Thursday, October 31st

Today was our second last work day in Nicaragua.  Our team of six including Edgar and Darling headed out to the village of San Luis for Cindy and Kim's last sewing day with the ladies. 

On the way there we were serenaded ever so loudly by a troupe of howler monkeys. They were close by, right above us and even dropped us a gift of urine, which thankfully missed Becky and Janice.  They have the loudest howl emanating from such a small creature. 

The rest of the ride was bumpy but the road condition continues to improve.  

We arrived at the sewing center bearing a gift of two brand new Janome sewing machines which brought giant smiles from the ladies of San Luis. Becky and Janice had the honor of watching the ladies sewing with the new machines on their dresses. Leaving them in the capable hands of Cindy and Kim, Becky and Janice went off with Edgar to interview and talk to some of the stove recipients about their stoves. Everyone that we talked to raved about the benefits these stoves had brought them and how thankful they were to have received such a blessing. Many were cooking lunch so we got to see the stoves in action. After witnessing a tree filled with pupa and freshly emerged butterflies, what an amazing sight, we headed back to the sewing ladies. 

Their dresses almost completed, the ladies gushed about the serger that Kim had dragged down with her and how professional their clothing now looked because of it. 

Showing their appreciation, they brought a hot dog and drink for each of us and sat down to enjoy the meal together with us. 

It was an emotional farewell as we all reminisced about how far this sewing co-op has come since its inception in 2016. 

Wednesday, October 30

After a rather long, arduous journey to and from Managua yesterday afternoon along with Edgar, Kim and I were happy not to have to leave as early this morning as Janice and Becky had to. Edgar, Kim and myself had travelled to Managua to pick up a bed, pillows, and search for a couple of sewing machines. We did not get back to the Casa until late in the evening as the traffic out of Managua was terrible!! However, we were happy that we accomplished our mission and thankful that our wonderful cook, Romy had kept our dinner ready for us!

Janice, Becky and Edgar headed out early this morning to catch the ferry to Ometepe Island. Their mission today was to deliver the bed we had picked up to a fellow who lives on the island. He was very happy to receive the hospital bed and some pillows to relieve his pressure ulcers. 

Kim, our translator Darling and myself headed out about an hour later back to Casa de Piedra. There we spent a wonderful morning working on the skirt project. Today didn’t go quite as well as the other days as the pattern that we were using for our skirt that was supposed to be for beginners and easy, was not!  The seam ripper became everyone’s best friend, unfortunately we only had one! There was much groaning but also laughs as we struggle with the silly waist band!!. 4 and a half hours flew by!  We managed to get one skirt completely finished with everyone else’s at varying stages of completion. Since this was our last day here the ladies will help each other finish each project. With happy smiles, hugs and photo ops we bid each other farewell until Kim returns in February. It has truly been a pleasure to work with these ladies, witness their progress and rising self-confidence. For Kim because she started this little sewing circle with ladies knowing absolutely nothing about how to even run a sewing machine.As for me I am so pleased to see that the machines that I had brought to Nandarola 9 years ago are still working and being put to good use in this tiny village of Casa de Piedra.

Till later Kim and Cindy

Tuesday, October 29th

After another night of rain, we headed to our destinations for the day. Cindy, Darling their translator and Kim were dropped off in Casa De Piedra for their sewing project, while the rest of us, Becky, Yamil, Daniel, Edgar and Janice headed to La Vigia. The rain had made the roads even worse then when we had traveled that road previously. We were welcomed into their community center where the First Aid team set-up. Meanwhile Becky, and Yamil headed outside for sports and crafts with the children in the hot, blazing sun. Have we mentioned how HOT it is here? After a busy, but gratifying morning, we headed back to pick up the girls. They shared their enthusiasm for how far the sewing project had progressed and howeagertheirstudents were.

Once back at the Casa we enjoyed some of Romys delicious soup and Cindy, Kim and Edgar headed to Managua to pick up Evereth's hospital bed and buy some sewing machines for Casa de Piedra.  

Another Day in Nicaragua 

Hasta pronto 

Becky and Janice 

An update on COMMIT’S projects in La Vigia 

1. Their eco-friendly stoves are working well and the women are very happy with their benefits. These stoves have been truly life altering for these people. 

2. The drilled well is functioning efficiently and providing tge village with clean, safe drinking water 

3. The garden co- op has unfortunately folded as many members left the community and no one took their place. The garden tools will be collected on Friday and brought to Nandarola for the farm team there. 

Camerones UNO

After another great breakfast we all hopped into the little Toyota that could, for our joint venture to the very remote village of Camerones 1. After picking up Daniel and some people from the ministry that wanted to observe, we were on our way. The road that seemed smooth at the beginning soon turned into a quagmire of mud which made driving treacherous. A few times our amazing driver Edgar, had to get out to peruse the situation for the best way through. With four wheel drive locked in and slow, skilled maneuvering, we crawled through each slick washout. After an hour and fifteen minute drive, the little truck that could, could no longer. 

We traded our four wheels for a two wheeled cart pulled by a team of oxen. The eight of us stood there and quickly realized that there was no way we could all hop on. Our suitcase and supplies were loaded and we took turns sitting on the back and sides of the cart while others walked along. The projected twenty minute walk was in reality a forty-five minute trek. Our journey took us up and down hills, over very muddy difficult to traverse sections, through a few rivers, and around uprooted, washed out trees. 

We all gave a sigh of relief when we finally arrived at the community center, a half built building, with a dirt floor. Our walk through the village was very like the pied piper, as we collected members from each household to join our entourage. The children went off with Becky, Cindy, Kim and Edgar to play games, and do some art, while a few older children and the women joined Daniel and Janice to learn First Aid. Kim and Cindy especially enjoyed their day as they took a break from sewing to play a rousing game of soccer baseball with the energetic children. Becky was extremely grateful for their help, as it was her first day without Sandra. To end our wonderful day, dolls, baseballs, bats, gloves and a soccer ball were handed out to the excited children and we were on our way. Once again some of us chose to walk instead of squeezing onto the cart and even had to remove our shoes, to wade through the rivers. Partway back we stopped for a much needed snack of peanut butter sandwiches while the oxen drank their fill of water. The shade felt refreshing after the unrelenting sun!!! Have we mentioned how HOT it is here??  We repeated the trip in reverse, although at times it was more difficult due to deeper ruts caused by other vehicles. With collective, thankful hearts, we arrived back at our casa for another amazing supper and a rest. 

Hasta Luego

Kim, Becky, Cindy and Janice 

Descanza

Our team spent the weekend relaxing after a busy week of work. Saturday was the \Masaya market for souvenirs and Laguna Apyo to hike and see the beauty of the crater filled lake. Sunday we said goodbye to our team mate and now friend, Sandra. Thank you Sandra for the amazing week we were able to spend getting to know you, and for your selfless sacrifice coming on this mission trip. We miss you already. The children loved to meet you and loved the games and art you did with them. The rest of the team went to Ometepe Island to kayak the Rio Istian and spend time with my godchild Orlando and two of his brothers. A fun day had by all. 

Hast pronto

Janice

Friday October 25
Hola, Buenas Dias

This morning we began our day again with a lovely breakfast of French toast, eggs and fruit. The daily jugo de fruitas fresco is my favourite. It's always a guessing game to see what new flavour Romy has come up with today. Always delicious!! We divided into two different groups and vehicles for our scheduled adventures. The day (once again) was going to shape up to be another hot one. Has it already been mentioned how hot it is here???

Edgar took Janice, Sandra and Becky to Nandarola. Their truck had to navigate rivers in order to get to their destination. Sandra and Becky continued their program with the children. Today was a PA Day so it was unsure how many kids would show up. Twelve students made the effort and they ALWAYS love the special time with crafts, art, games and sports. Dancing was enjoyed as well as the Nicaraguan version of "Frere Jaques." The older children left the craft room to participate in Janice's 1st aid class.

Once the women arrived to the community centre along with the older children Janice and Daniel (the firefighter)conducted their 1st aid training class. Because everyone physically participates in the training they all have fun and will remember their lessons well. A 1st aid booklet is given to the group so they can have an easy reference when needed.

Cindy and I had a personal driver today to get us to San Luis (also crossing a river.) It's a good thing it was a high heavy duty truck!! It was needed. The ladies of San Luis are very accomplished and we are just amazed at how they are able to look at a picture and make up an outfit. We are focusing on correcting the minor mistakes that they are unaware of. For example - the back part of a sleeve needs to be a bit larger than the front part to let the arm move without binding, and there needs to be space allowed for the underarm so they can raise their arm. Having no formal training at all they would never know to incorporate these minute details. We are both very confidant that these ladies can accomplish anything they try. Today they used the new serger we brought for them (thank you Judy for your generous gift.) They could hardly wait to begin to replace their zig zag with a professional serged edge. The smiles on their faces were radiant. It makes the transport of the serger (as my purse) so worth the effort. Darling (our translator) is a godsend and we thank her with all our hearts.

Arriving home again at our casa we had a quick dip in the pool to cool off.......until the rain started (again) and it hasn't let up all evening. Torrential downpours with intermittent showers! I'm so glad we made it home again before the rain began. I don't know if we would have been able to cross the river again to make it out of San Luis. Time for supper.

Hasta Luego
Kim

Hey y’all. Sandra here again with a little update.

While the other women have been busy working with the locals on sewing and first aid programs, Becky and I have been focused on bringing the joy of “play” to the kids. Our journey has taken us to schools in Casa de Piedra and beyond, armed with art supplies and sports equipment from Canada. We also sourced soccer balls and enough baseball gear to field two or three teams from local suppliers.

The usual painting sessions and skipping games have been a blast, but today was all about baseball and soccer, and the kids absolutely loved it! There’s not much explanation needed—just a simple game of catch with the mitts and some fun soccer drills. For these kids, play like this doesn’t happen every day, and that’s where the magic lies.

We know we’re not here to change the world, but if we can bring a smile to a child’s face, even for just a moment, we consider it a success. And today? Well, today was a total success. (And, having to traverse an overflowed river to get to the school was a bit treacherous but absolutely worth it!)

Sandra

An update on the well, medical/sewing building and the stoves:

The well is working adequately for the village and providing them with clean, safe drinking water. We stopped for a quick look and since the water tank was moved to higher ground, they've had much less issues with it. 

The medical center which the team renovated and the addition built for the sewing coop a few years back are both being used faithfully by the sewing group and doctor who comes out to do clinics. 

We were also invited into a few homes to check on the eco-friendly stoves. The women were very happy with the benefits that they have achieved through the gift of their stoves. They shared that their respiratory health is much better, as well as having to cook less time, gather less wood. You could see the pride they had in their stoves by how clean looking they were and well maintained. 

Today started bright and early with a five am wake-up call. as Cindy had forgotten to turn off her weekly Wednesday 5 am alarm. Lol. Despite rolling over and attempting to sleep again, neither one of us had any luck. As we walked downstairs from our room, we could hear that it was still raining after a night of torrential downpour. October is the rainy season in Nicaragua which makes the roads difficult to navigate at times, but thankfully both our villages are off a paved road today. By six however the sun peeked out from behind the clouds and the ground soon started steaming with the hot Nica sun. The sound of roosters crowing filled the air alongside the barking dogs and sounds of trucks roaring on by the road by our casa. Becky soon joined us and the three of us enjoyed a chat, while enjoying our morning coffee and tea, a relaxing time before our busy day would start. 

After a very delicious breakfast made by our chef Romy, we jumped into Edgar's truck to pickup Darling, our sewing translator. 

Daniel the firefighter working with us, followed on his motorcycle. Cindy and I sat in the back of the truck and enjoyed the view as we sped along. The breeze was lovely and before we knew it, we had arrived in Casa de Piedra to drop off Kim, Cindy and Darling at the sewing coop. Another fifteen minute drive brought us to the village of Las EnRamada. Now this village is very special to me as my godson Orlando lives there and I was really hoping to see him. Much to my surprise he showed up and spent the day with me, learning first aid. 

Becky and Sandra had a very large class of 18 students today, so they opted to play games outside, instead of crafts and painting inside. It was probably much more pleasant anyways under the shade trees, instead of inside the stifling classrooms. 

Daniel and I had an eager bunch of grade six children today and once the adults joined us, we were on a roll. Daniel asked me if we were doing the same thing as yesterday, and when I affirmed, we got off without a hitch. Many of the students were shy to participate when asked, so Daniel played a game of pass the marker with them. When the tapping stopped, if you had the marker, you were the volunteer. This brought shouts of laughter as many ended up in the middle of the classroom, being the patient or the helper. It was a fun, informative day, with lessons taught in CPR, choking, vital signs, bandaging, bleeding emergencies, splinting, patient transfer, how to make a makeshift stretcher and more. The room burst into laughter when I demonstrated how to help a choking baby, by using my backpack, as I had forgotten to bring a doll. At the close of the class, each child received some stickers and a first aid kit and booklet in Spanish for their classroom. Two more kits and some books were handed out, with many thanks for taking the time to teach them first aid.. To be honest,these past two days have been a bit emotional for me, seeing their eagerness to learn and knowing that we have left them will valuable information and teaching. 

Being finished earlier then anticipated, Becky, Sandra, Edgar and I headed over to Orlando's house to say his to his family where we saw a very green iguana in a tree. Some people eat iguanas here, but I don't think I want to try any. After Sandra rode a bike without brakes and we had a good laugh watching her sit on the handmade seat, we were on our way to pick up the sewing girls. They had made good progress with their skirts, material had been chosen and everything cut out, ready to sew. 

Hasta pronto todos

Janice

 Day 3 Ladies Nicaragua Project Trip Tuesday, October 22/24
Today was a good day. It was, I guess, the first day of “work” for us. Yesterday was spent searching for and buying the supplies each team needed that we weren’t able to bring with us. Sandra and Becky picked up sports equipment, Janice more medical supplies, myself and Kim finding a Nicaraguan Fabricland. Today it was get to work. Since Kim and I are the sewing team I’m going to focus more on that today. But first let me tell you a little bit about Kim’s history with the team, my history with the team, our buying experience yesterday and what we are hoping to accomplish while we are here.
Kim first traveled with the team in the fall of 2021. She originally came to help build Edgar his house. In the spring of 2022 she came to begin a new sewing co-op and has continued to support this sewing project twice annually. The villages she is working in for sewing are Casa de Piedra and San Louis.
I was last here in the winter of 2015. I came to set up sewing co-ops in the villages of Nandarola and San Louis. This is the first time I have been back since. The sewing co-op in Nandarola has since folded, however they started a bakery instead which is thriving. I am looking forward being reunited with the ladies of San Louis and making new friends in Casa de Piedra.
Yesterday was an adventure for sure. We had so much fun in the fabric store. Anyone who knows a sewer knows its going to take forever for them to find the fabric they want because... well... WE WANT IT ALL!!! When I saw our good buddy Edgar patiently waiting on a stool I couldn’t help but hear my son say “Nooooo mommy, not Fabricland!!!”. Most men hate Fabricland. Thank you Edgar for being such a good sport. There was so much fabric at excellent prices. (Yes, I am taking some home.) The staff were also very helpful. We were able to purchase enough fabric to make approximately 60 uniforms as well as an assortment of other fabrics to make skirts and tops. The fabric we purchased for the uniforms is an excellent cashmere blend at a much better price then we could have purchased in Canada. We also picked up some fun, pretty fabrics for the skirts and tops as well as most of the notions we will need to sew the projects. We are very happy that we were able to raise the funds at home and buy “local”.
The goal for the ladies in San Luis, where they have more experience, is to make School uniforms. They can make these for their own children or to sell. This is important because if the children do not have a School uniform they will not go to School. Today we were in Casa de Piedra. We were informed at breakfast that our translator was not able to be with us because she had a doctor’s appointment. Gulp!! Edgar said he would be there with us. Wheww! The ladies were so happy to see us. Not only were they eager to start their lessons they couldn’t wait to show us what they have been working on since Kim had been with them last. They greeted Kim like the friend she is to them and they were happy to meet me for the first time. I so admire these ladies. What they have accomplished with the conditions they sew in.
As Sandra emphasized in yesterday’s blog, it is HOT here!! Not only that but they are set up outside under a porch roof where they contend with the elements, extreme heat, rain, critters etc. Words can’t really describe the conditions they work in, hence why we have lots of pictures!
After everyone shared what they had been working on, Kim gave a quick lesson on how to improve the finishing of their seams. Then she told them we would be making a simple wrap skirt together to help improve their sewing skills in preparation for making school uniforms which will hopefully be taught on the next project trip. She showed them a pattern she had brought with her from Canada that we would use. Interesting fact - there are no sewing patterns sold in Nicaragua, or at least none that we could find.
Kim split the ladies into 2 groups. One with her, one with myself. First step was to take everyone’s measurements to determine what size they would need to make for themselves. Step 2 everyone needed to trace each piece in their size onto heavy brown paper. This was necessary as the pattern is made of tissue paper and comes in multiple sizes. We want to preserve the original pattern for future use. This way each lady has her own pattern which she can re use multiple times. I explained to my group of ladies that this is the most boring and tedious part of the project but necessary for producing a well fitted wearable skirt.
Our table was set up in a corner of the sewing area with very little air movement. I was sweating so much I was dripping all over the pattern pieces. One of my dear students brought me a towel, lol. Thank you Edgar for coming over and insisting that we move our table outside in the shade where we could catch a breeze. Much better! I could give up the towel! Even though this was not the fun part of the project we had a great time! We all worked together and in no time we had 4 sets of patterns cut out. The time flew by and before we knew it the other teams were finished with what they were doing and checking out what we were up to. Kim also made excellent progress with her group. Kim had one more pattern to work on from her group. I was able to leave the last one from our group with the ladies to finish. I was surprised at how well we were able to communicate with each other. Since there were 2 groups it was difficult for Edgar to be running back and forth. I haven’t had to use Spanish for a few years nor did I try to brush up on it before I arrived.I was pleasantly surprised at how much came back to me! I am looking forward to going back tomorrow and seeing what fabrics the ladies will pick for their skirt.
We left Casa de Piedra shortly after noon and after a few stops made it back to our Casa at around 1pm. We were all very hot and tired but every group was happy with the days accomplishments. We are also very thankful that we have a beautiful pool to cool off in....have we mentioned how HOT it is here!!!

Hasta Luego, Cindy

DAY TWO

Day 2 was a rewarding day. The experience of exploring vibrant markets, finding beautiful fabrics and seeing the historical depth of Granada was wonderful. Beautiful parks and cobble stone streets while doing a walking tour of the area, ending in a quaint cafe for a cold beverage before heading back to home base.
Sandra and I are ready with our locally sourced soccer balls, ball gloves, balls, bats and the many other craft supplies that we will use to work with the children this week at the schools.
A team effort we compiled 20 first aid kits Janice will have for teaching her first aid classes.
Kim and Cindy will have some great materials to work with the local women creating some beautiful clothing pieces
Fun day had by all today. To bed in good time to be ready to start our week in the villages.

Becky   

Thanks to everyone who donated money towards the sewing program, first aid course and for the sports equipment.

Day 1

Hello everyone! As the newbie in the group (that’s me!), I have the honor of writing the post for Day 1 of our travel to Nicaragua with Commit! There are five of us in total, and so far, it has truly been wonderful to work alongside such a great group. They are energetic humans focused on making a difference in the world.

Day one was a travel day from Toronto to Costa Rica, and then onward to Nicaragua. (And for me, it also included the Vancouver to Toronto leg at the beginning!) The flight to Costa Rica was relatively uneventful—just a cola, a cookie, and one nap, and we were there. The true excitement happened when we arrived in Costa Rica. Having to cart our own luggage down from the plane to the tarmac was a great way (not!) to wake up the body after sitting for over four hours in a fetal position. Passport control was uneventful, and all our humanitarian luggage arrived—yay! Then everything had to be x-rayed... the first of many countless luggage x-rays.

We had a wonderful driver who met us outside the airport, and he was obviously a Tetris expert because he managed to squeeze all our luggage into the back of the van. Then onward we went toward the Nicaraguan border. Ninety minutes later, we were dropped off at the border, where we had to haul our luggage on foot. I thought we were heading to the Nicaraguan border immediately, but nope! We had to “check out” of Costa Rica first. (I think that trip was probably the shortest stay I've had in any country!)

After “checking out,” we walked toward the Nica border with our personal luggage, backpacks, and all the humanitarian bags distributed among ourselves. Did I mention that it was hot? Yeah, it was hot—like, hot hot, and not just hot. We were randomly stopped for passport checks while walking; I have no idea why.

Finally, we arrived at the Nica border, and for a whole US dollar, we were permitted to enter the building. Yes, one dollar—not ten or twenty, but one whole dollar (albeit a US dollar). The process took a long time, but we managed to make it through customs and our luggage through the x-ray machine. My humanitarian bag, filled with art supplies, games, and sports equipment, was opened for inspection, but luckily, nothing was confiscated, and they allowed me to proceed. Having everyone and everything clear customs felt like a bit of a miracle. There were visible sighs of relief once we were all outside.

Then, we had to walk again, dragging all our bags. Did I mention that it was hot? Yeah, it was hot. Eventually, we met up with Edgar, who had hired a van to take us to our casa near Nandaime. The casa is lovely and was a true sight for sore eyes after a long travel day. Romy, our cook, prepared a wonderful home-cooked meal for us. Delish—exactly what we needed! A swim after dinner capped off the night and made for a great first day. Everyone’s looking forward to what’s next!

Sandra