Hester J Hodgdon Libraries for All

While no crafts for Christmas projects can happen this year, here are memories of past projects.

Reopening of the Library in SJDS 

We are delighted to announce that the library has reopened as of December 14th. The need to access books and information has increased significantly in Nicaragua because of the pandemic, and we feel our library staff have developed a plan that will allow them to check books and materials out and be safe while doing so. At this time, the library will only be open for books to be checked in and out. Although computers have been highly requested, we have made the difficult decision to keep our media room closed for the time being as the space is too small and attracts large crowds.

Summer/Fall Matching Grant Success

Our Matching Grant campaign that started this summer and ran until early fall was a wonderful success! We were lucky to receive an extension on the Summer Grant which replaced our annual BP Matching Grant that ended when our good friend Craig Deaves retired from British Petroleum. 

Thank you everyone for your support with this Matching Grant. The participation was outstanding, and together we have received over $21,000. This was tremendous support in these dire times and provided for almost a fourth of our base annual budget. 

(Avanzando) Moving Forward

Like most things in our world, COVID-19 has drastically changed the way the SJDS Biblioteca operates. At the beginning of the pandemic, we made a commitment to our staff that they would continue to receive their salaries no matter what. Although the doors to the library closed in early March, the work from our staff never stopped. They worked tirelessly to help their communities by printing 3D face shields, sewing cloth face masks, purchasing essential supplies for families in need, delivering medical supplies to doctors and nurses, and delivering supplies to over 600 families. 

Although the library was created to enhance literacy in Nicaragua, it has always been about so much more than that. The library continues to be a community resource that finds new and innovative ways to provide for its patrons and the community. With the library’s small-scale reopening, we are happy to get back to our roots of putting books in the hands of Nicaraguans, but that won’t stop us from finding ways to meet the needs of the communities we service. 

We hope that we will be able to resume our mobile project next year and continue to spread the reach of our impact. And if 2020 has taught us anything, it is that we can always find additional ways to make a difference. Please consider making a year-end contribution to propel our work into the new year.

COVID-19 Status in Nicaragua 

As we reported in our September newsletter, the numbers of COVID-19 cases and deaths reported by the Nicaraguan government vary widely from those provided by independent sources. 

The Johns Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center is a highly respected and heavily referenced data center. Data reported by the JHU Center are provided by the Nicaraguan Ministry of Health (MINSA).

Observatorio Ciudadano Nicaragua

The COVID-19 Citizen Observatory is an interdisciplinary, collaborative effort for gathering information from organizations, networks, and citizens of Nicaragua. The mission of Observatorio Ciudadano is to fill the gap in information on the situation of COVID-19 in Nicaragua.

Purisima 2020

COVID-19 Relief Efforts

The HJH Foundation was able to work with Rotary International to use remaining funds from a water and sanitation grant and redistribute those funds for COVID-19 relief projects. In total,10,000 dollars remained. Two thirds of the money was used to provide food essentials and sanitation supplies, and the other third was used to purchase medical supplies for doctors and nurses. We provided basic items like rice, beans, soap, etc. to families in the five communities where the grant was used to focus on sanitation efforts. The Rotary funds also allowed us to purchase PPE’s (personal protective equipment) for doctors and nurses at the medical clinic in SJDS. 

The Foundation also partners with the Council Tree Covenant Church in Fort Collins CO to provide annual Christmas baskets to the rural community of Ameya located in the northern part of Nicaragua. This year, members of the church were able to raise all of the funds needed to supply 150 baskets and to increase the size of those baskets. 

Although we were lucky enough to fare relatively well during both hurricanes  in SJDS, Ameya was not as fortunate. As they are recovering from the damage, these Christmas baskets are more important than ever before.