Sponsor A Village -
A Communion Between Communities
Dear Pastors Bruce & Nancy,
Thank you for considering sponsorship of a community in rural Nicaragua through Rainbow Network as described in these pages. I believe your congregational life, in mission and in worship, will be enriched by this partnership with some of the world's poorest people.
Please feel free to contact me with any questions, ideas or suggestions about sponsoring a village in rural Nicaragua through Rainbow Network.
In Christian Partnership,
Rev. Mark Struckhoff
U.S. Director
3834 South Avenue Springfield, MO 65807 Phone (417) 889-8088 Fax: (417) 889-3815
www.rainbownetwork.org
Rainbow Network requests
St. Andrew's United Methodist Church
to pledge a gift of $20,000 per year for three years
to help Sponsor the Village of San Andres , Population:950
What Happens in Your Village When You Become a Sponsor
Healthcare
A medical doctor with medicines will provide a clinic in the community every other week
Patients with Special Medical Needs receive medical treatments, medicines, and follow up care.
A Public Health Director organizes nutrition centers, water treatment and workshops on family planning, personal hygiene, pre-natal care, and nutrition.
Food for feeding/nutrition centers (average 116 fed per day).
Other public health programs (water purification, parasite control, and lice control treatments).
Dental and Optical Program
Total average need per community per year: $8,400
Education
An Education Director who enrolls students, distributes tuition money, organizes tutoring sessions, and teacher training for the elementary and high school education program.
Providing school supplies and books for 85 students attending 4 individual
Rainbow Network schools that meet daily in the afternoon.
Provides school books, uniforms, tuition, and school supplies for 21 high school students.
Total average need per community per year: $3,100
Economic Development
An Economic Development Director who provides training to manage the family business and income for families participating in the micro-loan program.
- Micro-loans are available through two micro-loan banks - average of two per year at $3,000 each
Total average need per community per year: $6,000
Housing
- Housing projects are budgeted separately; a 25 or 30 house project costs between $50,000 and $60,000.
Support Costs in Nicaragua and U.S.
- Administration, communication and transportation.
- Office (phone, fax, supplies, rent, utilities, security)
Total average need per community per year: $2,500
Total Village Sponsorship Per Year: $20,000
You are welcome to schedule a visit to your village! Please contact Mark or Alice
at the Rainbow Network office at 417-889-8088 for more information.
The Children Forgotten
The children forgotten are just like my child.
Fears, cries and tears, just like my child...
I dream of a place for them to
lay their heads at night,
on one other than muddy dirt sites...
I dream of goats, sheep, chickens and cattle
to cease their constant hunger battle...
I dream of doctors to tend to persistent fevers
and broken arms, and clear water with good food to strengthen them
from further harm...
I dream of holding each of them in my arms at night
with a promise of a better day to come...
One Unimaginably Bright.
Nancy Whelan
Wisconsin
WHY NICARAGUA?
Nicaragua is the poorest Spanish speaking country in the world
· 4 million Nicaraguans earn less than $2 per day
· 3 of 4 children suffer from malnutrition
· 1.1 million Nicaraguans do not have a home
HEALTHCARE
Rainbow Network's medical doctor visits the village of San Andres two times per month. The doctor provides a
medical clinic on Thursday.
The Problem...
· 12% of Nicaraguans will never reach age 40.
· Most rural people do not have access to medical care, safe drinking water, proper sanitation, and food.
· There is an overwhelming need to provide healthcare for families in ruralNicaragua.
PHOTOS ABOVE: Rainbow Network Doctor
Patients waiting at the medical clinic
FEEDING/NUTRITION CENTERS
The feeding center in San Andres feeds approximately
150 children, nursing mothers, and at-risk elderly 6 days a week.,
The Problem...
· One in six Nicaraguans do not have access to their daily food needs.
Rainbow Network feeding/nutrition centers have eliminated extreme levels of malnutrition in children, where about
75% were once suffering from malnutrition.
· In Nicaragua, 1 of 22 children dies before reaching age 5.
· Most of these deaths are
attributed, not to outright starvation, but to diseases that move in on
vulnerable children whose bodies have been weakened by hunger.
In 2005, 80% of the children in the center had positive or normal growth during the year. The remaining 20% are targeted as an at-risk population and will receive close follow-up from our public health staff.
· Hunger is the most extreme form of poverty, where families cannot afford to meet the basic need for food.
PHOTOS ABOVE: Children receive a hot, nutritious meal, 6 days per week.
Children patiently wait in line to wash their hands before receiving their lunch.
EDUCATION
Providing the means to education will be key if Nicaragua is ever to break the cycle of poverty. Current and future students in San
Andres will rely on help from us to make the dream of an education come true.
The Problem...
· More than 1/2 of the rural population is illiterate.
· Nicaragua has the lowest primary school completion rate in the region.
· Families whose annual income is $400 or less cannot afford the costs associated with high school.
PHOTOS: 5 elementary students in 4 schools learn their numbers with books provided by Rainbow Network.
21 high School Students in San Andres receive tuition, 2 uniforms, shoes, transportation, a backpack, and school supplies.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Rainbow Network provides micro-loans for qualified applicants. A group of about 20 to 25 families is organized into a community bank. Each member receives a loan of $125 to $150 to be used for commercial activity. Each member of the community bank is responsible for repayment of his or her loan. About 65% of loan clients are women. Loans are typically on a 4 to 6 month repayment cycle. Some families participate in two or more loan cycles each year, often doubling or tripling their annual cash income. Loan recipients choose from 20 pre-approved businesses, such as raising chickens or pigs, operating sewing cooperatives, bak-
ing, selling clothes, operating a small general store, or growing farm products.
29 families are participating in the micro loan program in the community of San Andres.
The Problem...
· There are no "jobs" in rural Nicaragua. Workers earn only $2.00 per day or less.
· Families do not own land to produce large crops.
· No banks exist in rural Nicaragua to provide economic resources.
PHOTO: his man set up a small convenience store with his loan.
PHOTOS: Sewing Cooperatives make clothing and backpacks.
Families raise chickens for eggs and meat.
HOUSING
Many households consist of extended families living together in unsafe and unhealthy dirt floor shacks.
The Problem:
Families live in dirt-floor shacks that provide no protection from weather or rodents.
Extended families live together in small make-shift shacks.
Family members take turns at night sleeping on dirt floors.
A typical shack made of wood, plastic, and tin might house as many as 10-12 people.
A New Rainbow Network home is only $2,000!
Rainbow Network provides interest free loans with payments as low as $6.00 per month for simple concrete block floors,
metal roofs, energy efficient wood stoves, community water, and a latrine. Houses are built on sufficient land for fruit trees,
vegetable garden, and a play area for children.
Pledge Form - Sponsor A Village
Church/Organization____________________________________________________________
Name________________________________________________________________________
Address_________________________________________________ Phone_______________
City_____________________________ State__________________ Zip__________________
I/We, __________________________________________, would like to become Village Sponsors for
San Andres in Nicaragua. With this in mind, I/We are committing to contribute $______________ each
year for the next three years. I/We understand that this sponsorship will provide services in the
areas of Healthcare, Education, and Economic Development to all the residents in the community of
San Andres , Nicaragua.
I/We wish to make one payment annually.
I/We wish to begin payments of $________ Semiannually Quarterly Monthly
for three years.
Rainbow Network will send a reminder as instructed.
Donor's Signature__________________________ Donor's Signature_________________________
Date_____________________________________________
Please make checks and/or securities to:
Rainbow Network
3834 South Ave.
Springfield, MO 65807
417-889-8088
www.rainbownetwork.org