Update | THE CHANPA PROJECT

Hello Everyone.

Sorry for the quiet week or so after our initial fund raising campaign. We wanted to send out an update on the Chanpa’s so that those of you who have been praying or donating could see what we have been up to.

Jonathan Levis and I going to
Tolas Maydas from Camp

The best news of all is that it has not rained in Nicaragua for a week. So the water level has gone down a few inches. This doesn’t mean that we are out of trouble completely, but it does mean that living in the town of Tolas Maydas just got a little bit better for hundreds of people. Many people however are still flooded from their homes and are now completely moved into their new Chanpas where they will stay until early 2011. If a hurricane were to hit today, Tolas Maydas would feel the effects, but the families with new Chanpas would be protected from any possible flooding.

So far the weather forecast for October looks good and we do not anticipate any more problems.

One of the trees used for lumber

After our initial fundraising campaign we began receiving donations quickly. We had several good friends of Campo Alegria step up and commit to fronting the money right away to purchase the materials as the rest of the donations flowed in. Right away we were able to raise enough in commitments to order the supplies from Managua and wait a few days for them to arrive on site (our city Rivas was out of stock on everything we needed).

A Chanpa before the Plastic was
applied

One of the families checking out their
Chanpa on a construction day
(with roofing)

With permission granted from the Mayor we quickly cut down two Mango trees in our area and hired a lumberjack to begin slicing 2X4’s to use as construction of the Chanpas. Once the wood was ready we had the delivery trucks show up and deliver the supplies to the households in need. The families began building their own Chanpas immediately with the help of supervision from Campo Alegria.

Building the Frames

The families were incredibly grateful for the project and nothing of this scale has ever been done by a non-profit in this community before.  Many people were speechless and some wanted to know what “the catch” was going to be in the end. We explained that there was no "catch", only great people in the U.S. that wanted to help a community in need and so they gave what they could until everyone got help.

As all of the families moved to their new Chanpas the school was then opened and the students have now returned to a normal class schedule.

A mother and her 3 month year
old baby trying out their new
Chanpa on construction day

It has been such a blessing to be a part of this project. I want to thank everyone who was involved in making it happen. Thank you to those who helped us spread the word for our cause on Facebook and thanks to those who prayed for the plans and the people in Tolas Maydas. Thank you to those who sent in checks and donated online via Paypal, without your support this couldn't have happened like it has. Last but not least, a special thank you to those who stepped up immediately and joined together to front the money needed to order the supplies asap, without your help the Chanpas would not have been completed so quickly or efficiently.

As many of you know my family and I will be departing from Nicaragua this December and heading back to the states. The ministry of Campo Alegria will continue on under the current leadership of Chop Point Inc. and there will be continued year around camps and ministry in effect.

Please pray for my family during this transition, leaving Nicaragua is hands down the hardest thing we have ever done as a family. We will miss the people of Nicaragua dearly and will continue to stay connected via our close and lifelong friendship with the Chop Point family.

I have learned so much about myself, about others and about the Lord from serving in Nicaragua for the past three and a half years. I want to thank Chop Point for giving us the opportunity to be a part of something very special and to all of the people who have come beside us on mission teams and as volunteers during our time here. Thank you so much to those of you who have kept us in your prayers and to those who have made it all possible with your financial donations towards our families involvement. We have made so many friends; we hope to remain connected with everyone as we return home in December.

God Bless,

Adam

The Chanpa Project

http://www.thechanpaproject.com/

Due to the massive amount of rain we have received in Nicaragua thousands of families have been pushed out of their homes.  It has recently come to our attention that our neighbors down the beach in Tolas Maydas are in need of help.  To see how Campo Alegria could help we decided to go check out the situation.

The road into the village was covered in water and was so deep our truck barely passed through. Water has funneled from the sugar cane fields, across the road and right into the homes. The ground is saturated with the continuous rain and the water levels have risen so high there is no where for it to drain. While some families have felt the effects more than others, most homes have been effected.  At some houses the water has rose just high enough to be inconvenient, resulting in walking through a bit of mud to reach the door step. While other houses have become islands, surrounded by water on all sides. In both of these scenarios the families are able to continue living in their homes. However, other families were not so fortunate. For them the water has risen high enough to fill their homes with a couple feet of muddy brown water.

 

On our way back through the village we visited the school where the families had relocated.  About 20 families total where packed tightly together in five classrooms.  There was one shared pot for all twenty families to cook in and the mayor graciously donated five days worth of rice and beans.  However, after the week is through the families will be own their own.  "Where do the kids go to school now that everyone is living here?" we asked.  One man explained there hasn't been school since they moved in.  Soon though, some classes will start in the church while others will meet in homes. 

 

The situation certainly is not ideal.  We wanted to help in a way that would be of long term assistance to the community and find a way to open up the school.  Aftermulling over a couple of ideas, talking with several families in the community and speaking with the mayor we finally settle on this idea:  The Chanpa Project

 

Click here to learn more about what we are doing.