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E-Newsletter April 2009
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| Click & Go! |
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Get Baskets & Jewelry
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We Need Sponsors! |
Hola! I'm Dayana. I'm 7 years old and in 1st grade. My dad works as a welder earning about US$150 a month, and my mom stays at home to take care of me and my 3 siblings. I really like helping with chores around the house, and I'm excited about all the things I'm learning at school and at the Fabretto Center. Will you sponsor me?
Hi, my name is Gilber. I'm 10 years old and in 5th grade. My mom takes care of me, my brother and my 2 sisters. My dad doesn't live with us but I have a nice stepfather who supports us with the US$90 a month he earns working as a policeman. I like school and get good grades, but I have a little trouble with Math. I hope someone will sponsor me!
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| Upcoming Events |
Mark your calendar now for an event in your city! Visit our website for event details.
NEW YORK, NY
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Night for Niños Event
Dinner & Auction
Tribeca Rooftop
MIAMI, FL
Friday, June 19, 2009
Night for Niños Event
Party at the Beach
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| Thank You Corner |
| Here are just a few of the people and organizations who've recently contributed. Thank you!
Corporate & Foundation Donors
Baxter Healthcare
Cargill Americas
Citigroup
Fred Alger Management
Goldman Sachs
Indus Capital Partners
United Way, Greater L.A.
Individual Donors
Alex & Claudia Baez-Sacasa
Pat & Julie Barry
Mark Bernhard
Sheldon & Samantha Kasowitz
David & Sarah Kowitz
Rodrigo Leyton George & Madeline Long
Lynn & Betty Mangum
Julio & Amy Omana
Yurinha Schmidt-Chamorro
Charlie Simokaitis
Amy Walter
And many, many more...! For the full list, please visit our Donor Recognition page on our website. | |
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| We Are All Feeling It... |
Dear Friends,
I hope you'll find this e-newsletter inspiring and motivational! As is usually the case, there is a lot of great stuff going on at Fabretto. First, please notice that we've added a new feature to the e-newsletter, the "Thank You Corner", so that we can take a moment to thank just a few of our many donors, at any and all levels, for their help and support. The list is randomly selected, so hopefully your name will be there one of these days, if not already!
As for what's going on in Nicaragua, the 2009 school year started in early February with record enrollment! In the last two months we have opened 9 new rural computer labs, giving first time access to the digital world to the children living in these remote locales! And to top it all off, we had our best attended Friends of Fabretto trip ever, with donors coming to Nicaragua to see our programs live and in person!
Yet, while these and most things are rolling along just fine, it is true that we are really beginning to feel the economic downturn, especially as regards the unrestricted funds raised at our Night for Niños events in Chicago and New York. And, as a number of donors have asked about the impact of the recession on Fabretto, I feel this is a good chance to respond and give everyone some insight into the current state of affairs.
Before anything though, I'd like to note that thanks to fiscal prudence and donor generosity over the last five years, the Fabretto Children's Foundation has enjoyed a very strong balance sheet. While it is true that the investment markets have severely impacted the book value of our reserves, we are fortunate to continue to be able to count on our "Rainy Day and Opportunities Fund". In the past, we took advantage of a number of opportunities that would have been impossible without this resource and likewise now, we have a cushion in place to get us through the worst of the slump.
Nevertheless, we recognize that we cannot look solely to our savings and we are in the process of paring down as many of our expenses as possible at all three of the Fabretto organizations, i.e. the Fabretto Children's Foundation in the U.S., la Familia Padre Fabretto in Nicaragua, and Fundacion Fabretto in Spain. While we have always run a lean shop, we have been able to identify some cost cuts that should help us significantly reduce our day to day operating expenses to meet projected income shortfalls.
And the best news of all of this is that so far, we have not had to cut any direct program services. We've focused on back office expenses and maximizing the use of in-kind donations in order to reduce our actual cash outlays. We will continue to work towards this goal so that the last ones to feel the pinch will be the children.
Of course, the other side of the coin is that we are counting on the long standing loyalty of our donors to help us through this time. So, I thought I would take this opportunity to remind you of some of the many ways that you can help, many of which don't require a check or credit card, but just a commitment of time and effort. So here goes:
Bring friends - If you plan to attend our events in New York or Miami, think about inviting friends to come with you. Introducing Fabretto to new people is one of the best things you can do for us. The more, the merrier! It helps us in ticket sales, at the auction tables, and to build awareness of our work!
Auction items - Our April 23rd event in New York is in great need of items for the Silent and Live auctions. If you have access to any sports tickets, restaurant gift certificates, or theater packages, please consider getting them for us! Even if you don't live in New York but can offer vacation packages to other destinations, artwork, or other items that you can send - please do so! We would be very happy to include them. Email Christina Falk for details! Sponsor A Child - for a small commitment of just $30 month, you can change a child's life. You might consider Dayana or Gilber who are profiled here, or one of the many other children we assist who still do not have sponsors. Sponsor right from here or ask our Sponsorship Coordinator for other profiles. And, if you already sponsor a child, please consider letting your friends and family know of this opportunity. Advocacy is one of the best gifts you can make to Fabretto! Need a gift? Please remember to shop the Fabretto Market anytime you need a special little something. Our baskets and jewelry make wonderful hostess gifts and birthday and mother's day presents! If you are making Easter baskets, what a better way bring in the spirit of the year - items that have social impact, are beautiful, and help the mothers and the kids. Our online inventory currently includes pastel colors for Easter! ShopNow
Use GoodSearch by Yahoo to search the internet. At a penny a search, imagine if you do 5 searches a day, five days a week. That's $13 a year! If 100 donors do it? $1,300 a year! And so on... It all adds up when you join forces with other donors, and it doesn't cost you a dime! Check It Out!
These are just a few ideas. I hope that they and the articles below will keep you inspired to keep Fabretto close to your heart. Thank you so much!
I remain as always,
Yours in Fabretto -
Alexandra Garcia
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| Program Highlight - Computers in the Countryside |
 Hundreds of children in the rural communities of Cusmapa now have access for the first time ever to computers! Even more incredible is that eventually we expect we may be able to bring them internet access via a satellite connection.
Through a grant from US Agency for International Development, Fabretto has installed computer labs at nine remote primary rural schools in the north of Nicaragua. USAID provided the funding for the infrastructure improvements and the technology implementation while Fabretto provided the computers and hardware from in-kind gifts by our donors, such as the National Geographic Society which donates to Fabretto through its very active and effective recycling program!  Another exciting aspect of this program is that because some of the target communities have extremely limited access to electricity, four of the labs are powered by newly installed solar panels, also funded through the USAID grant.
As you can imagine, this project took a lot of planning by our staff in Nicaragua. Many of the rural communities are very difficult to reach and just getting the equipment to them for installation took a tremendous amount of logistics coordination. So kudos are due to the team on the ground! The end result is new and improved learning opportunities for the children and greater community resources for the teachers and parents - exactly what we are always striving to accomplish! |
| Starting the New School Year |
 Just as the kids here are starting their last quarter of the school year, the children in Nicaragua have just finished settling into their new academic routines, as they returned from their long vacation in early February.
As you can see from the chart, Fabretto has again seen an increase in the number of students we serve, reaching just over 6,600 this year. The rise came primarily from the addition of the primary kids at the Wisconsin school, a public school for the children who live in and around the Managua city dump.
Our programs in La Chureca consist primarily of the lunch program and some teacher training support. In other words, the kids there do not receive the full gamut of services offered at our other locations such as tutoring and subject instruction, homework help, or arts classes. However, we are pursuing a number of potential sources of support that we hope will eventualy allow us to roll out the full Fabretto curriculum at the two Chureca schools, Wisconsin and Acahualinca. The number of children benefiting from our full program at the five original centers and the surrounding communities is closer to 5,300.
We look forward to a successful school year for the kids, the teachers and all our staff! |
| Voices of Fabretto - Donors & Friends Visit Nicaragua |
In February, Fabretto hosted its annual Friends of Fabretto trip. Mary Arends, one of the participants, is a child sponsor and long time supporter. Below, she shares some of her memories of the trip.
 "For us, the Fabretto trip was truly a family affair. My husband, Matt, and I were accompanied by our 6- year-old daughter, Josie, and my parents, Paul and Jeanette Arends.
The trip was a homecoming for Matt and me because we were part of a group of Georgetown volunteers who worked in Nicaragua from 1989 to 1990. Kevin Marinacci was part of our group, and that was when he, along with other volunteers, started working with Father Fabretto.
On this visit, we were amazed by what Fabretto has accomplished over the years. When we lived in Nicaragua, the centers were bare bones. The main office was Father's briefcase. I remember our friends told us that the children at one of the centers were thrilled to occasionally have chicken feet soup. Today, Fabretto serves a daily, nutritious lunch which usually includes chicken (the white meat - no feet!) and always fresh vegetables. Children attend class in brand new buildings. They learn agronomy and computer skills.
In many ways, Managua was very different in the early 1990's. There were no glass office buildings, McDonald's, or shopping malls. But poverty remains throughout the country, and the needs that Fabretto meets remain very much the same. We visited the Acahualinca School, near the Managua city dump, where backpacks and school supplies donated by the Spanish conglomerate, Telefónica, through their Proniño community action program were being distributed. We spoke with a father, whose pride in his son shone through.
At the San Isidro center, we met our sponsored child, Irmain, and our group was treated to singing, dancing, and an insect collection put together as part of a local fauna studies project. In Somoto, my parents met their sponsored child, Aura, and we watched her dance. After the dance, the children had a piñata party.
Each of the five centers is unique and has a different personality. In San Isidro, a rural community, the children were quiet and shy. In Esteli, a very urban center, the children were very outgoing and talkative, asking question after question. The boys sported the latest hairstyles and the youngest children gave each one of us a hand made Valentine and a hug. Yet, despite their differences, all the centers share a common mission where parents, children, Fabretto staff, and teachers work together for a brighter future.
My whole family had a wonderful experience on the Friends of Fabretto trip and would recommend it to anybody! Everywhere we went, we were greeted as members of the Fabretto family. We loved visiting the centers and meeting our sponsored children. We enjoyed spending time with the other group members at the guesthouse in Cusmapa and on the van rides. We were very well treated by all the staff, including Alex, Kathleen, Peter, and Kevin treated us so well. From a six-year old's perspective-- Josie says "I got to see new people. It was fun. The sunset was pretty and it was beautiful. And the schools were very interesting."
If you've never been to Nicaragua, we hope the Arends' remembrances will encourage you to join us in February 2010! Keep an eye out for the trip dates announcement coming later this summer.
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| State of Affairs - Why We Feed the Kids |
 In the northern rural areas of Nicaragua, home to our Cusmapa and Quebrada Honda centers, poverty rates are significantly higher than the national norms, with as much as 70% of the population living below the poverty line, or on less than two dollars a day. In the most critical areas, nearly half of the people live in extreme poverty, or less than one dollar a day.
It should come as no surprise that one of the most prevailing indicators of severe poverty is a high rate of malnutrition among children. In Nicaragua, 27% of all children are estimated to suffer from some degree of malnutrition, but in the mountainous regions of the north, the rate approaches 50%!
Malnourishment is a complex problem that has to do with social, economic and health factors. In most cases, poor families simply don't earn enough money to buy sufficient food for their families. The lack of access to nutritious foods also contributes to the problem, as many children do not get enough vitamins, minerals and proteins from the traditional diet of rice, beans and corn. In addition, most rural parents have had very little formal education, and thus a very limited understanding of nutrition. So, in order to reduce malnutrition, families not only need more income, but also better access to healthy food products as well as health education - no simple matter.
 Unfortunately, the outlook for Nicaragua in the coming years is bleak in terms of food security. Nicaragua's already weak economy has been hard hit by the current global economic crisis. Inflation is in the double digits, but minimum wage increases have not kept pace. When petroleum prices sky rocketed last year, there was an immediate and marked increase in Nicaraguan food prices. Yet, while petroleum has since fallen, food costs have not followed suit. A recent study showed that despite having the lowest income levels in Central America, Nicaragua has the highest food prices in the region. According to data from June 2008, the average Nicaraguan family would need $282 a month to purchase sufficient amounts of the most essential food and hygiene products. Since 2006, the price of these basic products in Nicaragua has increased an amazing 289%!
The current situation means that poor families are experiencing more difficulty in securing enough food for their families, and that very likely, we will soon see evidence of rising malnutrition rates. This scenario is especially dangerous for children because they feel the impact on so many different levels. Not only are they hungry and more frequently sick, but they are also at greater risk for low educational attainment. Malnourished children learn less effectively and are much more likely to drop out of school. When families don't have enough food to put on the table, education will often take a back seat.
 Providing nutrition options in school and community based settings alleviates pressures on impoverished families and helps to ensure that children will remain enrolled in their classes. Given the state of affairs in Nicaragua, humanitarian organizations like Fabretto are increasingly being challenged to direct more energy, staff and cash resources to food security initiatives, including school lunch programs, school gardens, family gardens, and public health programs. Thanks to careful planning and capacity, wholesale purchasing, in kind donations of food supplies, and the use of local products, each meal we serve costs only thirty cents - meaning that we can feed a child in our program for less than $75 a year. Relatively speaking, this is a small investment with huge potential positive impacts on many aspects of the children's lives. It is for this reason that nutrition has always been one of our core services and that it is more important now than ever. |
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