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Nicaragua Project 2007

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About the Nicaragua Project

For the last four years, Bethlehem has participated in the Nicaragua Project in several ways. They have donated funds and sent people to build 7 homes in Somoto, Nicaragua and build a Mother House in Telpaneca to save the lives and health of women and babies at the time of birth. They have supported medical and dental teams that have seen hundreds of impoverished people. They have started a Vacation Bible School program that is now led by local women. It has grown to more than 135 children who come weekly and has added an adult Bible study for the parents of the children.

This year, we are asking for support for Ninos y Ninas del Futuro, (Children of the Future) a budding children’s project located in an extremely poor barrio in Somoto. It is being started by the women who teach the Sunday School and is strongly supported by the local government.

Three hundred and forty one children there suffer from malnutrition that leads to learning disabilities and an inability to focus in school. Further, they often suffer from abuse and are coming under the influence of gangs coming down from El Salvador and Honduras. They grow up with significant learning disabilities, poor education, poor health, poor values, emotional scars, and no skills with which to earn a living. This project will work to remedy that by providing buildings and programming to give the children a nutritious meal each day, academic support, psychological and medical services, religious education, and education in trades such as ceramics, baking, sewing, computer skills, and carpentry. Similar programs have been started in other areas in Nicaragua and have met with a great deal of success.

The Mayor of Somoto has donated the land, which is a beautiful site next to the barrio. He has also donated the work of engineers and architects to draw up the designs and locations of the buildings that are needed. (These plans have been completed. Cathy Goodman has a copy for those interested.)

The building of the project will cost $189,000 and programming, food, and materials will be additional ongoing expenses. Other organizations besides ours are also being sought for support. The Nicaragua Project has already raised and sent funds to level the land. After the title to the land is finalized, we are hoping to raise the $37,000 needed to build the kitchen and dining room this year. This building can then serve as a base to feed children, a place to teach baking, and a multi-purpose room for other programming until other buildings are constructed.

Questions? Call John Goodman, president of the Nicaragua Project or Cathy Goodman, secretary of the Nicaragua Project, 303-530-3838 or E-mail Cathy at cegood47@aol.com

Nicaragua News

Mother House Progress

June, 2006

The land for the Mother House in Telpaneca was found to be unsuitable due to the slope of the land and the location.

August, 2006

The heads of the Health Department in Somoto and in Telpaneca, together with Cathy Goodman, initiate the purchase of a home and the land to be converted into a Mother House. It is in an ideal location across from the clinic in Telpaneca. The mayor of Telpaneca promises to build a new home for the family currently living at the location and to cut construction costs by recruiting volunteer help. Cathy leaves a check from the Nicaragua Project Funds at the Somoto bank for the purchase. Dr. Bermudez, a trusted doctor and friend of Pastor Abe Gonzalez and head of health services is to supervise the project.

September, 2006

It takes this month to clear the check through the banks in both countries and deposit it into a special account for the purchase of the home.

October, 2006 - December, 2006

During these months, the final purchase is made and papers are drawn up. In the meantime, the mayor of Telpaneca builds the family a new home on the first, sloping land that had been donated for the Mother House. The new home is donated to the family, and the family moves from the construction site.

November, 2006

An election is held in Nicaragua and the ruling party is replaced.

January, 2007

Dr. Bermudez asks us to continue to hold the funds in escrow in the US to complete the Mother House, since he does not know if he’ll be allowed to continue as head of health services under the new government. If he is replaced, he will not be in position to supervise the project.

March, 2007

Dr. Bermudez visits the site, and the parts of the house that cannot be repaired are torn out. He is replaced by the new government as head of medical services. Pastor Abe Gonzalez of Greeley arranges for two trusted people he has known for years, the mayor of Somoto and a trusted relative, Marta Zelaya to oversee the building of the Mother House. The funds held in escrow here are transferred to a project account to complete the project.

April 15, 2007

The mayor of Somoto, the mayor of Telpaneca, Marta Zelaya, and the new head of medical services meet. Pastor Abe Gonzalez of Greeley has a phone conference with them. They are very excited about completing the project now that they have the funds we transferred to them from escrow and the new heads of the medical services are in place. They report that many in the Telpaneca community are volunteering their services to keep the costs down and keep the cost within the total of funds that were raised.

Stay tuned for further news!

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