Tour Leader: Judith Miller & Linda Weber
Tour Dates: January 23 - February 01, 2006
Early in 2005, several retired teachers from Appleton Area Public Schools discussed the possibility of constructing wooden swing sets at Hogar San José in Chinandega, Nicaragua. Many wondered if this was even possible. One year later, we not only know that it is possible, but that it has happened!
On January 23, Linda Weber, Christine Hartman, Mary Beth Nienhaus, and Judith Miller headed for Nicaragua with the intent to build swing sets at the orphanage. The wood for the swing sets had been sent down on a donated school bus from Wisconsin, but the swings, hardware, and tools were taken down in suitcases. With the help of the staff and the girls at the orphanage, the two sets were built in as many days. What an experience!
The Appleton group also had the opportunity to visit the Bomberos. The musical instruments donated to them last year are now being used to give music lessons to young people; we were lucky enough to visit during a rehearsal. The students proudly played some tunes to show off their progress.
Another goal of this trip was to visit our friends in Las Lagunas. They continue to amaze us with their dedication to improving their community. They have a newly-installed solar panel to provide energy for a cell phone charger, a cassette/compact disc player, and a hair trimmer. We also met with the fifteen students chosen for secondary school scholarships and the two students now registered for courses at the university.
Our annual visit to these two communities was greatly enhanced by the fact that we were able to sponsor the participation of Malva Flores from Chinandega and Reineris Sobalvarro from Las Lagunas in Wisconsin Women Care II. It was obvious that they had benefited from the WWC II Conference held last year in Stevens Point, once again proving that these friendships and exchanges are priceless.
