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A heartwarming report
in words and pictures from Chery Avery on the wonderful impact of two
grants from our Social Justice Endowment
to the good people of Colonia Chacocente in Nicaragua.
3 September 2003
Dear Al and All the Members of the Peace and Justice Committee,
May God bless you abundantly for the joy you have given us!
Thank you so very much for the two grants you have bestowed on Project
Chacocente. The money, of course, is wonderful and needed.
But you need to know how much hope and excitement you gave us through
your support!
When I told my team (Danilo, Juan, and Brenda) about the first grant
for health assistance ($1,050), they were elated because it is so important
that we find out the health needs on everyone in our families. If
we know someone has high blood pressure or diabetes, we can help them manage
their illness. We also expect to find lead in the blood of the children
(from inhaling the thick smoke that hangs over the dump and the people’s
houses). We need to learn what we can do to help them, as well.
Since receiving the grant, we have begun to visit and then analyze
the pros and cons of two clinics near our new site. One is a popular
clinica called “Profamilia”, and the other a private clinic, called “Los
Chilamates”. We expect to choose a clinic and begin health consults
this month. I’ll keep you posted on that.
As for the second grant for buying and constructing doors and windows
for the first six houses, we have bought the wood and are letting it
dry out before construction. My good friend Eliodoro Garcia (a pastor
and carpenter) is building the doors at a very reasonable price for us.
The second grant was also used to buy seed to plant. I am
sending you pictures of us sowing six acres of corn the week before I
came home. There is also a picture of the corn plants popping up
through the soil, which I took my last day in Nicaragua. We will
also plant six acres of beans on Sept. 15. The people will actually
eat these crops when they are harvested in November-December.
Oh, I wanted to tell you ~ when I told the folks about the second
grant, I called them all together at the end of a hot and sweaty day.
When I told them we would plant in less than a week, thanks to LUMC,
they literally cheered! They almost made me cry, their joy was
so great. And I just wanted you to share in the beauty of that
joy. God bless you!
Hasta la victoria,
Cheryl
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