May 22nd, 2018
Dear AMOS friends,
As of last Friday, it has been one month since civil unrest began in Nicaragua, which continues around the country. The work of AMOS is needed now more than ever. Continuing protests, and now roadblocks that began two weeks ago in certain points across the country, have made it more difficult for people to get to work and go about their daily lives. The Nicaraguan newspaper La Prensa cites a government report saying that losses have already totaled 260 million dollars for the national economy. Some private businesses are reporting a loss of up to 40% of their revenue, and that the economic loss is growing every day that the conflict continues.
This past week, two important developments occurred: national dialogue talks began, and the Organization of American States’ Inter-American Commission on Human Rights arrived in Nicaragua to investigate the situation. While we are hopeful that things will gradually improve, the protests and violence continue to impact us financially and programmatically. Transporting medical supplies and training staff to the communities is more difficult and costly. Our work of accompanying and supporting communities will take more time and resources. During times of crisis and conflict, health conditions worsen. This means the people we serve are in need of more support– and we hope you will join us.
We are here for the long haul, and together we can go the extra mile to foster peace, understanding, love and hope. Your continued support in these difficult times helps with the following:
- Assures our medications and health programs will be getting to our health promoters in remote communities.
- Support our programs for early childhood development and positive youth development to help contribute to re-building the future.
- Provide First Aid Mental Health and Conflict Transformation training to our staff, health promoters, and health committees so we can help those experiencing the psychological trauma as well as gaining skills to help promote and support peace in our communities.
Together, we can bring hope to the thousands of people we serve in Nicaragua and make sure they are not alone. In these difficult moments is when our work is needed the most. Thank you for your support of health and hope in Nicaragua in this time of need.
With love and gratitude,
Dr. David Parajón, Executive Director and Dr. Laura Parajón, Medical Director
On behalf of the AMOS Team