Casa Baltimore/Limay

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SUMMER, 2009

Strumming a guitar, the young man continued singing his refrain:
“Love will shine in this place because Limay will triumph,
And Baltimore will be the great city that is always with us.”

He sang, of course, in his native Spanish language:
Brillará el amor en este lugar porque Limay va a triunfar,
Y Baltimore será la gran ciudad que por siempre con nosotros está.

Mario Zamora practicing his song for the fiesta.

Everyone at the party clapped with delight. Our visiting January delegation was enfolded in love from our friends in San Juan de Limay, Nicaragua – and we gratefully returned their love.

Mario Zamora performed his new composition to express appreciation for the friendship and help that Casa Baltimore/Limay brings to the town. He is one of our scholarship students.

Afterward, feeling very moved, I spoke to the gathering briefly. I thanked Mario for his great song and said that Baltimore and Limay have a friendship por siempre, for always.

Do you realize how highly people in Limay regard you – and others like you – because of our friendship projects over the past 23 years? You are making a difference in the world through your participation – your donations, your time, your ideas, your caring.

Thank you. As you know, Limay is a financially poor area within Nicaragua, itself the second poorest country in the Americas. But in standing with the people of Limay, you’re not just giving charity – you’re making a stand for greater justice and interconnection among us all.

I’m writing to ask for your continued support for Casa Baltimore/Limay projects in 2009. In the remainder of this letter I’ll share more stories highlighting our successes and activities.

I also stress the urgency that you donate money generously now, if you possibly can. Funds are running low for three projects, and we’ll need new resources to fulfill them this year:

1. Food packets for the elderly and disabled. Lucila Quiroso springs into my mind. A widow, almost 78 years old, she ekes out a tiny income by reselling clothing and food in the streets of Limay. She thanked us over and over for her monthly packet of food staples.

Lucila Quiroso, one of the elderly helped by the food program

Elderly from San Juan de Limay with their assistive relatives waiting for food bags to be passed out.

Lucila’s “care packages” keep her safe from malnutrition. In a country without Social Security, they can even mean the difference between life and death for some. We provide them to more than 190 elderly and disabled people in Limay with no family able to support them.

Our delegation helped prepare and distribute the food packets in January. In the process, we saw firsthand the eagerness with which people lined up for this vital help.

We have committed to continuing these packets for 2009, on faith that generous persons like you will keep supporting them. The cost is only $75 a year, or a little over $6 a month, to provide packets for one person.

Preparing food for the Elderly

Three members of the Limay committee of Casa Baltimore/ Limay are preparing food packets for the elderly & disabled. Left to right: Tranquilino Garmendia, Olidia Corea, Leonidas Silva.

2. Scholarships. These 24 students pursue fields such as computer science, nursing, business, engineering, education. Most live at home, traveling to a city on Saturdays for a full day of classes. Scholarships cover items like tuition, bus travel, food for the journey, and books.

Some students are on full scholarships, costing about $350 a year or $30 a month. The rest get partial assistance. Your gift will go far in changing a young life.

The students are already giving back to the Limay community; they’re not waiting till they graduate! They plant tree seedlings. They participate in the adult literacy project, Yo Sí Puedo. They helped with the census. When asked, they do health education door-to-door.

3. Latrines. As I’ve said before, latrines are the prevailing form of waste management in rural Nicaragua. These outhouses resting on brick holding tanks are an imperfect yet crucial first step for public hygiene. Yet many people can’t afford them.

It feels strange, in letter after letter, to keep talking about latrines! But I continue, because that’s just how important they are.

Casa Baltimore/Limay supports the construction of Latrines in the smaller villages in the mountains around Limay.

In 2009, Casa Baltimore/Limay has committed to construct 20 more latrines in the central town of Limay and in outlying villages. They cost $300 each, or a pledge of $25 a month.

Other projects and activities. We also have some great projects in Limay that do not need funding emphasis right now – but I’ll briefly share the good news about them:

Sixty-five children, chosen because they were dangerously underweight or malnourished, are being educated and fed two meals a day in the CENIC preschool. This project is shared with Limay’s other friendship city in Catalunya, Spain.

A classroom of children at the CENIC preschool/ nutrition program

• We recently got a major donation to provide farm animals to rural families. Six beehives and six pregnant cows are being distributed, and 40 families will each get five hens and a rooster. The recipients will give away the first offspring to others in their villages.

• We are also grateful to donors at Dumbarton United Methodist Church for their ongoing support of additional farm animals in Limay.

• The Phil Mitchell revolving loan fund continues to promote small businesses and home repair. Our January delegation visited several people who have benefited from this fund over the years, gradually increasing their credit line along with their businesses.

There’s a lot to report here in Baltimore as well:

• Consider joining a life-changing delegation to Nicaragua in late July. We’ll celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Triumph, with a week in Limay and another in other parts of the country. Trips are tailored to interests of delegation members. Call me right away at 410-662-6292 for more information.

• Please Clean Your Desk for Nicaragua on Saturday, May 30. On this date, from 10 a.m. to noon, Baltimoreans are invited to drop off end-of-year school supplies at St. John’s Church, 27th and St. Paul Streets, Baltimore 21218.

Stop by and have continental breakfast with us! During this event, we will continuously play the “Clean Your Desk” video created by the Quixote Center’s Quest for Peace. Afterward we’ll deliver the supplies to Quest.

• Baltimore will host a delegation from Limay in October. Would your organization like to hear about life in Nicaragua? We welcome invitations for the delegation to speak to groups.

• We also expect to host a Middle Atlantic regional meeting of Nicaragua Network in the early fall. We are just beginning the plans for this. “Stay tuned.”

• In the fall of 2010, Casa Baltimore/Limay will celebrate 25 years of solidarity between the peoples of Limay and Baltimore. Will you help us prepare for the celebration? Please send us your photos and memories now, so that we can compile them in a book and also share them on our website:

You can mail them to the Baltimore address on our letterhead, or email them to CasaBaltimoreLimay@yahoo.com

I can’t close this letter without acknowledging the memories of a few wonderful people who were active with Casa Baltimore/Limay during the years since 1985 – and I believe they are still with us in spirit: Phil Mitchell, Helen Hollingsworth, Ted Klitzke.

Please forgive me for any omissions of others I should have mentioned. My point is this: These people left a legacy, and each one of us can do the same. Casa Baltimore/Limay is one opportunity for you to make your mark in many ways.

And if your situation allows, please consider a bequest to our organization, in consultation with your attorney or financial estate planner.

Right now, while you’re thinking about it, please dig deep for this project. Your gift goes a long way – because of low costs in Nicaragua, our minimal overhead, our all-volunteer effort, and our 23-year commitment to “make a difference.”

With grateful thanks,

Barbara Larcom
Coordinator, Baltimore Committee
Casa Baltimore/Limay

P.S. Your donation is tax-deductible. If you are making a gift in someone’s honor, we will promptly and gladly send them a beautiful Nicaraguan greeting card to let them know. Just click on the “Donate” button at the top of this page to immediately help make a difference for all the people of Limay.

Please give the most generous amount you can afford - $10,000 or $100 or $10. We need everyone to meet our goals for this year. I’m making a monthly pledge. Will you join me? Sponsor food “care packages”….a scholarship….a latrine…. or other project of your choice.

OLD NEWS….
Please Join Our Fiesta Tropical with a Nicaraguan Beach Theme. This is a family event for all ages and cultures, featuring:

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 7
7 P.M. TO MIDNIGHT
ST. JOHN’S CHURCH, 2640 ST. PAUL STREET
BALTIMORE, MD 21218
(Corner of 27th and St. Paul Streets)

To see the items for auction and bid on them just click here or click on the link in the side bar to the right that says ” Auction Items for Nicaragua Fiesta”

ADVANCE TICKETS (deadline Thursday, February 5) – $25 one adult, $20 additional adults, $10 children ages 6 to 12, free ages 5 and under.

TICKETS AT THE DOOR – $35 one adult, $60 two adults, $15 children ages 6 to 12, free ages 5 and under

OPTIONS FOR ADVANCE TICKET PURCHASES –

1) Charge to your credit card by going to the Casa Baltimore/Limay donation page – Click the “Donate” button. Then, in the “Purpose” blank, write “Fiesta Tropical,” and the number of adults and kids who are coming. Fill in the Total amount for your payment, and your secure credit card information, and click “Update Total.”

2) Or you can mail your check, timed to arrive by Thursday, February 5, to –

Casa Baltimore/Limay
2640 St. Paul Street
Baltimore, MD 21218

Write “Fiesta Tropical” in the memo line of the check, and the number of adults and kids who are coming. You may also wish to follow up by calling Barbara at 410-662-6292 or Aaron at 240-372-7324 before 9 p.m. on Thursday, February 5.

3) Or to make any other advance payment arrangements, call Barbara at 410-662-6292 or Aaron at 240-372-7324 before 9 p.m. on Thursday, February 5.

4) Advance tickets are on sale at Red Emma’s Bookstore Coffeehouse, 800 St. Paul Street, Baltimore, MD 21202

Proceeds from this fundraiser will benefit Casa Baltimore/Limay, a friendship-city project linking the Baltimore region with San Juan de Limay, Nicaragua, for over 23 years. For more information on its many projects that assist the San Juan de Limay community, visit http://www.casabaltimorelimay.org.

January 2009 Delegation to Nicaragua and San Juan de Limay

Have you ever considered a life-changing trip to Central America? Please contact us NOW to learn more about our January delegation to Nicaragua! Time is growing short, but we still have a few openings.

Email: CasaBaltimoreLimay@yahoo.com
Phone: 410-662-6292

Limay Sculpture
The planned trip dates are January 2-16. You’ll have some say in what we do and see, as we tailor a portion of each trip to the interests of participants. But here’s a general outline of the trip.

Proposed Itinerary:
*We’ll visit Managua, the capital, and at least one other city.
*We’ll also visit our sister community, San Juan de Limay, where we’ll stay with local families, make new friends, and learn more about everyday life in small towns and rural areas of Nicaragua.
*We’ll see projects we’re sponsoring in Limay, such as the child care center, latrines constructed through recent fundraising, and small businesses started through our revolving loan fund.
*We’ll connect with other people and projects tailored to the interests of delegation members.
*We’ll join with other U.S. travelers for 2 or 3 days on a delegation sponsored by Nicaragua Network: Through this, we’ll have greater access to national-level leaders and programs, and we’ll learn more about current political conditions in the country.
*Finally, we’ll likely spend a day at the beach on Nicaragua’s beautiful coastline!

Total cost is $1,300 including airfare. Each of us will contribute as much as possible out of pocket toward our journey - and we’ll raise the rest through our group fundraising efforts. So don’t let cost considerations keep you away!

Before the trip, we’ll have at least two orientation meetings, so you can learn more about Nicaragua and what to expect during our travels.

Delegation is sponsored by Casa Baltimore/Limay, a friendship-community project linking the Baltimore region to San Juan de Limay, Nicaragua for the past 23 years.

Maryland Institute College of Art Travel/Service Program to San Juan De Limay Takes Shape for May/June 2008

Two members of MICA Continuing Education faculty traveled to San Juan de Limay and Esteli to make final arrangements for the upcoming travel-study and service program sponsored by the College. Pictured below are Aleks Martray and Maria Aldana from MICA meeting with the teachers and principal from the Reuben Dario High School in Limay. Also shown are Molly Hyatt and Tom Hyatt who went to help the MICA faculty. They are preparing for the arrival of about a dozen students and two more faculty from MICA in May. The program will include working with Limay students and teachers in the creation of documentary videos about the culture of Limay. It also includes building community ability to carry on various art projects that will support the visual arts in the village. Students will stay with families in their homes.

Meeting with Teachers

The program also brings together a group of young people from the nearby town of Esteli belonging to an organization called the “Red de Jovenes” (Youth Network). These very dedicated artists will work with young people from Limay to carry out an interchange of ideas and ongoing relationships. The MICA/Limay program will also be working with the the family of Alfredo Quinteros, a well-known Esteli musician, in the recording and archiving of traditional music of the region.

Casa Baltimore/Limay presents:
“New Life and Hope in Limay”
by ELVIN CASTELLON
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 5, at 7:00 p.m.
Red Emma’s 800 St Paul St.

Elvin is Director of FEDICAMP, a campesino community development organization in northern Nicaragua. Among other areas, FEDICAMP works in the area of San Juan de Baltimore’s Nicaraguan friendship city. FEDICAMP’s track record is impressive: reforestation with 1.2 million new trees planted in three years; training campesino@s to build their own energy-efficient cookstoves and cisterns; integration of farming practices so that families can feed themselves entirely from small plots of land; and initiating alternative energy projects, including solar, to help these families stay “off the grid.”

October, 2007

Maryland Institute College of Art just completed its second trip to Limay to continue work on establishing a program there.

MICA sent four faculty members to Limay for a week”s visit with leaders in the town to refine its plan to establish a month-long Travel-Study Abroad program in Nicaragua. Limay will be the focus of that program with students spending the majority of time working in the village with various groups.

The focus will be on developing community projects in the arts, supporting and learning from local artists and working with students in the high school. MICA will be documenting the project through faculty from MICA’s video department that will be part of the group. The group will be led by Maria Aldana, a native of Nicaragua and an alum of MICA’s Master’s of Arts in Community Arts program. The first trip of the program is scheduled for the coming summer, 2008.

Shown in the photo is Limay’s mayor, María Gilma Rosales de Vindell, holding art work done by students in Limay.

August 3, 2007

Come and Hear About Good Things Happening in Nicaragua

Thereʼs so much to fret about, how about some good news?
Katherine Hoyt, National Co-coordinator of the Nicaragua Network
in DC, wants to tell YOU and other Marylanders what she just saw firsthand!

Sunday, August 12, 2007
6:00 p.m.
Red Emma’s 2640
at Saint John’s Church
2640 Saint Paul Street, Baltimore

Kathy can talk and answer your questions about:
- Recent elimination of primary school fees, in defiance of IMF-World Bank mandates
- Training for thousands of families in intensive sustainable agriculture
- Successful grassroots struggle against privatization of national water service
- Fair-trade coffee and clothing cooperatives
- Expansion of renewable energy projects in the country

Light refreshments available at reasonable prices

Free will offerings for co-sponsors: Red Emmaʼs and Casa Baltimore/Limay
More information: 410-662-6292 or CasaBaltimoreLimay@yahoo.com

July 9, 2007

A delegation led by Barbara Larcom visited Nicaragua and spent a week San Juan de Limay in July. Here is a link to photos taken by one of the delgation member Rick Ulrich, shown in the photo below with some children of Limay.

Casa Baltimore Limay is looking for topics that would be of interest to the community and to members of Casa Baltimore/Limay as focus points for future gatherings and educational opportunities. If you would like to make a suggestion for a topic that you feel would be of interest, please take a moment and tell us about it. Just scroll down to the “POST” section on the right-hand menu and click on “Educational Topic Suggestions”. We certainly appreciate your suggestions.

PAST NEWS

NICARAGUAN DINNER, SPEAKERS, SHARED MEMORIES
FEATURING: Nan McCurdy, Miguel Mairena, Daniel Mitchell

“NICARAGUA, PAST AND PRESENT”
FRIDAY, MAY 4 at 7:00 PM
ST. JOHN’S CHURCH
27th and St. Paul Streets, Baltimore City
(Enter on 27th Street)

In 1985 Nan McCurdy and her late husband Phil Mitchell co-founded Casa Baltimore/ Limay. They lived and worked in Nicaragua in solidarity with the people, first in our friendship city San Juan de Limay, later in Managua. Their children Daniel and Nora Mitchell grew up in Nicaragua; Daniel is now a student activist at Antioch College. Nan and husband Miguel Mairena work on development projects in Nicaragua, where Miguel is also a law student.

SHARED MEMORIES, RENEWED TIES: Have you gone to Nicaragua, or would you like to go? In smaller-group discussions, hear others’ memories or share your own, such as…Friendly hosts… getting hot and dusty – or drenched… beautiful kids… people’s poverty, determination and courage… And more! Casa Baltimore/Limay delegation members (1985 – 2006): Reunite with others in your group!

PLEASE BRING YOUR CHECKBOOK: FREEWILL DONATION REQUESTED. Your generosity is appreciated. No one turned away for lack of funds. Proceeds will support development projects and assistance to vulnerable people in Limay.

RSVP to Barbara at 410-662-6292 (leave message). This will help us plan food & drink.

On October 15th, 2006, a group from Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore visited San Juan de Limay to look into ways to develop travel and educational programs that would bring MICA students to Limay. A number of different approaches to establishing courses and residencies in Limay were discussed. All would have as a goal, supporting the art and culture of the town and the region. The programs would combine art-making, art education, self-sustaining cultural programs and a commitment to working with the town leaders to establish programs that benefit the communities, schools and people of Limay.

The photograph was taken in Casa Baltimore where the group stayed while in Limay. From left to right are: David Gracyalny, Dean of Continuing Studies at MICA, Ryan McCabe, Director of Academic Technology at MICA, Tom Hyatt, Vice-President for Technology at MICA, Maria Aldana, a recent graduate of the Masters of Arts in Community Arts at MICA, Barbara Larcom, the Coordinator of Casa Baltimore/Limay, and Ken Krafchek, the Director of the Masters of Arts in Community Arts program at MICA.

In July of 2006 a delegation from Baltimore organized by Casa Baltimore/Limay visited Limay. The delgation consisted of Marilyn Carlisle as the leader, sisters Brandi and Claudette Rhone, Colleen Moore and her 14 year-old son Liam and John (last name to come).
One of the highlights of the trip was Liam’s project to collect baseball equipment for the young people in Limay. The picture shows some memebrs of the delgation along with María Gilma Rosales de Vindell, the Mayor of Limay, sorting through some of the sporting goods that the group brought from the United States. A reflection on the trip can be found under the 2006 link in the Delegations section..

A delgation of 5 people from San Juan de Limay visited Baltimore from November 16th until November 30th. They visited schools, churches and other organizations during their stay in Baltimore. They met with the mayor’s office and were given honorary status as citizens of Baltimore. The photo shows the group on a trip to the Heathcote Community in northern Maryland. Pictured are (left to right) Alba Mara Maldonado - who works as a psychological liaison between teachers, parents, and students, Theo Hyatt, son of Tom Hyatt, who visited Limay in 2005, John Grace who, along with his two sons, visited Limay in 2005, Casta Alicia Maldonado Vindell – bookkeeper for the Limay committee , Gabe Grace, Fred Grace, Alba Mara González, María Gilma Rosales de Vindell – mayor of Limay, Alba Xiomara Morazán de Rodas – director of the CENIC, the child care, nutrition, and education center for preschool children, and Blas Leonidas Silva Meneses – board member and treasurer of the Limay committee of Casa Baltimore/Limay

New Houses to be Built in San Juan de Limay
Members of the parrish of St. John Vianney Parish in Prince Frederick, Maryland have donated money to build five new houese for needy families in Limay. Construction will commence once the rains stop sometime in November. Workers expect to complete all 5 houses within two months. Each brick house and latrine costs $1,800 to build.


This house has plastic walls and a tin roof. It is located in the central town of San Juan de Limay.	This house, with plastic walls and roof, is located in the village of RioAbajo (also called El Calero), about a mile from the central town of Limay.	This house has sides made of sticks, with a tile roof.

This house is primarily of earth, augmented by tin. It is located in the central town of Limay.	This house appears to have no sides (or maybe one side) and a tin roof.

Limay Kids

The July 2005 Delegation to Limay
We recently sent a delegation of twelve persons from Baltimore to Nicaragua for the last two weeks of’ July. Barbara Larcom and Marilyn Carlisle were the most seasoned members each having led several delegations. Marilyn, however, had to return to the States early. Two delegation members, Carol Berman and Howard Nash, had visited Nicaragua in the late 80’s and were very interested in the changes that occurred in intervening years. Ann Gordon had spent her Peace Corps years in Central America but had never before visited Nicaragua. Another member, John Grace, is a water engineer and focused on possibilities for future water projects in Limay. Still another, Tom Hyatt, who works as an IT Director, became interested in increasing the number of computers in Limay. Nancy McAleer contributed her musical talents to our enjoyment of the trip. The four teen-agers - Fred and Gabe Grace, Julie McAleer, and Molly Hyatt - brought vitality, keen interest in everything around them, and great connections with kids in the town.

Some snapshots of the July 2005 delgation to Limay
For more pictures and information about the 2005 delgation, click on the above pictures and on the link under Delegations on the right.

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