Saturday, 20th December from Nicaragua

[Peggy Bonnington]

Here's the latest report from a group trying to help in Nicaragua with the 
horrible devastation from Hurricane Mitch.  I get weekly updates (or 
even more often if there's an opportunity to get supplies carried in (which 
is not an easy thing to do, not as cut and dry as sending money ~ although 
other things are needed: medicine, clothing, soap, candles, etc.)

It's a moving tale, and friends from the Jubilee House Community there tell 
it eloquently and articulately (as I believe this example will confirm.  

I don't know if others might wish to hear more about the needs, efforts & 
opportunities to help from time to time, in which case I'd be most willing 
to pass along information. Just let me know.  Or send along a message to the 
originator of the message and get on their list to get messages directly.  
Sarah has been the main communicator, although this update is from Kathleen.

The group is (States-based address for sending funds)
		Jubilee House Community / CDCA
       		MGA: 150
        	PO BOX 025362
        	Miami FL 33102-5362

Actual goods / supplies cannot be sent without more "structure:" for 
example, means to "carry" it in and the need to send ahead exact inventories 
so it will be allowed in.

------------- Forwarded Message -------------

From: jhc!jhc at ns.sdnnic.org.ni
To: susanjay at ziplink.net (Cheryl Avery), EEWWB at aol.com (Rizzie Baldwin and 
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freham at athens.net (Freida Hammett), dianeh at usfamily.net (Diane Haugesag), 
henderj at coastal.edu (Jim and crew), henryjp at eckerd.edu (Patrick Henry), 
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Holt_Justin at hotmail.com (Justin Holt), lwhunt at ix.netcom.com (Deb and Loren), 
hunters4 at juno.com (Jim and crew), hutch at locnet.com (Paul Hutchison), 
Sandy_Irving at unc.edu (Sandy Irving), aisaacs at haverford.edu (Anita Isaacs), 
johnsam at wfu.edu (Michelle Johnson), ralph.jones at worldnet.att.net (Ralph 
Jones), ldutta at ibm.net (Michael King), rlake at ccgnv.net (Anna Lake), 
Dave at HPSCHMID.COM (Dave Lanstein), TJPB05A at prodigy.com (Sheri and Russell), 
blincoln1 at juno.com (Betsy Lincoln), wlpshutz at jfcs-atlanta.org (Wendy 
Lipshutz), m.m.lipovsky at digd.azu.nl (Myriam Lipovsky)
Date: Sat, 19 Dec 1998 17:30:29 
Subject: Saturday, 20th December from Nicaragua

Dear Friends,

Here's this week's update.  Thank you for your notes, your support, 
your staying-in-contact!

Sarah

--------------------------------------------------------------------
Email: jhc at ns.sdnnic.org.ni          Phone: 011-505-883-6634
For: JHC, CDCA, PRONIC S.A., Coury, Daniel, Joseph, Kathleen, Kathy, 
Mike, Pat, Sarah, and a wide variety of volunteers and co-workers.

-------------- Enclosure number 1 ----------------
Saturday, December 20th.

Sorry this is a day late.  I was waiting to hear from US AID (more on 
that later) and then the family came in and I just plain forgot in my 
joy to see Tiff, Jessica, and Thomas Earl (Mike's father).

We did apply to US AID for materials to build 100 more permanent 
shelters in Nueva Vida, the resettlement camp, but have heard nothing
definite from US AID yet (we did get positive comments from them).  The 
Ananda Marga, a group we have been working closely with, also applied
for materials for 200 lavaderos (the free-standing concrete washing 
things) and for 354 latrines, also for Nueva Vida.

We went to La Lima (a small, isolated community near Matagalpa) to 
deliver food this week.  After our great success at organizing the food 
distribution at Nueva Vida only days before, the distribution was not 
so great in La Lima.  The person who said they would drive over and 
organize it, didn't.  We entered with no one knowing we were coming, 
BUT people ran back and notified people.  A couple of women had their 
lives disrupted completely for one day as we set up on their porch.
The local school teacher came and kept notes of families getting food.  
There was a real sense of people taking care of one another.

La Lima is the area where we've seen the most malnourished children.  I 
stayed in the back of the crowds and noticed the children who had 
bloated bellies and faces, skinny legs and arms, and straw textured 
hair.  We noted them and saved more food for those families.  We gave 
out 350 bags of food to over 200 families ranging from 3-15 people.  
These people are so poor.  In te Matagalpa area we also saw U.S. 
donated food being bagged.  Had they delivered to La Lima recently?  
Oh yes, they told us, but the people said no.  La Lima was not 
politically correct in the last election.

We also organized (with the Ananda Marga) another food distribution in 
Nueva Vida.  Keeping these people afloat.  It went very well again.  
And in Nueva Vida, Mirna (the famous pregnant mother) delivered (no
c-section) a healthy baby boy, which she named after Mike.  She discovered 
much to her surprise that she was not carrying twins!  We are also 
continuing the organization of the community, block-by-block.  They 
are holding elections this week to choose more permanent leaders for
each block and we are working with these representives in 
helping them plan for long-term development of their community.

Mike went to a cooperative wa-a-a-ay out in the boonies (actually 
jungle).  Because the roads were washed away so badly, a 4-hour trip 
took 7 hours and they were not able to get in very close; therefore, he 
then rode 8 hours on horseback with a flashlight in the dark (he was 
not alone).  His host cooperative has just planted beans and is going to 
plant sesame for a cash crop.  Mike has one sore tush!

We are not going to send updates for the next two weeks because of 2 
reasons:
1. next week is Christmas and the following is New Years and everything 
shuts down here (sometimes we think everything except us!) so odds are good 
we will be plugging along but won't have much to report, and
2. we got our email phone bill...whoa! baby! so we see no reason to write 
with little to report.

We wish you the happiest of holidays.  As this year ends for us and 
especially the people here, we realise that their lives will never be 
the same.  A friend told us that when asking one man if he needed 
food he replied, "It's not the same eating without your family."  
"How many did you lose?"  "62."  "How many are left?"  "Me." We can 
not change what has happened, we can only plug along as we can, and 
thanks to your concern and help we've been able to chink, chink, chink 
at the enormous wall of poverty that has become even 
larger with Mitch.  Thank you and may 1999 be a kinder year.

Kathleen

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