supported projects
past projects | 2007 projects | major projects in 2003 and 2002

For funding of the many projects supported by SCSRN, we reach out to congregations, schools and civic clubs and individuals for donations.

The following three projects are new requests for 2007 for which we need additional donations to fund:

-$5,500 for rural school teachers' salaries. We have pledged to raise $5,500 for 5 teachers. A classroom in 5 rural schools remains empty and the children are at home because there are no funds for these teachers' salaries.

-$5,400 for 300 school desks. Children sitting on dirt floors are in danger of getting parasites such as ringworm and pin worm.

-$2,100 for a well and hand operated pump for a residential alcoholic treatment center which has very limited access to water for bathing, cooking and the garden where residents raise food for their own consumption and at the same time learn a useful life skill.

Projects funded between July 2002 and June 2003:

- $5,000 Construction materials - La Chispa Elementary School
- $2,500 Donation of notebooks and pencils to rural school children
- $1,200 High school teacher's salary
- $5,000 Purchase of land for municipal water project
- $1,000 Replace worn out equipment at Health Center
- $350 TV and VCR for Health Center
- $288 Daily newspapers for municipal library
- $360 Keep library open on Saturdays
- $100 Youth baseball
- $380 Art material program for senior citizens
- $1,301 Children's art teacher salary and materials
- $308 STD and teen pregnancy prevention program
- $120 Los Pipitos Handicapped Children's Center
- $250 Trash cans for town of San Ramón
- $100 Environmental Fair
- $408 Municipal Youth Band-rental space
- $222 Construction materials-La Chocolata School

In addition tourism income from our ecotours in 2006 added $70,800 to the local economy (cooking class teachers, guest house families, tourist guide club, musical performers, nature guides, staff salaries and benefits, reforestation, mini-hydro electric system installation...)

Major projects supported by ecotourism revenue

2003: Community-built water project for La Pita Coffee Cooperative

La Pita community of 250 inhabitants was chosen to receive the 10 % donation of our ecotour income from 2003 and the proceeds of our 10th Anniversary Fiesta for the construction of a gravity fed water project. The community had been trying to get funding for the project for years because their current water supply is contaminated with lead from gold mining operations in the 1900s. The project cost of $16,000 is being shared with Henniker, New Hampshire, also a sister community of San Ramón. The community is providing labor, Programa Agua is providing the plan, training, technical expertise and delivery of materials. One of the community members deeded the land where the water springs forth from the mountain to the community in perpetuity. Thirty-four houses will have their own water spigots; 4 homes located at a high elevation will share a spigot. "I am very happy that I will have clean water coming right to my house so I can have a nice clean shower right at home," Francisco Mendoza, a senior citizen of La Pita.

2002: La Chispa Elementary School

Not far from the Finca Esperanza Verde, 52 children attend a brand-new elementary school that opened in February, 2003. A local farmer donated the land, parents and older brothers constructed the two-classroom building, the Ministry of Education supplied a teacher and desks, and the 10% of our ecotour income for 2002 which we dedicate to a community development project paid for the building materials. Without La Chispa school, all these kids would not be in school or would need to move in with relatives in a different town in order to be near a school.

The municipal band, vice-mayor and proud students and parents inaugurate La Chispa Elementary School.

Sister Communities of San Ramon, Nicaragua (SCSRN) is expanding the number of projects we want to support in San Ramón. The success of the projects we have funded over the past 14 years of our sister community partnership has been very high. One of the reasons is that we fund projects requested by the community that benefit and are carried out by a large sector of the community. In addition, we have a partner organization made up of concerned individuals from all sectors of the San Ramon community that evaluates funding requests. They also check on the projects throughout the year. Finally, we have a paid staff person who accounts for all the expenditures of every project we fund.

San Ramón is a large mountainous county with 35,000 inhabitants, 61 rural primary schools, one high school and a poorly maintained system of dirt roads. There are 96 communities scattered throughout the mountains much like Appalachia was 60 or more years ago. San Ramón is the poorest county in the Matagalpa region and Nicaragua is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere.

Here is a description of the immediate impact a new project we began funding in 2006 has had on the community. (We do not need any additional funding for this project in 2007):

Construction of rural school kitchens, has had a major impact on the nutrition of children attending the schools with a kitchen. If a school has a hygienic place to prepare food and parents willing to prepare the meal, the government will supply the food. The food comes to the government through donations from the US and European Union. The kids love it and the teachers say that with a proper meal the children concentrate better in school. Another good thing about this project is that while we supply the construction materials and a construction supervisor, the parents build the kitchen. The parents take ownership of their school and community by active involvement. They fell empowered by the process and feel more responsibility for the problems their communities face in general rather than feeling stuck in poverty with no way to make things better. The transformation in a community's positive thinking is something I have also observed when visiting communities that have built their own water project. People I have interviewed after these projects are completed have expressed feelings of empowerment. These communities become united and ready to take on more ways to improve their quality of life. They learn that they can play a role in making life better for themselves and that waiting for the government or some other organization to bring them a handout, as they have done routinely in the past, has held them back.

Sister Communities of San Ramón, Nicaragua
1320 Shepherd Street, Durham, NC 27707
Tel 919-489-1656, Email: info@san-ramon.org