FriendsNE

FNE’s Annual Public Meeting

admin — Tue, 07 May 2013 14:29:04 +0000

All are welcome!

Friends New England is holding our annual public meeting on June 9th. Join us to discuss our ongoing projects in Nicaragua and Peru, learn about what’s in store for the coming year, share your ideas, and meet FNE’s Board members.

Where: Panera, 289 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA

When: 11am

We hope to see you there!

Building Emergency Capacity through Education

admin — Mon, 06 May 2013 19:37:07 +0000

Final Nica Report 2013 reduced size

$10,000 Donation in Loving Memory of Derek Boc

admin — Sun, 24 Feb 2013 16:58:33 +0000

FriendsNE is pleased to announce the receipt of a ten thousand dollar donation in loving memory of Derek Boc, a man who’s life was cut short by a enlarged heart at 29 years of age.

Derek grew up in Duxbury, MA where he excelled in academics and music. After spending 3 semesters at the Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester Derek decided to change course and transferred to Boston College where he completed his undergraduate and law degrees. Derek was a hardworking young man who lived life to its fullest, he traveled the world, he loved the outdoors and accomplished a great deal in his short time on Earth. His mother describes him as a “once in a lifetime friend to all” who was very close to his sister and his family and his legacy is honored through a scholarship in his name at Boston College Law School.

The donation will be put to immediate use with construction of three Nicaraguan homes in Derek’s name set to begin construction in late March of 2013. FriendsNE will be working closely with Derek’s mother to discuss additional uses of the money in late spring.

Kicking off 2013 in Nicaragua!

admin — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 17:05:11 +0000

From December 30th until January 10th, a dozen university students from the U.S. are in Nicaragua contributing to essential development work in the communities of Chacraseca and Malpaisillo. Both college-aged alumni from Northport High School’s Students For 60,000 club and students from Stonehill College are joining together with these communities to create greater sustainability in the region.

In short, they are experiencing one of FNE’s indispensable immersion trips where they will have the opportunity to live and work alongside Nicaraguans who are much less fortunate than we in the States. This type of trip has had a profound impact on participants in the past, and I expect this week to be no different. The inspiration to continue supporting those who endure extreme poverty will leave the entire group markedly changed.

Although the students did a great job reaching out to family and friends in spreading the message about their trip, the real THANK YOU this time around is for the generous donors who made this trip possible. Because of generous donor support, the group was able to reach their fundraising goal of $5,000! Right now we are at $5,002 and some more money is still trickling in! This ambitious goal that Michael and I set in September 2012 seemed unlikely for a small group, but the diligent 12 students exceeded everyone’s expectations and raised the bar for individual fundraising.

Throughout this week, impoverished community members will work hand-in-hand with these students to transform the money they fund raised into tools of community empowerment that will impact lives for generations to come. A new home will be built in Chacraseca for the Torres family, employing local labor through hiring a foreman and improving public health standards by enhancing living conditions. The group will distribute six university scholarships in Malpaisillo, three for continuing students and three for new students. In addition to all of this, $1,000 will go toward the foundational work of the Richard Streb Memorial Library in Chacraseca, a long-term project that will provide more opportunity for local children and young adults to succeed in their professional lives.

On behalf of the group traveling and the communities for whom we dedicate our time, I would like to sincerely thank all the donors who made this winter trip possible. It has been a pleasure working with FNE to organize this group of energized students, but without the continuous altruism and support from you, the donor, these dreams would simply not come to fruition. Thank you!

Harrison Ackerman

Elizabeth Denholm: How FNE & Nicaragua Have Changed My Life

admin — Sun, 30 Dec 2012 16:05:37 +0000

My brother Tracy first inspired me to go to Nicaragua through Friends New England (FNE). He worked closely with the organization, traveling to both Nicaragua and Peru. Last year I finally traveled to Chacraseca, Nicaragua during my Spring break with two of my roommates and a small group from Virginia. During the trip we built most of a house for a young single mother and her son, visited local schools to bring them supplies, and assisted in teaching English lessons. Although I have been on numerous other service trips, I have never before been so changed by a week-long trip.

During this time I experienced the impacts of poverty like never before, but I also experienced the ways in which the cycles of poverty can be broken. Living in Chacraseca, sleeping on cots, and working hard during the day was a humbling experience because we lived for a week no differently than many of the people in Chacraseca. When we visited many of the smaller surrounding villages, I truly saw how poverty can trap entire communities: from seeing children run around barefoot through fields of barbed wire, to water contaminated with arsenic, to under-nourished families without homes of their own, struggling to even survive. By talking with people in all the communities we visited about these problems, I felt a personal connection to these people, their families, and the issues of poverty that affect not only Nicaragua, but regions worldwide.

The projects conducted by FNE opened my eyes to the ways in which the cycle of poverty can be alleviated. By providing scholarships to students to attend school, the organization provides opportunities for young people to advance their education and learn skills to earn jobs in the future to provide for themselves and their family–no longer depending on the outside aid of others. Building homes for families not only helps give aid, but over time the receiving families pay back the cost of building their home. This encourages a self-reliance that can aid in breaking the cycles of poverty.

My time Nicaragua with Friends New England, the amazing people of Chacraseca and my small group has truly been life changing. I have thus developed a passion for helping provide sustainable solutions for those suffering in the face of poverty. Through FNE’s programs focusing on housing and education, I truly believe that great strides are being made to promote this self-reliance.

Every donation to FNE helps to fund programs that change the lives of the people in Nicaragua, and perhaps some day all around the world. Every contribution makes a difference.

I’m going to Nicaragua again in March 2013. To contribute to my personal efforts, please click here.

Teaching First Aid & Collaborating With UNAN in Nicaragua

admin — Sun, 30 Dec 2012 15:54:36 +0000

From left to right: Ed Stapleton, Dr. Breena Taira, Dr. Aislinn Black & Dr. Alex Ortiz after running the first aid training in Nuevo Amanecer

In February of 2011, I (Dr. Breena Taira), had the good fortune to be part of a group of medial professionals led by Michael Cipoletti of Friends NE to visit Leon, Nicaragua. Our purpose in Leon was to discuss what could be done to enhance emergency capacity in the region. Inspired by our trip, we began collaborating with colleagues at Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Nicaragua (UNAN) Leon. We returned in April of 2012 to
present two courses.

The first course was a continuing education seminar for faculty and residents of the teaching hospital of UNAN Leon presented with the help of Dr Orlando Morales, a senior faculty member in anesthesia at UNAN. The seminar focused on emergency topics and included lectures on the 2010 ACLS updates, the science behind BLS, the approach to the difficult airway, the Emergency Department approach to burns, and Emergency Ultrasound. We also gave a hands-on skill session in the use of bedside ultrasound to identify emergency conditions.

The residents of Nuevo Amanecer during the first aid training

Our group, now comprised of health care professionals throughout the U.S., in collaboration with UNAN faculty, is making plans for the next trip in April of 2013. The collaboration will continue to focus on building emergency capacity through education. The 2013 trip will focus on resuscitation, emergency ultrasound and first aid. We hope to secure an ultrasound machine dedicated to use in the Emergency Department of the teaching hospital of UNAN Leon.

Please contact Friends NE if you would like to support our project!

FNE in the Duxbury Clipper Newspaper!

admin — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 22:05:38 +0000

FNE is proud to be part of “A Calling to Nicaragua”, an article recently published in the Duxbury Clipper.

Read the article here!

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Want to go to Nicaragua on a service trip with FNE?

Contact Mike at ikecip@FriendsNE.org !

FNE’s November Newsletter!

admin — Sun, 04 Nov 2012 16:06:30 +0000

Check out FNE’s quarterly newsletter & join us in supporting our 2012 Holiday Campaign!

Nicaragua 2012: FriendsNE Public Health/Medical Outreach Trip Video

admin — Sun, 22 Jul 2012 14:23:59 +0000

This past May a group of Stony Brook University Graduate Public Health students, alumni and several NYU students had the opportunity to take a incredible public health mission to Nicaragua.

During our time there we helped build the foundation for 2 homes, observed a water works project in the making, climbed a volcano (then ran down the side of it), brought first aid outreach to a rural village, played a pick-up soccer game against local children, visited a conservation/recycling plant, participated in teaching English at a local school, visited local merchants to understand the state of the workforce, and immersed ourselves in Nicaraguan culture and foods.

The video here is shows clips of our trips. The soundtrack, though not Spanish, is what was played every time we rode the trucks to our specific destinations.

A special thank you to all those who donated to the cause and to the FriendsNE team for making this trip an unbelievable experience.

“Man’s mind, once stretched by a new idea, never regains its original dimensions.” ~Oliver Holmes

Nicaragua H.O.P.E. Trip Slideshow

admin — Tue, 19 Jun 2012 14:41:55 +0000