Dear Friends & Supporters of the Brookline Sister City Project,
In case you missed it, here’s a link to Stephen Kinzer’s op-ed in the 6/4 Boston Globe about the present crisis in Nicaragua.
https://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/2018/06/04/nicaragua-brink-calamity/pXOf7gOpjerrYR6ucLExbP/story.html
Some of us have been in regular contact with friends and colleagues in Nicaragua since the beginning of demonstrations in April. Although Quezalguaque has remained calm, the situation overall is very troublesome and it is a stressful and uncertain time throughout the country because of continuing demonstrations, counter demonstrations, roadblocks impacting local travel, some violence particularly directed toward demonstrators and concerns about possible food or other shortages ahead. Because of the situation, the trip planned for this coming summer with graduate students in public health and four of our Board members was cancelled.
Despite the unstable political situation, our collaborative work in education, health care, water and other areas continues. Attached is an update about the clean water initiative and our investment of $47,000+ to help improve the water system in Quezalguaque. There have been some delays in the initiative but it is proceeding and there is on-going collaboration with the University in Leon (UNAN/Leon) and ECODES, a Leon based NGO.
Our Sister City collaborative approach supports ongoing work on-the-ground regardless of our ability to travel on the ground.
If you’d like more information about our work or want to get involved or discuss it further, please feel free to contact us at BrooklineSisterCity@gmail.com
Thanks for your concern and continuing support in this difficult time.