by Derrick Gee, new SCP President

This well brings clean water to an extended family in the Escalante community

Every month, come winter snow or summer mosquitoes, the all-volunteer board of our Project converges on the basement of the library in Richland Center. There, we huddle to tackle the issues of the day. We review the emails from our Project facilitators in Nicaragua, the proposals for school supplies or metal for latrines or more sewing machines or training for health workers or a guard for a turtle hatchery. We figure out how to raise more funds and how to get the information into this newsletter. But occasionally, too, we need to look at the big picture. What have we achieved? Where are we headed? How are we stacking up against our mission?

It is five years since we wrote our strategic plan to guide us in our work in the Santa Teresa villages. Probably, we have let it accumulate more dust than we should have and we will be putting that right this year. But, in the meantime, our work is evolving based on our cumulative experience with the Nicaraguans we serve. This has resulted in some changes that, with their support, we are now implementing:

• Target communities. For seven years, we have been focusing our efforts on the people and the environment in four villages in the Chacocente Wildlife Refuge- La Palma, El Papalon, Escalante and La Poma. In that time, there have been changes there. We can certainly claim to have “helped people to help themselves” so that they now have better education, health and a few ways of creating income that have less adverse impact on the delicate ecosystem within which they subsist. But, the human population has declined, largely due to outside investors offering to buy out the small farmers. This cash has enabled them to move to areas where it easier to farm or to totally new lives elsewhere. Meanwhile, there are about 15 other communities in the designated “Buffer Zone” around the Refuge where people have not been getting the help that we have supplied and where the population may be increasing. So, in 2006, one of our facilitators, Alma Susana, carried out a survey of these communities. We have committed to begin working in two of these this year. La Chota is on the edge of the Refuge and a place that has wanted us to work with them for some time. El Terrero is a very poor community in a remote part of the buffer zone. Village representatives have met with Alma and her co-worker, Marlon, to produce a list of priorities, and we have allocated some of your funds to get started. We are committed to continue working in the original communities but in a narrower range of activities than before.
• Priority activities. Over the years we have continued to add new activities as the needs arose. In addition to looking out for the sea turtles and the forest, there have been wells, gardens, latrines, schools, health workers, sewing classes, a honey project and ag conservation and many more. It’s a lot to manage on relatively little cash and a very slim administrative structure. Other organizations, particularly from Europe, are now working in Chacocente and we have cooperated with them recently in joint projects such as beekeeping. They are also working with the Chacocente villagers on an income-generating eco-tourism program. In reviewing these changes, we have concluded that we should concentrate most of our effort on the most basic infrastructural needs of the people, an area where no other outside bodies are working. These needs are health and education. Without at least a minimal standard in these, we cannot expect the communities to be ready to tackle the wider world, whether that world is coming to them in Chacocente or whether they are moving on to a different life elsewhere in Nicaragua. Again, we don’t plan to drop efforts in other areas where the quality of life can be improved significantly with just a little “jump-start” from us, such as sewing, but we hope that these enterprises become self-sustaining.
  Of course, our concern for this rare ecosystem with which we are involved will also ensure that our environmental support continues
• Administration. Out two young facilitators, Alma and Marlon have been with us just over a year now. We are delighted with how they have tackled a very difficult job, ensuring that we know the will of the people and that they all understand the limits to what we can do and what they must do for themselves. They have had big transport problems in these remote areas. Whereas larger aid organizations might spend funds on first-world employees driving SUVs, we have just reached an arrangement with Alma and Marlon whereby we will help them buy motorcycles to get around better. Our long-time friend and now vice-mayor of Santa Teresa, Yamileth Fonseca, knows them well and has agreed to be their local mentor using her lifelong experience of working with the “poorest of the poor”.

So, our strategy and its implementation are evolving to meet the changing circumstances. We are delighted that the generosity of you, our supporters, appears to know no bounds. We will be spending almost $28,000 of your money in Nicaragua this year, by far our biggest effort.

The working team in front of the Santa Teresa Mayor's office: Mayor Cristobal Conrado, Derrick Gee, Vice-mayor Yamileth Fonseca, Treasurer Ivan Dinarte, SCP facilitators Alma Susana Chavez and Marlon Palacio