye we headed back to pick up our tools at the appointed time. Now Nicaragua time is never the appointed time and after waiting and slowly collecting about 1/2 our tools over an hour period we gave up and headed home with the proviso they deliver the rest. True to their word they did deliver them about 1 1/2 hours later.

Tomorrow we are meeting with Rob Bell from El Porvenir for some advice on our water projects and heading out to Nandarola with him. And also  to make some final preparations  for also putting a pilot of 6 ecofriendly stoves into the community to try. They have arranged a lottery to see who gets one. We will also tell them about the visit of our farming friend on Friday when we return. Since he farms locally and is such a success story  I am sure he will be well received.

I have probably bored you enough but just another day in paradise.

Best to you all

Doug

BLOG, JANUARY 25TH

January 25 dawned as most days in Nicaragua during dry season.. Sunny and hot. Janice made her 2nd trip to Managua to get our shoes, and other things in several hockey bags, in a 24 hr period and finally succeeded, but at a cost. Away at 6:30 and back at 11 am. Meanwhile we packed our final list of supplies for the hospital, got our translators painting the Casas of the children which they have been doing all week and we headed off to the hospital. Not too much had changed at the hospital except they were having  trouble storing all the things that we brought, but we know it will eventually get used and is needed.

 After a tour of the hospital we headed off to the Maternity House where soon to be mothers spend their last two weeks before delivery if they are high risk or live in rural areas. The baby is delivered in the hospital in Nandaime, and then the new mothers spend another 2 or 3 days in the Maternity House learning to care for their infants. There were no clients today but we got a  tour. It is quite a modern facility with a beautiful garden with herbs and fruit trees. Their one sewing machine that we put in 3 years ago was not working and they also needed sewing supplies. The ladies sew many of the baby clothes there, and others even learn to sew. They provided  a list of supplies that they needed,  and one team member even offered to buy them a new sewing machine. We left layettes , food and some maternal pads and baby clothes.

We then dropped some pads off at  a seniors community center. The lady there said she often depended on donations of food and supplies from the community to survive so we offered to bring her back some of our dehydrated food. We headed home for lunch and then back to Nandaime to buy two new sewing machines, material and other supplies. As per yesterdays blog we had promised to buy some material for the ladies in San Luis so they could make some uniforms for the children. We decided to buy 1/2 of what they needed and they could sew and sell so that they could resupply themselves but also supply free uniforms for the less fortunate children in the community. Buying the right material, zippers , buttons thread  etc for the navy skirts  pants and white shirts was a challenge (especially for the male team members) since none of our team does much sewing, but we got 'er done.

After we left Nandaime we paid a quick visit to Lake Apolo, a volcanic crater filled with water. We enjoyed the incredible view and purchased some crafts that were designed by local people.

When we arrived back at the Casa it was payday for our translators and we said goodbye to many of them until next year. One translator has a daughter in Medical School so she was provided with some medical instruments from one of our team members. These instruments are much needed for her career and would be quite expensive if she had to purchase them.

Tomorrow we do the long 3 hour trek to La Flor to see our well and take supplies there.. The  roads are impassable at times so we will  have to take  two special 4 wheel drive vehicles. However the countryside will be beautiful and the village welcoming. We have a plaque to dedicate the well that we had drilled last year and the only one in the community. It will be dedicated to  COMMIT, The Rotary Club of Stratford and Dr Paul McArthur of Walkerton.

We are now relaxing after a sumptuous meal by our Nicaraguan, 5 star cook, Eva with cooked fish in foil  butter and peppers, fired yucca with syrup, beans and steamed vegetables and salad that was thoroughly enjoyed  but much   chagrined by our waistlines.

Count your blessings every day that we live in Canada.

Doug and David.

What an amazing day full of adventure. We started the day off with a speed walk and David teaching us yoga.

The owner of Eco-Fogan arrived bright and early for a meeting with us to discuss their stove designs. He suggests their cement/brick stove which is called the Angelica Stove. It appears to be well built and suits our needs for the village. They also sell kits which people can use to make the stoves once they are trained to do so. Training would cost 1600 dollars to train 6 people from the village and this would also include two completed stoves. They also have a metal stove design which outwardly appears abit more appealing but might not be as durable. As the people of Nandarola were shown a model similar to the metal ones, we plan to pilot 3 of those designs as well as 3 of the cement/brick stoves to see which one is accepted more readily. We were told that often the women who do the cooking have a hard time adjusting to a new stove as they gauge their stove temperature on the heat, smoke and fire it makes. The new stoves wouldn't be hot, and there would be no smoke. Each stove will cost around 300 Canadian dollars, but switching to these eco-friendly stoves will benefit their health immensely. The open stoves they use now are so smoky, hot and use a lot of wood to run. Many suffer from respiratory issues due to major smoke inhalation in their homes while cooking. Each person receiving a stove will be expected to contribute towards the cost of the stove.

Afterwards we left a group of the translators behind to continue painting the children's casas and they now have 3 whole houses completed. Francis helped Ava with the house chores and we came home to a spick and span house.

Our team, with Edgar, Bryan and Roger set out for Rivas to drop off some more of our donations. We rode Nica style in the back of the huge flatbed truck, some of us comfy on our rocking chairs. Our first stop was at Edgar's church to drop off the piano and organ donated by Stratford General hospital. The Pastor was absolutely thrilled to receive them as they didn't have any musical instruments in the church. Beverly sat down and played Amazing Grace and Hallelujah which we all sang together to a standing ovation by pastor Edgar. Our next stop was the Fire Station where the bomberos were.  Only a couple of them were there however as others were out on a call. They were very thrilled with the helmets, coats, pants, gloves and boots. When asked if they remembered our visit last year they said of course. They use all of the equipment we brought and were actually in the process of teaching a class with the resuscitation doll (recusi Ann). Everything we have brought has been put to good use. We promised to bring them more supplies if we send another container. They told us they need an ambulance desperately as well as more firefighter gear.

After dropping off a desk, and one of our computers to a university student we were off to Casa Asis the former baby house from NPH, located on the shores of lake Nicaragua with a breathtaking view of the Conception Volcano. Twenty of the NPH children were there with their caregivers. They were happy to see us and gave hugs to us all. Our treat of ice cream was thoroughly enjoyed by all of the people there. Children gathered eagerly around as Roger cut some of the boys' hair. He plans to cut more on Friday and Monday as many were disappointed when we had to leave and they hadn't gotten theirs cut. One of the highlights of our visit when on our tour with sister Alana was witnessing the birth of 14 piglets. It was amazing to see the delivery and hear their welcome squeal as they took their first breath while being rubbed with a cloth. They especially squealed when their umbilical cords were tied off and cut. Sister Alana and one of the farmers worked tirelessly helping the sow with her delivery. Although not able to hold one of the newborns, Morgan was thrilled to hold a 3 day old piglet in her hands and pose for some pictures. We learned that the piglets are sold when they are 6 weeks old for 35 dollars each. On our way out we eagerly took pictures of a tiny owl perched in a tree with only one eye. He was rescued by sister Alana and now lives on the property. Doug had another encounter with a large bird landing on his head, a type of blue-jay with a really long tail and a crest on its head. Not sure if it thought that Doug's head was a landing ground.

Back into the truck and we were on our way again, this time to a tiny village near Ochomogo where my Godson Orlando lives with his family of four brothers and his parents. They welcomed us with open arms and smiles all around. Jose was quickly sent to fetch Orlando and his dad who were hunting iguana. It was so awesome to get a hug from Orlando and see how big he's grown in the past year. When talking to the family we were told that the village has a well but that the water that comes out of it is hot enough to boil an egg-not drinking water that's for sure. A water truck comes to the village every 8 days and the family must be ration the water that they get until the truck comes again. We plan to give them a barrel that the Gleaners food came in to store more water. Doug learned from the dad that they had a pig but had to sell it due to financial struggles. COMMIT plans to buy them two pigs-male and female so that they can reproduce. Their sewing machine isn't working at the moment so we brought it home to be repaired by Bob the builder. Orlando's mom was able to make a little bit of income by sewing and mending other people's clothing but hasn't been able to since it broke. Gifts were given to the family, as well as dehydrated food from the Gleaners.

Our ride was uneventful other then hitting a chicken in the middle of the road- it doesn't pay to play chicken-most likely it is being shared by a family tonight for dinner. We arrived back to enjoy another amazing meal made by Ava with help from Francis. Our team is now preparing for our trip to San Luis tomorrow. Hopefully we can sleep better tonight although some of us have a sunburn and it may be a little difficult.

Hasta Luego

Morgan and Janice

BLOG-JANUARY 22ND

The day dawned beautifully as it always does in Nicaragua, sunny with a light breeze. Ava fed us another beautiful breakfast, including a cheese omelette.

We loaded a flatbed truck with all our supplies for Nandarola. All of us sat in the back on plastic chairs and a couple lucky ones on an old car seat. Some enjoyed standing. When we got out to the village the children met us with bags of garbage from home instead of garbage they collected around the village. Some even had leaves in their bags. We had previously asked the village to bring garbage in exchange for the supplies we were bringing the village.  Janice soon had them focused on cleaning up the school yard. As soon as we began setting up our stations more people arrived and soon we were well under way.

We gave out all of the school supplies and workbooks in every grade and every subject as well as toys for the kindergarten. The books cost $12 each and we bought 72 books in total although for grade level there was only one book in each subject for the 3 schools. The teachers were most appreciative for the support.

Geoff, Felicity, David, Morgan and interpreter Frances set up stations to give out reading glasses and sunglasses as well as toothbrushes, toothpaste and soap. Many mothers came through and received layettes. As well blankets, shoes and some clothes were distributed. A line of patient villagers waited their turn outside the school building.

Outside Bev with the help of Roger had fun with the children who at first were reluctant to try out the recorders we brought but after one of them had success at it, many joined the group. Bev and Roger played a couple of duets and Roger even played a Nicaraguan folk tune to entertain the crowd.  A number of recorders and an instruction book were left at the school.

Following up on our success from yesterday, we got the children painting the buckets. Each child who hadn´t been able to paint yesterday, was allowed to paint one side of the bucket, giving everyone a chance.  Many of the mothers enjoyed watching their budding artists.

Janice, Doug and Bob met with the pastor of Nandarola. The community has chosen 10 families to start gardens to see how it goes. The main concern is water as it is the dry season.  Several ideas were suggested. These gardeners already know the land as they are experienced farmers and they know what they want to grow. The villagers came up with a list of tools they need and they asked for help with fencing. They will buy their own seeds. They have chosen one person named Siriaco to oversee the garden project. The plan is to make 10 by 10 metre garden plots. Our team was very impressed that the village had organized all this in one day.

The community leaders said how much the well has improved their lives. They feel they need an electric water pump, reservoir, sanitation system and a system of pipes to divert water to difference parts of the village. We promised the electric pump and reservoir tower this year. We stressed the need for a water committee and they said they already have one formed.  If they don´t have enough money for the electricity, they will get a subsidy from the government. The people from Nandarola will build the tower for the reservoir. We will work with a water company that knows what to do. The mayor will assist with the water study.

Three families without electricity were chosen today to get the solar lights we brought. There will be a lottery to choose the five families who will get the eco friendly stoves. We talked to the leader of the sewing co op. They have four machines at the moment and Bob worked on the upkeep of these machines, giving them all a good oiling. We gave them a lot of sewing supplies, including needles and more material. They would like further sewing instruction.

We had about 25 pails in which we had cut holes for a spigot and which the children had colourfully decorated yesterday and these were given out, one to a family. They were given good instruction on the use of these pails to keep their drinking water as clean as possible. Another pail with a handle for transporting water was also supplied to them.

Bags of beans and dehydrated vegetable mix from the Gleaners were given out. A lot of food and gardening tools were left for future distribution. The pastor was happy with the two New Testaments he received and asked for 9 more.

The tired and very hot team gathered to enjoy gallo pinto, hard boiled eggs, peanut butter sandwiches, oranges and bananas. There were many children peering in the windows and we asked them to join us. After we packed up and were about to leave, some homemade buns arrived as a gift for us. Another example of Nicaraguan generosity.

On the way home we visited the Nandaime dump, an experience like no other. The road to the dump is narrow, dusty and rough.  We got rid of all the garbage in our truck. There is a security man at the dump and there were a number of shacks which people call home. We saw people scavenging through the refuse. As we left we found ourselves bringing up the rear of a slow moving funeral procession for many kilometres.  A quick stop for supplies and we are now back home at the casa. We feel that the day was very successful all around.

Felicity and Bev

What an incredible day. It started and ended on a high note. For 3 nights the women suspected that a snake lurked in the rafters above their bathroom. Today, 3 maintenance men from NPH climbed ladders and dutifully searched for the snake. What they found was Mr El Greco, an 18 inch creature who made his way to the outside of the building. Janice and Morgan held him with gloves, and then released him up a tree.

This morning we loaded 400 bags  dried food  for  NPH orphanage. With the political situation they have had very little income to buy food. The plastic boxes, which each held 4 bags of dried vegetables had a hole drilled into the side near the bottom, and plastic spigots attached. Some of the COMMIT Team and our translators painted small scenes on the boxes and messages about clean water and use the well. They will be used to store the water more safely in their homes.

Four of us met with the owner of Cocinas Mi Fogon, acompany which manufactures energy efficient, eco friendly stoves. We are planning a pilot projject.

After lunch the COMMIT Team, our translators and the folks from Cocinas Mi Fongon piled into 2 trucks and headed for La  Bagia, just outside Nandaime. It was decided the bus we were going to use would not make it up the hill aftr crossing a river so we were crowed into back bed of two trucks. In La Bagia we met with the  mayor and a rep from the company which drills well. They do not have any wells and depend on trucked in water for their subsistence. This was followed by a short town meeting where we indicated that we would do our best for the community.

We then drove another 30 minutes over bumpy roads and through shallow rivers to the remote village of Nandarola, population 120 families, smack dab in the middle of nowhere.

The mayor accompanied us to Nandarola where there was an incredible town hall meeting where over 40 families showed up. After lots of discussion and back and forth, groups broke up into families who looked at demonstrations of various stoves, the children painted more scenes on the empty water buckets, and a group of men discussed how to advance their water  system for better distribution of the water from the well. The well we had drilled 6 years ago was getting pretty rickety so something has to be done. You do not start a project and then walk away. Others crowed around the truck that demonstated the stove designs. Needless to say everyone wanted a stove and decided on one with two elements one of which had a tortilla grill. As we have previously mentioned their open cooking method is eco and health unfriendly.

We also talked about a garden project . We would start with local gardens for those really interested. They were eager to proceed. We talked about what we needed to know and they told us they would have the info tomorrow. We did not observe any local gardening being done in the village.

An incredible day where the COMMIT Team engaged with the Mayor and the local people. There are a lot of needs and we now have our hands full with fundraising. But anything that is impossible is possible. We know we sound like a broken record but these people have so little and we have so much.

This morning we loaded 400 bags  dried food  for  NPH orphanage. With the political situation they have had very little income to buy food. The plastic boxes, which each held 4 bags of dried vegetables had a hole drilled into the side near the bottom, and plastic spigots attached. Some of the COMMIT Team and our translators painted small scenes on the boxes and messages about clean water and use the well. They will be used to store the water more safely in their homes.

Four of us met with the owner of Cocinas Mi Fogon, acompany which manufactures energy efficient, eco friendly stoves. We are planning a pilot projject.

After lunch the COMMIT Team, our translators and the folks from Cocinas Mi Fongon piled into 2 trucks and headed for La  Bagia, just outside Nandaime. It was decided the bus we were going to use would not make it up the hill aftr crossing a river so we were crowed into back bed of two trucks. In La Bagia we met with the  mayor and a rep from the company which drills well. They do not have any wells and depend on trucked in water for their subsistence. This was followed by a short town meeting where we indicated that we would do our best for the community.

We also talked about a garden project . We would start with local gardens for those really interested. They were eager to proceed. We talked about what we needed to know and they told us they would have the info tomorrow. We did not observe any local gardening being done in the village.

An incredible day where the COMMIT Team engaged with the Mayor and the local people. There are a lot of needs and we now have our hands full with fundraising. But anything that is impossible is possible. We know we sound like a broken record but these people have so little and we have so much.

We then drove another 30 minutes over bumpy roads and through shallow rivers to the remote village of Nandarola, population 120 families, smack dab in the middle of nowhere.

BLOG, JANUARY 20TH-OMETEPE ISLAND

Woken up this morning at 4:40 a.m. by town crier Dr. Doug Thompson to begin our day of adventure to Ometepe Island in Lake Nicaragua.

The early wakeup call was needed to catch the 7 a.m. ferry, an hour's drive from NPH. The boat ride over was quite inexpensive; it was only the dollar the authorities charged us to walk down to the boat that seemed a bit out of line.

The approach to the island is dominated by a high, cloud encircled active volcano that I would have loved to climb - 25 years ago. Instead we were all satisfied by having the volcano form a beautiful background for our tour around the island.

We were fortunate to have a competent van driver, capable of getting us to our destination, an organic farm (Bona Fide) part way up a less spectacular, but nonetheless steep mountain. The road leading to the summit would have proved challenging for my four-wheeler but our driver was not deterred, getting us as close as possible to the farm. Our merry group of eight adventurers then walked the last few hundred yards up a steep, rock-strewn pathway.

I use the term farm although it is far different from the type of farming I have done in southwestern Ontario, with its wide open spaces and highly efficient machinery. This farm is nevertheless far more in harmony with nature, propagating a wide variety of fruit trees native to the thin, rocky, volcanic Nicaraguan soil. The founder also brought in a variety of plants from around the world to see if they could adapt, including the only baobab tree in Nicaragua.

A combination of staff and volunteer workers tend to the plants through multiplying certain species in season and carrying water to growing plants in the dry season.

As a farmer familiar with tending crops in straight rows it was quite a different experience to be lead to wherever the plant in question grew and helped again to find where the next one might be. Some of the plants were fruit bearing - such as tangerines and grapefruit -  with fresh samples plucked from the tree and given to us as we proceeded on our "garden tour."

The farm had several buildings, including some impressive cottages on stilts to accommodate the ecotourism trade.

Other buildings were for performing various farm functions as well as housing the eclectic group of volunteers that travel to the farm from all over the world for the work experience gained, and to learn the techniques practiced here.

Perhaps the most impressive building was the living/cooking quarters, a tin-roofed building where workers were fed delicious meals of food grown on the 30 -acre property. Meals are consumed on wooden tables in the open air with the lake and volcano in view and warm breezes blowing gently through the living space.

Part of our tour included a delicious meal of rice, a curry sauce, salad, and tangerine juice, topped off with a delectable banana smoothie.

The farm hosts several educational hands-on programs for groups of up to 30 people, eager to learn about organic farming and sustainability. A beautifully constructed ornate oven centred the farm yard, designed for making wood-fired pizzas for the larger learning groups. We unfortunately did not qualify but the meal was greeted as exceptional in its own right.

After a carnivalesque backward ride down the mountainside in our van, we proceeded back to the main highway to NPH orphanage, closed because it has had to be evacuated twice due to volcanic activity. The children have been moved to the NPH orphanage we are working from. Many substantial and beautiful buildings remain on the site. Those living quarters closest to the lake are especially attractive and currently well maintained, and may be adapted for use as a resort should the tourist industry pick back up.

The property is being farmed with a healthy banana crop in evidence, and a quick stroll took us to a colony of bees producing honey, supported by Commit.

After our road savvy driver took a short cut through well-fenced pasture land we miraculously arrived back on the main highway for a run back to catch the ferry. We arrived in time to purchase return tickets, this time with no added cost for the walk down to the dock. The money saved was spent on restorative beverages as we gazed out over the calm waters of Lake Nicaragua.

Fearless leader Janice Rauser, taking time and changing weather conditions into account, decided we should take the 4 p.m. ferry. It proved a wise and sage decision with the last half hour of the 75 -minute ride being quite rough as winds picked up. The captain of the ferry was working very hard to keep us off the rocks as we came close to the dock.

The evening was finished with a fine meal at a favorite local restaurant close to our accommodations at the orphanage. It was a time to reflect on a day well spent, plan the day's activities to come, all while being comforted by a gentle warming breeze as we occasionally thought of our friends in minus 25C back home.

BLOG, JANUARY 17TH

Arrived in Nicaragua January 17, 2019. Exhausting 11 hr trip down with no sleep for 24 hrs, We had to pay for our extra bags with Aero Mexico in spite of asking for an exemption for humanitarian ( I do not think we will be using them again). The flight from Toronto to Mexico City was difficult. There was little room and the seats did not tilt back much, but we did receive a croissant with ham and cheese, and we could have had a nice, cold cerveza if we wanted, but were too tired. The trip from MEXICO City to Managua was much better. Again, we had a cheese and ham croissant, but this time there was yogurt, undoubtedly to ease the heat from the jalapeno salsa ! Our donated Adidas shoes got held up at Nicaraguan customs because they wanted different documentation but we remain undeterred. Anyone can do it if it is easy. After an hour and a half at customs we left with half of our hockey bags staying at the airport. However, great news when the NPH bus pulled up to take us home. We were hot and tired and VERY thirsty, so when Edgar opened the cooler with cold water on ice, we were overjoyed. From what we were able to see in MANAGUA, THINGS seemed to be normal. However, some businesses just appeared to be quieter. We are looking forward to the next week (OR 2) while we meet with folks.

The container arrived safely and all items were awaiting us at the orphanage. Lots of sorting to do and meetings to arrange. The team is eager but I expect will be more so after a good night sleep. The orphanage is deserted with school kids on holiday either back with parents or over on Omitepe Island at their old residence. Temp is 37 and greenery lush . We are enjoying seeing our old friends again and the casa cat looks as friendly and probably flea ridden as ever.

Doug and David