The day of the 25th celebration started off grey — perfect weather to work on decorating Ruben Dario elementary school. When we went back to change and eat lunch, a downpour struck. But damp decorations didn't spoil the day.
To help celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Sister Islands Association, 13 delegates from Ometepe will visit Bainbridge Island Sept. 24-Oct. 4. They will stay with families on Bainbridge, including some who were guests in the delegates' own homes.
Sheila Kelley reports on her 2½-month stay on Ometepe, where she volunteered as an aide in high school English classes at two schools and was warmly embraced by her host families and the communities of La Flor and Los Angeles.
With an office staff now firmly rooted in Altagracia, BOSIA projects and delegation proliferated: “Geek” delegations worked on bringing free e-mail to the office and local schools. Teenaged “Hep Cats” swung their partners to salsa and taught swing dance to Ometepe dancers. Melissa Young and Mark Dworkin returned to film
With several delegations each year and increasingly more projects to keep track of, the Board decided to open an office on Ometepe. Dorita Gutierrez Traña was hired as office coordinator and she was aided in the logistics of getting set up by volunteer Brett Clifton followed by Brooke Mattocks. Dorita’s
Inspired by the Sister Islands’ model of cooperation, Carlos Mairena of Balgue organized his community to collect donations for northern Nicaraguan victims of Hurricane Mitch. BOSIA supported Balgue’s efforts, supplying money for transportation while the community generously shared 2,300 pounds of rice, beans and clothing from their own homes.
Expanding the focus beyond water systems, BOSIA supported Rosario Paisano’s workshops empowering Ometepe women through education about contraception, AIDS, domestic violence and other topics. New types of partnerships began to develop. For example, contractor Steve Deines led a small delegation that worked alongside community members from Sintiope to build a
Long-term volunteers chose to experience Ometepe in all her seasons and possibilities. Jim Starrs spent 7 months teaching English in Balgue’s high school. Jim insisted that his volunteering not deprive a Nicaraguan of a job. The community, in turn, insisted that they contribute to the arrangement by housing and
Drawn by the lush cloud forests of Maderas and a desire to help protect Ometepe’s fragile ecosystem, the “Eco-delegation” brought binoculars and bird books to equip local guides. Delegates helped harvest the coffee crop and identified song birds that thrive in the Coop’s shady cafetales before migrating to the
The Sister Islands contingent, the majority of whom were Ometepinos, was the largest at the U.S.-Nicaragua Sister Cities conference. Also, BOSIA health activist Trisha Hennessy participated in the Annual Colloquium on Nicaraguan Health in Managua. Hennessy and Esterberg both returned to share a picture of contemporary Nicaragua that was
