Santa Rosa Fund

Santa Rosa Fund, accounts to year ending 31.12.07

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Despite a number of problems, our short computer course in the Santa Rosa School was remarkably successful. The project aimed to provide very basic computer literacy for a small number of teachers at the school, to enable them to use the machines already donated, and in turn to pass their skills on to others. The program mainly focused on the use of Microsoft Word, in an attempt to teach basic word processing and keyboard skills. We also introduced other basic programs such as Paint, and Solitaire to improve their use of the mouse. Because the program was one on one, it enabled us to tailor the each lesson to suit the student, which meant the more able students were able to learn other useful skills, such as file and folder management, and how to use a search engine on the Internet.

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Our trip to Nicaragua was a fascinating experience, and one which I personally, and I think all of us, enjoyed immensely, at the same time as learning a great deal. I feel like my horizons were expanded dramatically by being able to witness and be a part of supporting the people that we met over there. We were able to travel around quite a lot in Nicaragua and have introductions to numerous different struggles of different communities and groups. From the population of the tiny, isolated village of Los Positos trying to find resources to provide schooling to their children, to the Banana workers camped in Managua struggling for government recognition of their problems with carcinogenic agricultural chemicals. Meeting these people as part of the Santa Rosa Fund (and ENCA) and being able to offer real support gave a powerful feeling of connectedness to their struggles.

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Contact with Los Pozitos was maintained throughout the following two years, and the Fund was able to deliver donations of musical instruments, books, toys and small amounts of money from High Street School in Plymouth to the people of Los Pozitos. Although the £290 worth of dollars that the Fund delivered to the committee of parents in Los Pozitos is pitifully small in aid terms, for the little school with only one teacher, such a sum is enormous and the community is able to make more use of it than we could ever imagine. The Nicaraguan Ministry of Education used to pay the salary of Melvin, the one qualified teacher, but the school received nothing else from the state for materials or expenses.

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This year [2007] the Centre will continue to give training in life skills for young people with the aim of helping them to be authors of their own process of education, formation, growth, self-esteem, personal and social values and commitment to their integration into society. Additionally, there will be recreational and sporting activities, presentations and stories for children.

Coordination meetings with various institutions will be held with the aim of gaining support in the themes of first aid, the environment, drug use, alcoholism, juvenile delinquency and loss of purpose.

Personal mentoring will be arranged through personal interviews.

Every fortnight (the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month from 6pm to 7:30pm) the forward planning group of the youth club will meet to plan activities.