Sarah's Speaking Schedule April - May 2009

Lots of people have been asking us where Sarah is speaking in the US, so we're posting her schedule here. Sarah does a dynamic 20 minute slide show about our work and is also selling Nicaraguan handcrafts. She'll be in the US through May speaking from NC south with the addition of a couple engagements in Sacramento, CA and Plano, TX.

If you're in one of the cities she'll be visiting, please come see her speak! If you have friends or family in those places, let them know so they can attend. If you want her to speak to your church, work, school or in your home or if you have a question about any of the events listed below, please call Sarah on her cell phone 413-250-9751 or email Sarah@jhc-cdca.org

Date	Time	Location	Host
Monday, April 06, 2009	10AM - 5PM	Asheville NC	Odyssey School 10-3PM
Tuesday, April 07, 2009	8:00 AM	Cullowhee NC	Western Carolina – Dr Davis Spanish class
Tuesday, April 07, 2009	evening	Sylva NC	Donna Harris - St David's church
Thursday, April 09, 2009	11 AM - 1 PM	Warren Wilson College, Swannanoa NC	lunch - intern opportunities venue
Thursday, April 09, 2009	7PM	Swannanoa NC	WWC Peace & Justice Crew invitation
Friday, April 10, 2009	10AM	Warren Wilson College, Swannanoa NC	Jensen 105 - Lucy Lawrence meeting
Sunday, April 12, 2009	all AM - Easter	Wall St, Asheville NC	Jubilee! Asheville
Tuesday, April 14, 2009	early AM	Waynesville NC	Waynesville Rotary
Tuesday, April 14, 2009	7:00 PM	Davidson Presbyterian Congregational House	Davidson NC
Wednesday, April 15, 2009	AM	Winston-Salem NC	Creative Learning Center preschool
Wednesday, April 15, 2009	PM	Winston-Salem NC	Trinity Presbyterian - dinner & presentation
Thursday, April 16, 2009	evening	820 Kensford Ct, Lewisville NC	Ruth Finley's home
Friday, April 17, 2009	11:00 AM	Winston Salem NC	Wake Forest Divinity School
Friday, April 17, 2009	PM	2425 Spicewood Drive, Winston Salem NC	Nora/Becky's home
Sunday, April 19, 2009	AM	Raleigh NC	Western Boulevard Presbyterian Church
Sunday, April 19, 2009	7:30PM	Raleigh NC	St Giles Presbyterian Church
Monday, April 20, 2009	mid-day	Durham NC	lunch at Millie Brobston's workplace - no crafts
Monday, April 20, 2009	7:30 PM	Greensboro, NC	New Garden Friends Meeting
Tuesday, April 21, 2009	11:30 AM	Bear Creek NC	Chatham Central HS - Becky Lee
Wednesday, April 22, 2009	2PM	Greenville NC	class at ECU - Anthropology
Thursday, April 23, 2009	6:30 PM	Columbia SC	Trish - Davis Hall potluck & presentation / crafts
Friday, April 24, 2009	11:30AM - 2PM	Coastal Carolina University - Conway SC	class period with crafts
Saturday, April 25, 2009	6:00 PM	Mt Pleasant SC	cook-out Elizabeth Grantham's
Sunday, April 26, 2009	all morning	Mt Pleasant Presbyterian Church, Mt Pleasant SC	SS class presentation & crafts
Monday, April 27, 2009	AM	Sullivan's Island, SC	Preschool - Lois Anderson
Monday, April 27, 2009	evening	Mt Pleasant Presbyterian Church, Mt Pleasant SC	MPPC hosting - ESL group
Wednesday, April 29, 2009	5:15 PM	Mt Pleasant Presbyterian Church, Mt Pleasant SC	dinner / presentation / crafts or Q & A
Friday, May 01, 2009	10:45 AM	Savannah GA	St Vincent's Academy - assembly & crafts
Sunday, May 03, 2009	AM	Saint Petersburg FL 39	Lakeview Presbyterian
Tuesday, May 05, 2009	9:30 - 2:00 PM	Trafalgar Middle School	classes with Nevin Marshall
Tuesday, May 05, 2009	evening	Saint Petersburg FL 41	Lakeview Presbyterian / presentation & crafts
Monday, May 11, 2009	11 - 1:30 PM	Sacramento CA	Newman Center, Sacramento State Univ.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009	noon	Sacramento CA	Jane Thomas' workplace
Sunday, May 17, 2009	AM	Church - Plano TX	Junkin/Reichard church
Wednesday, May 20, 2009	evening	Gainesville FL	Holy Trinity Episcopal
Friday, May 22, 2009	mid-day	Atlanta GA area	Llewellyn Bell
Friday, May 22, 2009	7 - 9 PM	Athens, GA	hosted by the Athens Friends Meeting
Sunday, May 24, 2009	AM	Anderson SC	North Anderson Community Church Presbyterian

800 jobs lost in Ciudad Sandino

Yesterday the front page of the paper announced that our neighbor across the road, the largest free trade zone in Nicaragua, is closing its doors and putting 800 people in Ciudad Sandino out of work. This in a community that already suffers from 80% under- and unemployment, so in our city of 150,000 people, the loss of 800 jobs is huge.

At an investment of $100 million, Cone Denim set up in Nicaragua -- they put in the four lane concrete highway that goes right past our center -- and operated (in their building the size of 16 football fields) for less than one year. The paper claimed Cone Denim to be the “first foreign business in Nicaragua to fall victim to the world economic crisis” – even though in the past six months 20,000 Nicaraguans have lost their jobs due to free trade zone closures. The paper also warned that there would be more free trade zone closures to come…of that, we can be sure.

In light of Cone Denim closing down, the 35 jobs that the Genesis Spinning Cooperative is creating become even more important. But how can we be sure that Genesis will succeed where super giants like Cone Denim have failed?

To succeed, the industry has to be sustainable. How? One way is by keeping it local – in most factories now, materials and parts come from all over the globe. A typical t-shirt might be made with Turkish cotton spun into yarn in Pakistan, knit in China, sewn with Costa Rican thread in Nicaragua to be screen printed in Canada and sold in the United States. As the world begins to come back to reality after the free trade zone “boom” of the past 15 years, it’s pretty clear that all that carting pieces of products around the world to make a t-shirt that sells for $6.99 just doesn’t make sense. The Genesis co-op is part of our fair trade organic cotton production chain that depends on Nicaraguan farmers, Nicaraguan ginners, Nicaraguan spinners, Costa Rican knitters, Nicaraguan and Costa Rican sewers and will be sold in North America and Europe. The raw materials travel less, which means less cost and less risk. As Nicaraguan economist Carlos Pacheco reiterated to our delegation yesterday, every process a raw material goes through means it can be sold for more money -- each process adds value to a product -- and each time value is added in one single country, more money is generated for the local economy, making that product line more sustainable. So when cotton becomes yarn, then cloth, then clothing all locally, the potential for that local economy is huge.

Now with Cone Denim closing and 800 people losing their jobs, it’s more important than ever that Genesis get to work! Perhaps in the long run their 35 steady, well paid jobs for Genesis co-op members will do more for the economy of Ciudad Sandino than 800 jobs that lasted less than one year.

Help us finish the spinning plant building! We’ve already raised $1,012 with our Stone Soup Fund! Just $98,988 left to go! Donate just $10, and ask 10 other people to give just $10 each and also ask 10 other people.

To give on Facebook click here
To give online click here
Send checks to: CDCA - Stone Soup, 352 Carly Lane, Rock Hill, SC 29732

To invest in the Shared Risk Investment Fund click here

-- Becca

Stone Soup Smells Delicious

Just 10 days ago we kicked off the Stone Soup Fund, asking people to give just $10 with the goal of raising $100,000 to finish the Genesis Spinning Plant. In that time we've raised $876 on our Facebook Cause and more (at least $25!) is on its way in checks. By the end of this week we hope to have raised $1,000! We think that's pretty awesome.

Unfortunately, that $1,000 is only 1% of what we need! We really believe that many people giving just a little can make such a difference...it can mean steady jobs for 35 people and food on the table for their families. To make this work, we need all of you to ask 10 friends to give $10.

The members of Genesis have worked 2 years with no pay...and they need to put in their floor now. We need $6,700 to buy all the metal that will reinforce their concrete floor. We have someone who invested their inheritance at 0% to the Shared Risk Investment Fund and with that and what we have raised through the Stone Soup Fund, we can now buy the metal! If you know anyone who can invest for 5 years at 0-5% interest, please put them in touch with us at jhc@jhc-cdca.org.

Genesis can now put the metalwork together while we raise the money to buy concrete.

This past week, friends have asked us lots of good questions about the Stone Soup Fund:

• How can people who aren't on Facebook give? You can go to our website at www.jhc-cdca.org/credit.html to give online securely OR simply send a check to: CDCA - Stone Soup, 352 Carly Lane, Rock Hill, SC 29732
• If I pass this on to my friends, will they get on a mailing list? No. They can simply give $10 and never have to hear from us again. If they'd like to get a statement for their taxes, please let us know. For anyone who wants to get on the mailing list, you can sign up by writing: sarah@jhc-cdca.org
  
• How do I donate on Facebook? If you or your friends have a Facebook account just click here then click on "donate" and you can give securely using a credit card. Your gift will show up here on our goal thermometer.
• Why such an ambitious goal? $100,000 is a lot! Yes, it is. But we've already invested $140,000 in the spinning plant construction through our Shared Risk Investment Fund, and Genesis members have contributed 1,000 hours each with no pay. With that in mind, the remaining $100,000 for the building is within reach!

So how are we going to raise so much money is such a little time? We know people don't have much to give right now, that's why we're asking for you to donate just $10, and ask 10 other people to give just $10 each and also ask 10 other people. We may not have much, but we are many...if everybody gives just a little, then the Stone Soup pot will fill up, and the 35 members of Genesis will have work...a true cooperative effort.

To give on Facebook click here
To give online click here
Send checks to: CDCA - Stone Soup, 352 Carly Lane, Rock Hill, SC 29732

Make Stone Soup with the Genesis Co-op

A young woman, Maria, had had no employment for two years, but had worked hard trying to make a future. All of a sudden she was getting married and needed to feed the town coming for the wedding.

What was she to do? She had no money. Her wealthy uncle was not going to lend that kind of money for the town to have a party because his investments had taken a nosedive, but she was a clever young lass and knew that if everyone gave a little, then it could be done. So….

Maria announced the morning of her wedding she was making the best wedding soup ever to be tasted with just one stone…one stone? Yes. A neighbor lent her the largest pot of the village to see what she could create with one stone. Maria said she had the perfect stone ...so she filled the huge pot with water and plucked in the stone…and watched it come to a boil.

In fact most of the town had heard the rumor and so came to see this “magic” stone.

“Now, this soup tastes good, but if it had a bit of salt….” said Maria as she kissed her fingers.

“I have salt,” an interested lad exclaimed and ran off.

“Yum,” Maria said. “But with some potatoes, it will be exquisite.”

“I have potatoes,” said the judge of the town and he went to get a sack.

“Onions really spice it up nicely,” said Maria and the baker went off for onions.

Then Maria slowly suggested carrots, celery, meat, etc. Each time she tasted it, the whole village pitched in.

“Oh! The soup is done but I only have one bowl and spoon,” sighed Maria.

Tables, bowls, spoons…and then flowers and music and bread came pouring out of the houses…the wedding was the most wonderful wedding in the village’s history and the soup…everyone agreed it really was the best soup anyone had every tasted and all Maria had was one stone.

Stone Soup…it takes one stone and a little from many people.

The Genesis spinning plant co-op needs stone soup. We are establishing our Stone Soup Fund to help the cooperative members who need to finish their building after working for two years without pay…all their stones are in the building.

How does it work?

We need 100 people to:

1. Donate $10
2. Phone 10 people and get a commitment from them to give $10 each and also phone 10 people.

So...100 people give $10 and get 1,000 people to give $10 and get 10,000 people to give just $10. This will fund the completion of the spinning plant. $10 is very little. It will be a beautiful thing. It will be $110,000…lovely soup.

To donate online or send a check go to www.jhc-cdca.org/credit.html

Join our Cause on Facebook Make Stone Soup with the Genesis Spinning Plant

-- Kathleen & Becca

International Women's Day - Nicaragua

March 8^th is International Women’s Day (IWD). It was first observed on 28 February 1909. It later came to be observed as a memorial to the women who died in the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire of 25 March 1911*, the worst work place disaster in New York City until 9/11.

Women who sewed blouses (shirtwaists) were caught in a fire and the exits were locked. The owners claimed innocence but did have to pay $75/victim damages in a civil suit while the two owners were paid $400/casuality by their insurance. This fire became a symbol for women workers worldwide….146 women died…many jumping 9 floors to their death to get away from the fire.

In 1985, I came to Nicaragua on a Witness for Peace Women’s Delegation to observe International Women’s Day. Great! I wanted to come to Nicaragua. I like being with women…I knew nothing about IWD. We walked parts of a road from Esteli to San Juan de Limay so that mothers of children, who were slaughtered by the U.S.-backed Contra, could place crosses in their memories near the places where their children had died and often been tortured.

Needless to say it was an intense, sad, and humbling experience. We got to the small town of Limay and they had an “acto” or program for and with us in honor of IWD. They told us why we celebrated or remembered IWD…imagine my surprise to know that it had happened in my country and I had had no idea…and I was a history major. It has constantly amazed me how much the Nicaraguans teach me about Nicaragua, my own country, and the world.

Women laborers need a day of recognition. They work hard in the work place, get paid less than men, and then go home and care for the family. They are strong, courageous, and hold society together. Happy International Women’s Day!

*http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triangle_Shirtwaist_Factory_fire