United Way's Latin America Regional Meeting in Sao Paulo Brazil

"Tudo bem?"

Everything alright?

I don't think I've ever been asked that question as many times as I was asked during my 5-day trip to Sao Paulo, Brazil.

I was there to meet with representatives from the 11 organizations that represent United Way Worldwide in Latin America. Since 2001, ANF has represented United Way of Nicaragua.

During my trip, I heard success stories about innovative fundraising techniques and ways to motivate volunteers; I listened to horror stories about failed relationships with donors; I learned ofpromising projects that will bring education, good health, and economic stability to thousands of people throughout the region; and I shared my experiences working toward the same goal.

I brought all that information home with me to Nicaragua - to push ANF forward, to better fulfill our mission, and to better serve Nicaragua's poor. Hopefully, I'll have some new success stories to tell next year...

Running for ANF

Melissa will be running her first marathon in October. She is combining the love of running and her passion to help the world by setting 2 goals:

1. Cross the finish line at the Chicago Marathon.
2. Raise enough money to build a home for a family in Nicaragua.

She thought the fundraising part would be the hardest. But today, with still about a month to go, she has already exceeded her goal!

Inspired by the actor Edward Norton, who is also running a marathon while raising money, Melissa decided to see if she would be successful. And, okay, she’s not Edward Norton, but hey, you don’t have to be a celebrity to do this, right?



“My goal is to raise $2,620.00. I chose that number because I am embarking in a 26.2 mile journey. If I can get 262 people to donate $10.00 my fundraising target will be met. I could also get 100 people to donate $26.20. Every little bit counts, and every little bit will help!”

And every little bit is counting! People have been donating $10, $200, and everything in between.

So far she has raised $2,914.00 and many many fans.

Good luck on October 11th, Meli! We all wish you the greatest run of your life.

We hope you, our reader, will be inspired by her journey and use FirstGiving to fundraise for a good cause like ANF.

An unforgettable trip to RAAN

Last week, I took a trip to the Bonanza and Siuna, RAAN, in central Nicaragua. Full of turbulent airplane rides, pesky mosquitoes, dirt floors, and contaminated water, the trip will be a hard one to forget.

The purpose of the trip was to inaugurate two schools that were donated to the community in Bonanza by the Coca-Cola Foundation. With the funds donated by Coca-Cola, ANF implemented the project and did the on-the-ground work. The adventurers on the trip were: two representatives from Coca-Cola's Costa Rica office, two representatives from ANF (myself included), and a representative from the Ministry of Education. In regard to fulfilling its purpose, the trip was a great success. The inaugural event was wonderful, which the children enjoyed immensely, and the new classrooms and sanitary units looked absolutely amazing. It was definitely a job well done by everyone involved.

But, on a personal level, the trip meant a lot more than just inaugurating those two schools. Bathing with water that was not known to be clean, sleeping in a house with questionable security, and fighting different sized bugs throughout the night was an experience that drove home many of the things I work with on a day-to-day basis from the comfort of my office.

Over the course of those two days, I had a thought that kept nagging at me: "At the end of this adventure, I get to go home - a very comfortable and safe home. But the inhabitants of these communities don't. This is their home. This isn't an 'adventure' for them - it's regular, day-to-day life. And it's HARD."

Now that I'm back in the office, sitting behind my desk, fighting for those impoverished communities and their struggling inhabitants from so far away, I try to remember how it felt to be unsure if the water I was drinking was clean, for one's health to constantly be at risk. I try to remember what it's like for those communities, to struggle through each day.

And I hope that every person who can will do something to help. So, help by supporting ANF today.

Annual Report 08!

We put the finishing touches on the Annual Report a few weeks ago, and they're finally printed and ready to send out. In trying to keep things as green as possible, though, we'd love for you to please check out the electronic copy, too:

http://www.aidnicaragua.org/annualreport

Let us know what you think!

Visit to Schools in Bonanza, RAAN

Guest Post by Indira Vallejos – ANF’s Event Coordinator

About two weeks ago, I visited a part of Nicaragua I had never been to before – the North Atlantic Autonomous Region. To get there, I flew non-stop to the community of Bonanza along with a representative of the Coca-Cola Company. The purpose of the trip was to coordinate the inauguration of 2 reconstructed schools, which were funded by the Coca-Cola Foundation.

During my stay, I noticed that, even though it’s a part of Nicaragua’s mining triangle, Bonanza’s social development is only of interest to a mining organization that operates there and is otherwise forgotten by the rest of Nicaraguans. Witnessing the unsanitary conditions, poor economic circumstances, and unsafe environment in which the inhabitants of the community live, I realized that the Atlantic coast of Nicaragua is so completely different (and in so much more need) than the Pacific coast where I have lived my whole life.

My experience in Bonanza had a profound impact on me and left me with the desire to continue to help these coastal communities and their people to grow and find a more dignified way of living.

ANF's achievements in 2008

Promoting Economic Opportunity
- Creation of 152 jobs through the provision of training, technical assistance, and capital in the areas of sustainable agriculture and animal husbandry.

Supplying Nutritional Assistance
- A total of 288 centers benefited from food donations.
- A daily plate of food was given to 44,552 people, including students, nursing mothers, and senior citizens.

Increasing Educational Quality and Attainment
- 102 schools and other educational centers received 12,236 items of classroom furniture.
- 1,142 schools received basic school supplies for each student, benefiting 157,718 children.
- 112 schools received nutritionally-rich food aid for school lunch programs, benefiting 24,117 students.
- Construction of 3 schools, 1 library, creation of 2 computer labs, and rehabilitation of 2 schools, benefiting 2,716 students.

Strengthening Medical Assistance
- Distribution of medicines and medical supplies to 125 dispensaries, health centers, and hospitals, assisting in the treatment and recovery of thousands of patients.
- 684 handicapped persons received a wheelchair.

Developing Communities
- Construction of 1,943 houses, benefiting 12,047 people.
- Construction of 446 latrines, benefiting 1,593 people.

Providing Access to Safe Drinking Water
- Construction of 20 community wells and the rehabilitation of 4 water systems, benefiting 3,712 people.


If you're interested in contributing to our mission of fostering increased opportunity, self sufficiency and dignity for the poor in Nicaragua, please visit our website and donate today!

Live Long and Prosper!

This past Wednesday, ANF held a fund raising event in Managua's Alhambra VIP movie theaters where over 100 attendees made a donation and watched the premiere of the new summer release, Star Trek.

The movie began in all three of Alhambra's theaters at 7:30PM, and each person received a free bucket of popcorn courtesy of COSAS magazine. People enjoyed themselves because, not only did they spend two hours watching a great and action-packed movie, but they also made a charitable donation.

In the eyes of both ANF and those who attended, the event was a definite success. On ANF's part, the funds raised will help achieve ANF's mission of striving to provide hope and opportunity to Nicaragua's poor. On the part of the public, many requested (and even insisted) that this type of event be repeated on more frequent basis.

Thank you to Alhambra movie theaters and COSAS magazine for supporting ANF and helping to put on such a great event.

Changing a Mother's Life

“For a year, my daughter carried me around everywhere. But today, I will be able to be more independent and even go to church alone.”

These are the words of Catalina Romero, a 65 year old woman from Ciudad Sandino in Managua, Nicaragua’s capital.
Until May of 2008, Mrs. Romero was able to walk and lead a normal life. She had lived with diabetes for 18 years of her life when she awoke one morning with her right foot turning purple. She went to the doctor who gave her treatment to stop it from spreading to the entire leg. Sadly, it was unsuccessful. Catalina said she felt like she would rather die than have to live without her leg, but her daughter cried and begged her to be positive about the situation because she needed her mother present in her life. A couple of months later, Catalina’s right leg was amputated.

From the moment she had her leg surgically removed, Mrs. Romero’s perspective on life changed drastically. Finding herself completely dependent on others for the first time in her life, she felt herself a burden on her daughter’s life. She hated the feeling of having to depend on people to get around, knowing that her independence as a woman no longer existed. Her mood swings were strong, getting more depressed and discouraged by the day.

On May 26, Catalina received a donation from ANF that changed her life - a wheelchair. Her outlook visibly changed from the moment she laid eyes on her wheelchair. Her first trip on it, she said, would be to the nearby church with her daughter and grand-daughters.

Students Helping Students raises funds for impoverished school

As part of the Students Helping Students program, students of the American Nicaraguan School held a fundraiser at their school's annual Kermesse. The group's aim is to raise funds in order to provide an impoverished school in Managua with school supplies, desks, and a better infrastructure (including clean water, a bathroom, and better classrooms).

The fundraiser consisted of a small blow-up swimming pool filled with plastic balls. Each ball had a tiny sticker on it. The ONE plastic ball with a red apple sticker on it was the key to winning an iPod.

By the end of the event, they had raised c$3,400!

Shocking Visit to Somoto

Last week, I visited Totogalpa in Somoto, where a water well, donated by Life Outreach International (LOI), was installed by ANF last year. We spoke to some of the members of the community who benefit from the well, and we were able to see the happiness and different, improved lifestyle they now have thanks to this donation.

Previous to the existence of this well, the families of Totogalpa began a trek of two or three miles at 3:00 a.m. to reach a water source, only to find a line of 50 others also waiting their turn to collect the filthy, diseased water. Part of the contamination of that water source came from dead bats!

Two residents of the community, Elena Ruiz and Juan Antonio Perez, shared with us the fact that they used to have to send their children to school without bathing them. Instead, they would simply rub a damp towel over them to clean them as best they could.

Today, with a water well only steps from their homes, they are not only able to bathe their kids before going to school, but they are also able to access as much water as they need to water their plants and grow fruits and vegetables in their backyards. This is the case for the more than 40 families that are being benefited by this water well. It is amazing to see the positivism they now have in life after seeing that people cared about their situation and took steps to help them overcome it. People in the community were infinitely grateful for ANF's help in making a difference to their everyday lives.

New Computer Lab for the New School Year

ANF Nicaragua is excited to have finished the computer lab in Colegio Autonomo Las Americas, located in Managua, just in time for the new school year.

This computer lab allows more than 500 students from 5^th to 12^th grade to enjoy the implementation of cyber life in their school. The lab will have capacity for 36 students on 18 computer stations (12 donated by RTI/USAID and 6 by Target AMC) internet access and a printer. The students will learn how to use a computer, manage basic information system programs, and take advantage of the internet connection to do research on relevant and updated information.

Today we thank RTI/USAID and Target AMC for their support in making this computer lab a reality to the school.