Emergency Bridge Repair to Honor Don Sergio

Hello,

I'm Judith Nichols. I work with others to build bridges across borders and, in this case, to mend an existing broken pedestrian bridge in rural Nicaragua in a region up close to the city of Matagalpa. This bridge is central to daily life for school students, small growers, and pregnant mothers as they go to the country clinic or cross over to a tiny store to purchase bread or soap. We only need to raise enough money to purchase building materials. Community carpenters have volunteered to do this work in the upcoming weeks

Yesterday we lost a bright light when he was crossing the river at what is usually a shallow point. Don Sergio was pulled into the rushing waters of the Calico River when he was returning from his church.

Sergio Arauz Zeledon will be with us as inspiration as we continue building food security, increasing environmentally-sustainable small enterprise projects, creating climate adaptation strategies and celebrating and loving our neighbors. Don Sergio was a beloved father, grandfather, husband, teacher and friend.

This is part of what Alyeriz Arauz, daughter of Don Sergio wrote this morning: "My dad was always attentive to the needs of his El Corozo community. He spent time teaching climate change classes in the community and monitored the climate to anticipate mitigation and adaptation strategies. He led the way by carrying out reforestation projects involving his entire family and the community's inhabitants. The last time we spoke, he was concerned about the suspension bridge, which is in poor condition, and the rivers are swollen from the rain. He told me about the wood rots and the solution to make the passageway with iron sheets so that the community can be safer. My father was always enthusiastic about supporting projects for his community which he loved until his last day."

Thanks for considering helping support this bridge mending project to honor Don Sergio.

Judith Nichols