UK twin town support for Nicaragua COVID-19 related projects

Over the past new months NSC affiliated twin towns and other groups have adapted the ways that the work in order to provide ongoing solidarity for Nicaraguan organisations and communities. This has focused particularly on support for COVID-19 related projects.

Bristol Link with Nicaragua (BLINC)

Key areas of work: liaising closely with friends and colleagues in BLINC’s twin town of Puerto Morazan and funding a supply of PPE equipment to schools and pre-schools; keeping in touch with SOPPEXCCA over information on the impact of COVID-19 on the Fairtrade co-operatives and their mitigation strategies; and providing a donation of $US500 to the Futbol Sin Fronteras project https://www.facebook.com/fsfgranada/ for girls and young women.

Following the tragic news of the death of a woman in Puerto Morazán at the hands of her partner, BLINC worked with a local artist to produce a mural in her honour and to highlight the need to tackle violence against women and children. BLINC will continue to work with local organisations to raise awareness of domestic violence and abuse and to support initiatives to tackle it.

Sadly, the COVID-19 restrictions have led to the cancellation of what would have been the 30th anniversary of The Copa Sandino and Copa Lucretia Lindo football tournaments – one of BLINC’s major sources of fundraising.

Further information: https://www.facebook.com/bristolnicaragua

Nicaragua Education, Cultural and Arts Trust (NECAT)

Since the onset of coronavirus in Nicaragua, NECAT has been doing its best to support more than fifty children who attend the NECAT Centre in Barrio Guadelupe, Leon as well as their families. This includes sanitation kits for their families and learning materials for children unable to attend the Centre.

NECAT has also provided funds for PPE equipment for the Maria Perla Norori and Subtiava health centres.

More recently food parcels were provided to families of those laid off from a local car plant in exchange for them signing up to the cleaning rota for the NECAT centre.

Many thanks to Rotary, Oxford and the Oxford Leon Link for their support without which this work would not have been possible.

Further information about NECAT https://www.necat.org.uk/

Oxford Leon Link virtual quiz Friday 17 July, 8-9pm

At this time of the year, the Link normally organises a sponsored swim to raise funds for community projects in Leon. This year there has been no swimming for obvious reasons, so the Link is organising a virtual quiz! Here are the details:

Friday 17 July at 8-9pm You can take part singly or as a household by contacting Jen Houston on jen_houston@hotmail.com for details of how to join the via Zoom.

Open to anyone, anywhere! No prizes or entry fee, but you are strongly encouraged to donate through https://www.justgiving.com/oxfordleonassociation

These funds will be channelled through NECAT (see above) and a rural development project called Nuevas Esperanzas to support projects related to the COVID-19 emergency.

Santa Rosa Fund (SFR) Tavistock announces its closure after 31 years

The Santa Rosa Fund has announced its closure and will cease its functions and ifunding in Nicaragua after its final tranche of financial aid has been delivered to its partner organisations at the beginning of 2021.

The Fund is still accepting donations until the end of 2020, but it is reminding its supporters and donors to cancel their standing orders.

Further information on reasons for the closure and testimonies to the extraordinary bonds of solidarity between SRF and Nicaragua partner organisations over more three decades: https://www.santarosafund.org/category/newsletters/