Shana Tova!
Dear family and friends,
L'shana Tova! I wish you a sweet New Year. As most of you know, I will be travelling to Nicaragua in October to volunteer with an organization called Asociación de Mujeres Consuelo Buitrago (AMUCOBU). I'm very excited about this opportunity to carry out tikkun olam, or “repairing the world” and very honored to be able to do this through the assistance of American Jewish World Service. AJWS supports over 200 grassroots organizations in the developing world through grant making, technical assistance, emergency relief and advocacy. It also provides unique international service opportunities for the Jewish community, enabling Jews, like me, to play an active role in the process of meaningful social change.
Founded in 1989, AMUCOBU is based in the barrio Walter Ferrety in the southern outskirts of Managua, the capital city of Nicaragua. In this barrio, 52% of the population is under the age of 15. Many youth drop out of high school and find themselves unemployed with few opportunities to pursue a career. This has led to an increase in youth gang involvement, teen pregnancy and use of drugs and alcohol. AMUCOBU has sought to address these problems by establishing vocational training programs in tailoring and cooking; building leadership skills among youth and their parents; and teaching a core group of youth how to be peer educators on topics such as conflict management, self-esteem, sexuality and drug/alcohol use. My role will be to teach English and computer skills to the staff and help them continue to develop programming around leadership development and substance use for the youth.
One of my main motivations to volunteer was to be able to share this experience with my Jewish community in the States and find ways for both communities to learn from each other. I’ve set up a blog, www.maddy-in-nicaragua.blogspot.com to update you on my work with AMUCOBU. Please feel free to add your thoughts and comments to these posts. Also, I’ll be working with a couple of Sunday School classes at Oak Park Temple to facilitate a long-distance joint project between youth in Oak Park and youth in Managua.
One way that you can support my efforts in Nicaragua would be to donate money to AJWS. I am very appreciative of the resources that AJWS has provided me with, including airfare and a small stipend during my 9-month stay. Donating to AJWS will allow others to have this same experience and help build the sustainability of other AJWS partner organizations all over the world. A gift of any amount would be greatly appreciated, but consider $36 or $54, as denominations of 18 symbolize LIFE in the Jewish tradition. You can donate online at
As a people who actively remember our own sufferings in order to prevent any humans from experiencing those same injustices, empowering communities in the developing world to make changes in their lives is a way for us to carry out our duties of tzedakah and tikkun olam. As we have a chance to reflect upon the ways we can make the world a better place for Jews and non-Jews in the coming year, think about making a donation to AJWS.
Thank you for being so supportive of me during this time of transition, and feel free to ask me any other questions you might have about my trip or AJWS.
Warmest regards,
Maddy
L'shana Tova! I wish you a sweet New Year. As most of you know, I will be travelling to Nicaragua in October to volunteer with an organization called Asociación de Mujeres Consuelo Buitrago (AMUCOBU). I'm very excited about this opportunity to carry out tikkun olam, or “repairing the world” and very honored to be able to do this through the assistance of American Jewish World Service. AJWS supports over 200 grassroots organizations in the developing world through grant making, technical assistance, emergency relief and advocacy. It also provides unique international service opportunities for the Jewish community, enabling Jews, like me, to play an active role in the process of meaningful social change.
Founded in 1989, AMUCOBU is based in the barrio Walter Ferrety in the southern outskirts of Managua, the capital city of Nicaragua. In this barrio, 52% of the population is under the age of 15. Many youth drop out of high school and find themselves unemployed with few opportunities to pursue a career. This has led to an increase in youth gang involvement, teen pregnancy and use of drugs and alcohol. AMUCOBU has sought to address these problems by establishing vocational training programs in tailoring and cooking; building leadership skills among youth and their parents; and teaching a core group of youth how to be peer educators on topics such as conflict management, self-esteem, sexuality and drug/alcohol use. My role will be to teach English and computer skills to the staff and help them continue to develop programming around leadership development and substance use for the youth.
One of my main motivations to volunteer was to be able to share this experience with my Jewish community in the States and find ways for both communities to learn from each other. I’ve set up a blog, www.maddy-in-nicaragua.blogspot.com to update you on my work with AMUCOBU. Please feel free to add your thoughts and comments to these posts. Also, I’ll be working with a couple of Sunday School classes at Oak Park Temple to facilitate a long-distance joint project between youth in Oak Park and youth in Managua.
One way that you can support my efforts in Nicaragua would be to donate money to AJWS. I am very appreciative of the resources that AJWS has provided me with, including airfare and a small stipend during my 9-month stay. Donating to AJWS will allow others to have this same experience and help build the sustainability of other AJWS partner organizations all over the world. A gift of any amount would be greatly appreciated, but consider $36 or $54, as denominations of 18 symbolize LIFE in the Jewish tradition. You can donate online at
https://donate.ajws.org/03/serviceor send a check to AJWS Volunteer Corps, 45 W 36th Street, NY NY 10018. Along with your check, please note that the donation will be made in honor of my trip. All donations to AJWS are tax deductible
As a people who actively remember our own sufferings in order to prevent any humans from experiencing those same injustices, empowering communities in the developing world to make changes in their lives is a way for us to carry out our duties of tzedakah and tikkun olam. As we have a chance to reflect upon the ways we can make the world a better place for Jews and non-Jews in the coming year, think about making a donation to AJWS.
Thank you for being so supportive of me during this time of transition, and feel free to ask me any other questions you might have about my trip or AJWS.
Warmest regards,
Maddy
posted by mbrigell at 4:20 PM
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