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Fig 1: Volunteers helping with the construction of a medical clinic in Amaya
Fig 2: Students walking home from the school which will manage the completed library
Fig 3: Typical home construction in Morrito
Fig 4: Lacking running water, Morritans use these structures for bathing and washing cloths
Fig 5: Fishing Lake Nicaragua from the port of Morrito

Our first project as BRIDGE Nicaragua is the construction of a 18'x30' library and computer center for Morrito Nicaragua which grew out of our first trip.

Our second trip will be in Jan 2009 and we are still looking to raise the other $11,515 and more people who are interested in coming. See our proposal below for details.

Proposal

This is a request for the remainder of the 12,000 Dollars required to build a two room computer lab and library for the community of Morrito Nicaragua. This project will be managed by BRIDGE Nicaragua (Building Resources in International Development for Global Equality), an organization composed of students and faculty from San Francisco State University.

The community in Morrito, Nicaragua, has experienced hardship due to a lack of clean running water, internet and community lending libraries for children and adults. The government of Nicaragua reports that Morrito is the third poorest municipality in Nicaragua, and 34% of the population lives in extreme poverty at less than 1$ per day. We want to empower Morritans and there is no better way to do that than to expand access to information and education with a library and computer center.

The structure will be placed on the site of the largest elementary school in the municipality. After construction, it will be managed by the school and provide materials to the entire community. The only current library in Morrito is 30 years old and is composed of only 50 books in a community of 7000 people.

Our attention was originally called to the area by an engineer from California who had been to the community to visit his wife's family in September 2007. After seeing the conditions in Morrito, he began to petition various NGO's for assistance. In early April, 2008, community leaders met with several teachers to prioritize needs in Morrito. During this meeting, teachers decided that the highest priority was the construction of a building to house a library and future computer laboratory. Our team visited the site in August 2008 and confirmed that this was the most immediately beneficial project to undertake. In September 2008, the community was visited by our Program Director to confirm details of the project. Morrito will be visited in January 2009 by a team of students from SFSU and if we have the required funds, construction will begin then.

Library Plans

We will be coordinating with many entities to complete this project. Students and faculty from Universidad Nacional de Ingeniería (UNI) in Managua, who are very experienced in design for development projects in Nicaragua, will be designing the structure. The design in being completed locally so that it will be constructible with local skills and materials.

We are working with several existing library charities to obtain our initial collection of books and develop the initial library policies. BRIDGE Nicaragua will coordinate all aspects of the project, recruit volunteers and raise the necessary funds.

Fund Raising

The 12,000 requested will be used only for construction material purchase and transport and the skilled labor required for construction. Unskilled labor will be provided primarily by the community and also by San Francisco State University Students and Faculty. All volunteers are responsible for their own travel and lodging expenses. One hundred percent of donations will go to construction of the structure. Unspent funds will be donated to Whirlwind Wheelchair which designs wheel chairs for developing countries around the world.

So far we have raised $485 of $12,000. If we can raise the remainder by the end of November 2008, the structure can be completed in January 2009. If you have questions or comments, please call David Reber (415-889-3863) or Kristine Low (415-503-8884). Please visit us on our website at bridgenicaragua.com

The easiest way for anyone to give this project is to make a donation. Please note that donations are not tax deductible. Also note that BRIDGE Nicaragua is an independent organization of Appropedia. To donate to Appropedia, please go here.

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