Micro B Team

August 18, 2009. Monthly Update by Baca. Pay It Forward. Hello to everyone in the U.S.! I hope that everyone is doing great. This month I’d like to tell you a little bit about our Pay It Forward program and what we have been up to recently. In the month of July, 34 needy families (more than 150 people!) benefitted by receiving animals to breed and to use for food and income. 31 families received 10 chickens and 1 rooster, while 3 families received a pregnant cow. All of these families are living in the rural communities of Mina de Agua, El Obraje, and Villa Esperanza. In August we hope to be able to hand out more animals and also recuperate some as well. After taking time to evaluate the program this spring, we have found that the recipient families have improved their financial situations and the overall nutrition of their families. What we have noticed specifically is that the families who have received cows have had the highest success levels based on financial improvement and animal recuperation levels. At this point we are in need of donors who are interested in sponsoring cows for the program so we can continue distributing animals and benefitting families in need.

 

 

July 17, 2009. Monthly Update by Jeremy Sutton. Farms. Planting season has hit down here in Nicaragua. This past month we have been very busy planting all of our fruits and vegetables for the season at the Amigos Farm and working on other special projects. We have planted over 800 green pepper plants, 30 avocado trees, 12 orange trees, and half a manzana of corn. We are also continuing to produce more and more compost to enrich the soil with nutrients and to maintain the farm as organic as possible. Soon we will begin working on a reforestation program where we will grow precious woods like mahogany, teak, eucalyptus, and cedar. All of the trees are being donated to us through an initiative of USAID. In the next month we hope to have fish swimming around in our new tilapia tank at the farm. The idea behind this project is to raise tilapia to supplement our feeding centers with another protein and then sell the excess at the market. Along those same lines, this month we have begun experimenting with raising broiler chickens. The plan for this project is that we will be able to raise a new group of chickens every 2 weeks that we can use in the feeding centers and also sell to bring money back into our projects. This month I have had two great guys that have come down to help me out at the farm. Pete McCaffrey from Wake Forest and Bob Steele from North Georgia. These two have been out there sweating it out everyday and having a great time. They've been fun around the house and have been such a big help to me and the farm team.

 

June 26, 2009. Monthly Update by Rachel Elledge. Bead Amigas. For those who may not be familiar with Bead Amigas, it is one of Amigos' newest projects focusing on social entrepreneurship with women. Created by Allison Morris and Rosann Kent of North Georgia, the project aims at empowering women through giving them the opportunity to work to support their families. I have been working with 8 women in the village of Los Rotarios since January of this year, acting as the field coordinator for this project. They began by just learning how to make paper beads in January and I'm now proud to report that all 8 of our Bead Amigas have now graduated into making complete bracelets. All of their beads are looking absolutely beautiful, they really have come a long way. Two weeks ago I taught them all how to cut their own strips of recycled wallpaper. (Up until now, the Bead Amigas in the US have been cutting all the strips for them and then sending them down) It was difficult for them at first, but they have been practicing like crazy! All of the women have been making money and being able to rely on the project for regular income. I'm hoping that within the next month all of the women will be on the same production schedule and making the same income and within the next two months, all of them will be relying on the project for their primary income and can quit any side jobs they have. Just for a little perspective, Ana Patricia (one of our second generation beaders) has been working at a peanut factory as a peanut sorter. She makes 30 cordobas a day. That equals US$1.50 per day. (In Bead Amigas, the women make 30 cordobas per bracelet and normally make around 20 bracelets a week.) She is supporting her two elderly parents, her 3 siblings, and her 3 children on her own without the help of another income. Many days that I go to Rotarios her daughter brings me her beads to sell since she is out working. I can't wait until the production schedule has normalized so Ana can stay home with her children, work from home, and make enough money to feed her family. When the Sugarloaf group was here mid-June, a group of 9 women made the trip to Rotarios to meet the beaders. They had a great time getting to know each other, learning how to make the beads, and making bracelets together. It was amazing to watch the Nicaraguan women teach the American women and the pride they showed in their project. I think it was a special time for all the women involved and a big thanks to all of those in the Sugarloaf group who played a part in that special meeting. If anyone would like more info about the Bead Amigas, check out the Bead Amigas Website or contact me (rachel.beadamigas@gmail.com) for any specific questions! All my best- Rachel