SRF Newsletter No.46, Nov/Dec 2015, page 1

Registered Charity No. 1028085

Supporting educational initiatives and projects in Nicaragua

www.santarosafund.org

SRF NEWS No 46

November / December 2015

(See centre page spread for report.)

Little Cob grows in 2015

SRF Newsletter No.46, Nov/Dec 2015, page 2

From 2008 for the next four years, the Santa Rosa Fund made donations to educational projects benefiting

the children and adults who worked as recyclers on La Chureca, Managua’s major rubbish dump. In 2013

the dump was sealed and a recycling plant was created to take the city’s waste. Some, not all, of the people

who depended on the dump for their economic survival were employed elsewhere and in the recycling plant.

Other initiatives were also created, like the one described below by SRF trustee Amy Haworth Johns who

visited the project (at her own expense) earlier this year.

Earth Education Project: Re-Building Women’s Lives After La Chureca.

In 2013, La Chureca, Managua’s biggest rubbish dump, was given an overhaul in an attempt to address the

waste problem in the capital. The dump (located on the shores of Lake Managua) was transformed into a

recycling plant.

Environmentally and from the government’s point of view, this was a positive change to tackle sanitation

issues facing the city. But the change had an irrevocable impact on the families who relied on it for their

livelihood.

In a country where official figures give an unemployment rate of 7.2% in 2014 (IndexMundi, 2015) but

where under-employment reaches almost 50% of the population, scavenging metal, components and saleable

goods from the mounds of La Chureca

provided over 900 families with an income

they depended on. Its shutdown left many

to a life of destitution.

Of the people who relied on the dump, it

was the women who were left in the most

difficult situation. In a country where many

young women leave school before

completing their education so they can take

care of younger siblings or because they

need to earn money, their employment

prospects were low and many had nowhere

else to turn.

Into this came Earth Education Project (EEP). Run by Swiss-born entrepreneur Andrea Paltzer, EEP was

established in 2009. Even before the dump’s closure, Andrea saw that these women needed an alternative to

life on La Chureca. Now 6 years on, EEP supports more than twenty women, with its aim to: “empower

Nicaraguan women living in situations of violence, in isolated communities with education programmes and

job skill training to achieve full time employment, secure a stable income and

break the cycle of poverty.”

On my recent visit to Managua, I made my way to EEP to meet the women who have switched from recycling rubbish off the dump to producing beautiful

beads from recycled material instead.

Upon arrival I was met by the scene shown on the next page – twenty women

enrolled in EEP’s year-long programme, all rolling paper, making paper and

varnishing beads. Each day the women transform used newspaper and

magazines (sourced from doctors’ surgeries and waiting rooms of Managua)

into beautiful jewellery.

© Michael Cominic, Flikr

SRF Newsletter No.46, Nov/Dec 2015, page 3

Sold through the Chureca Chic

label in Nicaragua and

internationally, the jewellery is

EEP’s main source of income

for the project. As sales rise,

Andrea shares her hopes of

expansion and further training

for more women.

Upon enrolment the women

receive training in jewellery

making and every day have

lessons in reading, writing and

mathematics. As well as basic

education, the women receive Photos courtesy of https://www.facebook.com/ChurecaChic

a monthly stipend and packages of subsidised food and household goods. Equating to minimum pay, the

stipend means the women are able to continue their studies and commit to the year-long programme.

However it is not just school work;

at EEP there are workshops in

business skills to help them

prepare for a world which they’ve

never experienced – including

time keeping and money

management. EEP has established

connections with local businesses to encourage them to employ EEP’s graduates. They also receive

workshops on nutrition, sexual health, women’s rights, confidence building and psychological support from

a volunteer therapist who works from the small room off the main bead workshop. As many of the women

have experienced or are experiencing abuse, these sessions strike an essential balance to enable them to

build a new life free from instability and violence, and move on from La Chureca.

References: http://www.indexmundi.com/nicaragua/economy_profile.html

https://www.facebook.com/ChurecaChic

http://eartheducationproject.org/

https://www.facebook.com/EarthEducationProject

Nicaragua Now, Issue 4 Spring 2015, http://nicaraguasc.org.uk/news/article/132/nicaragua-now-issue-4-spring-2015

RENEWAL OF SUPPORT

With this newsletter, you will find enclosed a Supporter Renewal form. If you already have a standing order to the Santa Rosa Fund, please ignore this request and use the other side of the form for your telephone pad.

But if any of your contact details have changed over the last year, could you please return the form with

your alterations? To all who send their support each year in response to this end-of-year newsletter, please

consider another donation to the SRF, bearing in mind that the trustees of the Fund are always keen to

ensure that we maximise the amount and proportion of our yearly income that goes directly to the

beneficiaries in Nicaragua.

Virginia Castaño Díaz spent seven years living on ‘La Chureca’, Nicaragua’s

biggest rubbish dump, where she used to eke out a living by recycling the city’s

waste materials. She moved there with her four children after fleeing a violent

partner. Virginia still makes a living from recycling but her situation is now very

different. She has her own home and is employed at the Earth Education Project

(EEP). Liz Light, NSC

SRF Newsletter No.46, Nov/Dec 2015, page 4

Little Cob – Amy’s report

Santa Rosa Fund trustee Amy (whose photos appear on the front page) spent much of her time in Central

America as a volunteer at The Little Cob in Matagalpa in northern Nicaragua. This is her report.

Little Cob Library is like an oasis in the

desert. An oasis where children who are

forced to grow up quickly can have a safe and

peaceful space to actually BE children. A cool

and calm space, it has become a sanctuary for

the children of this neighbourhood where they

can come after school to read, do homework

and take part in a variety of activities. Based

on the skills of the volunteers who help at

Little Cob, the activities I have observed and

helped out with during my time there have

included: making cakes with Stina (Sweden),

a beautiful mosaic table with Abs (UK),

jewellery and a mobile out of gathered seedpods and homemade clay beads with Esther (Italy), Aikido with Iris

(Holland) and art and English classes with Clarisse (UK).

Running alongside these activities is the calming

influence of Kenia (Nicaraguan), the new librarian, with

whom the children can read, check out books and can get

help with homework – and the unwavering love of its

founder Dominique.

I don’t know anywhere else like Little Cob. The

word sustainability is over-used these days, but it

is a word that always comes back to me. In the

sustainable techniques used to build the library and

other buildings on-site, the layout of the garden

(with its domed oven and brand new beautiful

patio) and the dedication put into the lives of the

children who use it. Ranging from 6 years and up,

these children are given a chance to grow as

individuals and to access experiences they

SRF Newsletter No.46, Nov/Dec 2015, page 5

otherwise would miss out on.

“What an incredible place! Built and run with such

love and honest concern for the lives and futures of

the children who frequent it. Little Cob is unlike

anywhere else I have seen and I’m so happy I

finally had a chance to visit. Thank you to everyone

who I met during my time there. Thank you to

Dominique for creating such a wonderful space.

And thank you to the kids for being your cheeky

lovely selves!”

“I loved our Easter related activities for Semana

Santa. Making cards, angels and learning the British

game of painting and cracking hard-boiled eggs were great fun. The toilet roll angels

were an unexpected triumph and since then

they have made a zoo’s worth of toilet roll

animals!”

“I am so sad to not be able to see the

finished mosaic table but I can’t wait to see

the photos! A great project for the older

boys who are in the most danger of slipping

off the radar and into bad company. Too old

for the coveted Rompecabezas (puzzles) this

project gave them something lasting to be

part of and be proud of!”

Amy (right) with a Little Cobbler and

volunteer Esther (left)

And above the mosaic she wanted to

see completed

SRF Newsletter No.46, Nov/Dec 2015, page 6

Drumming and Marching in Central America

In September of each year the countries of Central America celebrate the anniversary of the day when they

gained their independence from Spain and their nationhood.

The celebrations entail all schools playing drums, dancing and marching around their villages, towns and

cities. Wherever you go schools will have suspended the normal curriculum so that rehearsals of the

drumming and the processions can be ready for the ‘big day’.

The ‘noise’ or should it be described as ‘sound’ is deafening and at times a good ‘wake-up’ call as schools

start at 7am. It is a tremendous spectacle with all classes from pre-school to seniors taking part.

The photograph is of primary school pupils on Santo Domingo Beach, on the Island of Ometepe in Lake

Nicaragua. The beach is the school’s playground and sports field. The rehearsals lasted two and half hours –

better than maths any day.

STREET CHILD UNITED SUMMIT – London, September 2015

Street Child United is a small charity with big ambitions. In September this year SCU held its Summit in London uniting

leaders and experts who work on the frontline with homeless and excluded children from 19 countries around the world.

Contributing to the Summit was Casa Alianza which is an advocacy and defender group for street children in Central

America and Mexico. (The Santa Rosa Fund has supported Casa Alianza in the past.) The Summit was agreed that the

major challenge to ensuring that street children are heard and valued is the stigma associated with living on the streets. “The

stigmatisation of street children remains a critical barrier to accessing their rights. They reinforced the idea that challenging

the stigma surrounding street children is the first step in transforming the way they are treated throughout society.”

http://www.streetchildunited.org/

http://www.casa-alianza.org.uk/

SRF Newsletter No.46, Nov/Dec 2015, page 7

NOTICE FOR POTENTIAL VOLUNTEERS

DBS/CRB Check for volunteers

All supporters of the SRF will be aware that we promote the work of volunteers with our partner

organisations in Nicaragua most of which cater to the educational needs of children and / or vulnerable

people. Volunteers involved in such work in the UK would need to have gone through the process of the

DBS / CRB check to ensure that they have no relevant criminal record. At our meeting in January 2015, the

SRF trustees decided that all future volunteers who work on SRF related projects in Nicaragua should also

undergo the same procedure.

We therefore ask potential volunteers to go through the process themselves and to provide the SRF with a

copy of the Basic Disclosure Certificate resulting from their check. This should be done before they begin

any SRF-related volunteer experience. On our website, we provide potential volunteers with a note of

guidance about how to go through the process and this can be found at:

http://www.santarosafund.org/volunteer-reports/dbs-crb-check/

Benefit Night On 31

st October 2015 at Whitchurch Village Hall, singer/songwriter Mike Silver and performance poet Rob

Barratt entertained a hall full of people, most of whom were Santa Rosa Fund supporters.

Mike Silver www.mikesilver.co.uk is a superb songwriter, masterful guitarist and captivating performer. He has a lifetime of professional music behind him, plus a busy on-going concert, songwriting and recording schedule. Mike continues to perform throughout the UK, Europe and America.

Rob Barratt www.robbarratt.co.uk is a comic

poet and singer from North Cornwall who

combines word play, verse and song with satire,

parody and audience participation. Rob deals with

such important topics as squid, the weather in

Scotland, distressed furniture and tuk-tuks. In

recent years Rob has appeared at folk, literature and arts festivals all over the UK and in Australia.

We are very grateful to Mike and Rob for donating their performances

for the cause of the Santa Rosa Fund. But we should also note our

great thanks to all who supported the event by making cakes for sale,

serving teas and coffees, taking the entrance monies and running the

raffle. Many thanks also to everyone who came along to enjoy the

entertainment. After covering all our costs of the event, the Fund

raised a total of £444.

Rob and Mike performing together at the event.

SRF Newsletter No.46, Nov/Dec 2015, page 8

SANTA ROSA FUND NEWSLETTERS

SRF supporters may be interested to learn how the SRF Newsletters are distributed. The Fund had 220

copies of Newsletter no. 44 (November 2014) printed by Dart Print in Tavistock. Of the 220:

101 were posted to destinations in the UK

6 were posted to overseas destinations

66 were hand delivered to SRF supporters who live in West Devon.

5 were hand delivered to groups and persons in Nicaragua

and:

104 supporters received the newsletter by email. Because of the increasing numbers of people taking the newsletter by email, the number we have had to print has been declining over the last few years. Although a reserve supply of newsletters is necessary (to give to new supporters and to respond to inquiries about the Fund), we dropped the print run to 200 for Newsletter no. 45 (June 2015) and for this edition (no. 46). If the trend towards electronic receipt continues, we shall drop it further in future.

Colour print Newsletter No. 44 was printed in colour for the first time, and this proved to be very popular. We have received only positive feedback about this. Accordingly, at the SRF AGM in January 2015, the trustees took the decision to continue with colour print for the next two editions during 2015 and to reconsider the further continuation of colour newsletters at the next AGM in January 2016. The cost of colour printing is of course considerably higher than for black and white printing. Our black and white print runs generally cost us between £60 and £70 for around 220 copies. The colour print for 200 copies costs £150. The trustees considered that this extra expense was worth it for the value added to our communication about the Fund to our supporters. We would be interested to receive any feedback from supporters about this issue. Pregnant teenagers The Nicaraguan government has announced that it aims to ensure that schools must guarantee the continuing

education of pregnant adolescents. According to UNICEF, Nicaragua has the highest rate of early pregnancy in Latin

America with one in three Nicaraguan women a mother before turning twenty. The number of pregnant adolescents

between 15 and 19 years of age dropped from 106 to 92 per 1,000 women between 2006 and 2012, and the

government wants to continue the work to prevent adolescent pregnancies, but wants also to ensure that the girl’s

education is not interrupted.

SANTA ROSA FUND CONTACTS www.santarosafund.org

Chair: Pete Mayston, Rose Cottage, Tuckermarsh, Bere Alston, Yelverton, Devon PL20 7HB

Tel. 01822 840297 Email: mayston@waitrose.com

Secretary: Jacky Rushall, Culliford House, The Down, Bere Alston, Yelverton, Devon PL20 7HG

Tel. 01822 841676

Treasurer: Pat Mayston – as for Pete (above)

Twinning links representative: Rick Blower, 4 Glebelands, Exminster, Exeter EX6 8AR

Tel. 01392 823646 Email: r.blower@btinternet.com

Membership secretary: Martin Mowforth, 51 West St., Tavistock, Devon PL19 8JZ

Tel. 01822 617504 Email: mmowforth@plymouth.ac.uk

PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPER BY DART PRINT, TAVISTOCK