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Home My WebLink About1989-03-LWSSC-news.pdf I. V r' Volume 1,No. 1 NEWS 44.M THE LEXINGTON-WAPAM SISTER CITY COMMITTEE March 1990 i' 'c � ) / v . a , (5 4V___,----- ,---cf , 3\\\-3-- , ,, ' ',Y\ , & \c6 5 v -7/ L--- 9y& rc= 61'4 j In this sue. — —. -- �k VMartin Diskm observes theme '6(b C2�a`�' C tA- v F Nicaraguan El- :ns� t , `, ) • Sawmill Project: $13,000 raised ` `1 " ' `a so far (/ • Miskitu Lesson #1 (" - • Lexington Delegation Visits � ~j! Waspam �'( Co n^ ra rc!'b – sp,ed. -FEi, 5 h • Northeast U S -Nicaragua Sister City Conference n ` C ,ettA - jai' Delegation Visits Waspam Bonnie Jones Eric Rehm and I spe teco i that the war devastation and is obtaining a portable saw- days in Waspam in M.t Ga 1. V upheaval ha"passed, the refu- mill. This kind of aid would two person delegation form the gees are gradually returning to allow the people to use their Lexington-Waspam Sister City rebuild their community (We talents and take advantage of Committee. Our goals were towere told that there is still the available resources of the explore with community lead- J sere Contra activity in some surrounding forest. ers and citizens how the sister- outlying areas along the river, In addition to gathering in- city relationship could enhance however.) formation about Waspam,we people-to-people exchange as We found the town to be were able to deliver tokens of well as help in the rebuilding very poor and in desperate interest in the community for of Waspam. need of help. There is no elec- the citizens of Lexington. We We traveled forty miles in- tricity or running water as yet, presented about 250 pounds of land from the Atlantic Coast of and wood for rebuilding must baseball equipment donated by Nicaragua to Waspam in a be cut by hand. In spite of the Lexington families. In addi- Toyota pickup truck. The g r limited resources,people tion, we brought forty penpal mayor of Waspam, William 4 Quire hard at work doing what letters form three Bowmen Watler, accompanied us, and they can to reconstruct the School classes. These gifts with the aid of Danil Sa- town. will be enjoyed by children lemonca, our translator,we We were fortunate to be and adults in Waspam and toured the area. able to have discussions with were much appreciated. Waspam is a Miskito Indian members of the Peace Corn- Our stay in Waspam was cut -3 village that sits high on the mission, a group elected by the short because of the lack of an banks of the Rio Coco (or thirty communities in the area. available vehicle. (The mayor "Wanks" in Miskito) across We also spoke with teachers, has no car or truck of his own.) from Honduras. The setting is school administrators,the doc- In spite of this,we feel the trip lush and beautiful. The wide tor and staff of the health was a success in that we ex- river provides the main trans- clinic, as well as the governor plored various project possi- portation route connecting 30 and other officials of the North bilities and made important villages on its shores. The Atlantic Coastal Region. connections with local people v. traffic on the river is mostly What we heard about and and their leaders. IT is our dugout canoes filled with pro- could directly observe is a hope that this trip was one of duce such as beans and ba- community in tremendous the first of many people-to- nanas from the river cortununi- need of concrete help. The people contacts between Lex- ties. primary school needs desks ington and Waspam. Historically Waspam has and writing materials, the been the commercial center for health clinic needs supplies as the entire area. Early in the well as a kitchen. The list Contra War,the Nicaraguan seems endless. The universal government relocated the message,however, is that the population away from the war community wants help to be- zone. Many in the region come economically self- sought refuge instead across sufficient. One of their priori- the river in Honduras. Now ties toward reaching this goal Northeast U.S. / Nicaragua Sister City Conference Marge Middleton Four members of the trouble source. There is a glasses,marching drums, Lexington-Waspam Sister City computer available called school supplies,truck tires, Committee attended the North- Peacenet,but most communi- sewer pip, and two second- east U.S./Nicaragua Sister City cation was through church hand Mercedes trucks that Conference on November 10 - groups in Nicaragua. Some were driven down and left in 11 1989 in Volatie,New York. members hoped to formulate Nicaragua. The keynote address was amateur radio linkagg 1 We heard from some inter- given by Sister Nancy Dono- V Brookline presented'414eir lis esting and enterprising young V van, a member of the Mary k experiences with a unique men calling themselves the moll community,who has form of fundraising: an art Down Timers who hail from worked in Central America auction,which was very suc- New York City The Down since 1956, and for the past ten cessful. V Timers area a branch of Tec- years in Nicaragua. We Itctr 'f-"material aid,we learned nica, an organization that ar- leamed of her work and expe- of problems involved,mis- ranges for short term technical rience among the Sumu Indi- takes made, and that some assistance from North Ameri- ans. towns are richer than others. can engineers and scientists. With the exception of a Items sent varied according to The Down Timers communi- Pearl Lagoon representative need and some groups worked cate by computer with labor and ourselves, committees pre- through Oxfam America, espe- unions in Managua so that ma- sent had their sister communi- cially for hurricane relief. chinery necessary to run hospi- ties located in the north or J The Newton group is�con- tals, industry, and transporta- western part of Nicaragua. We sidering construction for a tion can be made available attended workshops on the up- teacher's health center in their when parts wear out. coming elections,communica- sister city Princeton,New At a slide show held at the tions,material aid, and fund- Jersey has sent down over 50 conference,we saw a Wood- raising. We learned much bicycles and numerous guitars, miser portable sawmill,identi- during informal talks with along with medical supplies, cal to the one we plan to pur members of other sister city refrigerators, and tools. Contri- chase for Waspam, in action in organizations. butions from other groups in- Pearl Lagoon. Communication was a cluded sewing machines, eye- Miskitu Lesson #1 & ./ Ken Hale Nahki sma? How are you? Pain sna. I am fine. Our newsletter title, Naksa, is Yaptikam nahki sa? How is your mother? the greeting "Hello , in Yaptiki pain sa. My mother is fine. Miskitu, and is a short form of Aisikam nahki sa? How is you father? "Nahki sma",which also means "Hello" as well as Complete this sentence: "How are you?" My father is fine. 3 Why I do this work by Members of the Lexington-Waspam Sister City Committee Through my work in Mis- I grew up in Arizona and schools are half-built. sissippi during the Civil Rights from an early age had a fasci- Movement,I saw the impact of nation for the Native American stereotypes. I want to help languages there. I do this Why should someone make counter the image of poor peo- work because of the impor- a major contribution to the ple as dependent,taking hand- tance of the indigenous auton- Sawmill Project? Because the outs. I want to help people omy project in Nicaragua and sawmill is needed now and be here see the people of the At because of the importance of cause we are asking for your lantic Coast of Nicaragua for (4441 Waspam as a social and cul- serious involvement in they are. tural center for the region. Waspam. Doing this work helps me The Nicaraguan revolution clarify my own values and re- is some light in the darkness. check my own materialism. The Nicaraguan revolution I got involved in the means something to me as a Lexington-Waspam Sister City people's revolution-- a goy- Committee after I read about it ernment for people on the bot- in the Lexington Minuteman. tom, not for the people on top. I want my own children edu- Its ultimate success has an im- cated in a global way I want pact on the success of social their world view challenged. change in El Salvador, Mex- As a Special Educator,I know ico, and here. the value of direct,person-to- person efforts. I don't trust the politicians to do this work. The Sawmill Project is im- portant so people can rebuild Waspam. .so they can cut the Doing this helps me coun- wood they.need faster.and eas- teract my own guilt regarding ier. the foreign policy of my gov- ernment. Because Nicaragua is close,it provides a good, ob- I want to see a more equita- vious example of what the ble distribution of the world's U.S. is doing elsewhere. resources. I focus on Nicara- gua because the U.S. is re- The life Nicaragua is trying sponsible for its turmoil. Also, to build is a unique experi- I support the Sawmill Project ment. It's an example of the because it's what Waspam Third World developing itself wants. Some people are not re- on a community level. turning to Waspam and the re- gion because homes and 4 s e Story Head Story Head 5