In this issue
100 Mile House Concert
Climate Change Adaption for small holders in Honduras
On the Road to Sustainability for Tierra Colorada Secondary School
Meet Sombrilla Supporters, Heather MacKenzie, Justin Wilder and family
Women's Health Garage Sale
Sombrilla Calender of Event
Quick Project Updates
Volunteer Opportunities
About Sombrilla
Thank You!
Join the Sombrilla Team
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100 Mile House Concert June 14
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| 100 Mile House, Peter Stone and Denise MacKay |
100 Mile House - House Concert
Supporting Food Security in Yurac Yacu Peru
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We are really excited to welcome 100 Mile House for another concert fundraiser in June. The response was huge last year, beyond the limited space that was available, so this year we have found a bigger venue. The concert will support our food security project in Yurac Yacu Peru.
100 Mile House is husband and wife duo Peter Stone (UK) and Denise MacKay (Alberta). A journey that started with a mistaken meeting at a show in Toronto 13 years ago has led the couple to share their unique brand of transatlantic folk at shows and festivals across this great continent. They were winners of the Edmonton Folk Music Festival Emerging Artists Award and the 2016 All-Albertan Song Contest, 100 mile house have shared their unique brand of transatlantic folk at some of Canada’s biggest festivals. Their beautiful harmonies, rich arrangements and captivating lyrics have led to awards and nominations across Canada as well as radio play across the globe. Wearing their trademark honesty firmly on their sleeves with songs discussing the loss of of a loved one (Hidden Springs) to the struggles and grief that can come with trying to start a family (Last Branch), their new album Hiraeth is a conversation about our deepest fears and the ability to find hope in the darkest places. Hiraeth was No.1 on CKUA and received stellar reviews including the front page of the Canadian Folk Magazine Penguin Eggs. Their last two albums 'Wait With Me' and 'Hollow Ponds' were both nominated for a Western Canadian Music Award for Roots Duo/Group Recording of the Year, won three Edmonton Music Awards and both included a grand prize winning track from the Calgary Folk Festival Songwriting Contest. Their riveting live performances have led to appearances at the Edmonton, Calgary, Canmore and Vancouver folk festivals.
Join us for an evening or wonderful music
Tasty finger foods
Cash bar.
Help us to ensure a healthier diet for families living high in the Andes.
When - June 14
Where - Old Strathcona Performing Arts Centre, 8426 Gateway Boulevard Northwest, Edmonton, AB T6E 4B4
Time - Doors at 6:30 pm. Music at 7 pm
Cost - $23 in advance. $25 at door.
Tickets - On Eventbrite (link below) or email sombrillahome@gmail.com
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Climate Change Adaption for small holders in Honduras
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Sombrilla’s most recent project in Honduras with the focus on sustainable development for small-scale farming families in the Eastern slopes of Honduras is supported by private donation, which were matched 1:1 by the Government of Alberta’s Community Initiatives Program. The project started in spring of 2017 and will be completed by summer 2018. Our local partner organization for the implementation of this project was OCDIH (Organismo Cristiano de Desarrollo Integral de Honduras).
The long-term goal of the project was to improve food security for the most vulnerable families through reducing the impact of climate change on their livelihoods. Due to its location, Honduras is one of the most affected countries by climate change. In particular small-scale agriculture on the steep slopes of the hills in the eastern part of the country is very exposed to floods and droughts resulting in the loss of crops or reduction of yields. Traditionally, most of the income of local farmers is generated small coffee plantations, which may significantly depending on commodity prices on the world market and other factors.
The project focused on improving farming practices in the six communities in the municipality de Nueva Arcadia, in the Province of Copán. 120 families benefited directly from the training sessions on best practices for water management, disease prevention, the use of organic fertilizer and soil conservation.
Farmers were also encouraged to grow a variety of crops, including native species, and supported in selling their surplus of fruits and vegetables in the local markets. The support ranged from courses in basic business and book keeping to marketing and preparation of product for sale at the local markets, as well as helping farmers to organize transport to take their products to the market.
In addition to training, farmers received irrigation equipment and water storage tanks for their plots, since water is one of the main limiting resources in this area. Materials to build small greenhouse were also provided, allowing farmers to grow vegetables during periods of adverse weather conditions and improve the yield and quality of the produce.
Based on an opportunity assessment in the six communities, our partner organization OCDIH started 14 small livestock projects, helping families to own pigs and poultry, to improve their own diet as well as sell the offspring to generate some revenue. These opportunities specially benefit women, since they will be looking after the animals and this way will be able to contribute to the family income.
All 120 small farmers, who participated in the project, will benefit from their skills, knowledge and connections acquired over the past year, after the completion of the project to improve the livelihoods of their families.
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On the Road to Sustainability Tierra Colorada Secondary School – Guatemala
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Education is of critical importance for Guatemala, where over 40 percent of the population is under the age of 15, and the population is growing by more than two percent annually. Indigenous communities have traditionally been seriously underrepresented in education spending, and as a result they have the highest illiteracy and drop-out rates in the country.
In response to this need, Nancy Cowle and Paul Layte initiated the Tierra Colorada School Project in 2008. They began to work with the teachers of the school to improve the building and facilities of a school in the rural community of Tierra Colorada near to Quetzaltenengo. At that time, the school was very run down and overcrowded. Nancy and Paul were able to add a second level to the school and to replace the kitchen and bathrooms. After the second floor had been added the teachers suggested using the space in the afternoon for a secondary program. This program is the equivalent to our junior high school.
While the Tierra Colorada School was a primary school for grades 1-6, funded through the Government of Guatemala, a secondary program (grades 7-9) was not available to the students. In Guatemala, government support for education has been limited in recent years, with some focus on primary but less funding for secondary education. Coverage for primary education has dropped to 85% and coverage for secondary education by public schools is only 12.5%.
In 2012, Sombrilla continued the work of Nancy and Paul and started funding school, mainly by providing the salaries for 8 teachers. Since the establishment of the secondary program, on average 100 students were enrolled every year. The majority of the students would not have been able to continue their education without this program. Many of the students are indigenous children from rural communities. Completing the additional 3 years of education increased their opportunities to find a job or continue their education in another school.
Recently, the lobbying efforts of the parents and teachers have been successful and in 2017 the Government of Guatemala has provided funding for one of the three grades in the secondary program. In addition, the government has committed to funding for an additional grade in 2018. Based on these positive developments, Sombrilla expects the secondary program to be entirely funded by the Guatemalan government within the next few years.
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Meet the Wheeler, MacKenzie family
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We would like you to meet Heather MacKenzie, Justin Wheeler and their children Grace and Jaycen. The MacKenzie Wheeler family are monthly supporters of Sombrilla.
Heather and Justin met through another international development organization, Engineers Without Borders. They have always worked to support social and environmental justice both locally and globally. Heather opened her business Heather MacKenzie consulting in 2017 in order to work on issues advancing the public interest and green engineering. Justin works in the Alberta climate change office with the Ministry of the Environment.
Outside of their work lives, Heather and Justin have been long-time supporters of the Stephen Lewis foundation and Racecourse School in Zambia. Racecourse School is a school for aids affected and vulnerable children and is locally led in Zambia. Canadians are involved in providing financial support for the school. Heather and Justin see this kind of grass roots organization as being the best way to support sustainable development. They came to support Sombrilla because they see similar values in the way we work. They feel that it is important to fight poverty and support indigenous rights globally and Sombrilla is a way for them to support community led projects in Latin America.
Heather and Justin are sharing their values with their children and often talk to them about issues such as gender equality, poverty and indigenous rights. Through their church, St. Paul’s United Church, they support Racecourse School, food security, reconciliation and rainbow refugees. Grace and Jaycen are actively involved selecting the recipients of the family’s annual charitable gifts and in making loans to people in need globally through Kiva.
Heather suggests that people who really want to have an impact with their charitable giving consider a monthly gift. She says it is easy to set up through Canada Helps and even a gift of $5 per month will have an impact and will help to build a habit of giving. She feels that monthly giving is best for charitable organizations as it helps them to plan for sustainable support for those living in poverty and that it is best for the giver as it becomes a part of one’s lifestyle and budget.
We thank Justin, Heather, Grace and Jaycen for their tremendous and on-going support of Sombrilla. Monthly givings really do help us to plan and to provide stable support for our partners in Latin America. We are very grateful to all our monthly supporters.
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Sombrilla Urogynecology Clinic Garage Sale, in support of our Women's Health Project in Peru
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Don't forget to come get some delicious pupusas at the garage sale on June 23rd. Pupusa sales will support CAPS (Communities at Play Society) projects in Guatemala.
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Sombrilla Calendar of Events
June 14 100 Mile House Concert, Old Strathcona Performing Arts Centre
June 15 and 16 Sombrilla will be at Just a Little Night Market
June 23 Women's Health Garage Sale, Grandview Community League 10 am to 8 pm
Look for updates about these events in the coming days and weeks.
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Scholarship Students in El Salvador give back to the community by working with younger youth.
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- Electricity has been provided to the offices of our partner organization ADIM in Chajul Guatemala
- A second phase of the Yurac Yacu Food Security Project is underway with the support of a grant from the Government of Alberta. Thirty six new family greenhouses will be constructed and one new community will be added to the project.
- Scholarship students in El Salvador are working in small groups to inspire and support younger youth in their communities
- The Urogynecology team will be attending meetings in Peru in August and will be back in Peru in November to continue training with Peruvian Health care workers.
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Volunteer Opportunities
We are looking for items for the Sombrilla Garage Sale on June 23. If you have anything to donate please contact us at connect@sombrilla.ca
or phone 780-988-2976
We need a few volunteers to set up for and take down after our 100 Mile House Concert on June 14. Please contact us at connect@sombrilla.ca
or phone 780-988-2976
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About Sombrilla
Sombrilla International Development Society is an Alberta-based, independent Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) founded in 1985. Sombrilla develops partnerships with Latin American NGOs that share its values in order to assist them in their development. Sombrilla focuses on providing assistance that is result oriented and sustainable. "Sombrilla" is the Spanish word for "umbrella," which symbolizes the partnerships between organized communities from Canada and Latin America that assist in sheltering vulnerable populations from oppression while promoting community participation. Presently Sombrillahas projects in Guatemala and in Peru. These projects are focused on helping communities to gain stable access to basic health care, clean water, basic education for pre-school and primary school aged children, maternal and child health and economic development within the community.
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Thank You to our Supporters
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We would like to thank everyone who has supported us in our projects including,
- The Government of Alberta
- Choices in Community Living
- Alberta Council for Global Cooperation
- Ron Kilius and Superior Medical (For great assistance with the Urogynecology Project)
- The University of Alberta Community Services Learning Program
- And the many individual donors and volunteers who have helped us so much.
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Join the Sombrilla team
Do you have a strong interest in International Development. Do you have connections to Latin America? We are always looking for volunteers. We have opportunities to join the board of directors, committees and help with events.
If you are interested please contact us at sombrillahome@gmail.com
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