Nicaragua

Please click on this photograph to visit a Photo Gallery depicting the Kids of Cascabel.

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Airline Ambassadors International

418 California Avenue

PO Box 459

Moss Beach, CA  94038

Please indicate:  Nicaragua, 2009 in the memo section.

Please contact Mission Coordinator, Adriana Gonzalez at:  adrygonzalez@live.com to confirm your participation.

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The Details and Itinerary:

Kids of Cascabel Mission

Location: Somoto, Nicaragua

2010 Date to Visit Project: 04/22/10 - 04/27/10

Mission Overview: The mission of the Kids of Cascabel Project is to support Pastor Carlos Baez who found 18 children at the Somoto garbage dump and rescued them. Having no resources to sustain them, Pastor Carlos linked up with Erik the Flutemaker, whom he met in 2006. Erik, his friends and his family began to help feed, clothe and educate these children now known as the Kids of Cascabel. Today, Pastor Carlos and his wife Lorena and a small group of helpers have expanded their care to include 31 children who receive food, clothing, education and medical care through donations provided through the supporters of the Kids of Cascabel. Erik the Flutemaker became Flutemaker Ministries in 2007 and networks with customers, friends and family to be the financial support system for the Kids of Cascabel. Together they are providing nutrition, clothing, housing and education to children who had no chance of escaping their dire circumstances without the assistance of those outside their community.

Watch a short clip of this mission in YouTube: Kids of Cascabel

Flutemaker Ministries monthly donations are currently insufficient to cover the costs for building a better facility to house the existing kids and to receive more children in need of rescue. Currently, the ministry has unmet needs to feed the kids and provide medicines for those whom are ill. For that reason the ministry seeks the help of AAI to raise funds for two important projects.

Fundraising goal for project 1: $2155 USD Per Month

Description: Meet food budget monthly (Continuity of Care Element).

12 of the 31 Kids are living at the home under the care of Pastor Carlos and his wife. They receive daily breakfast, lunch and dinner at a cost of $5 per day, $35 per week, $140 per month per child. The total cost to feed the children living at the home is $1,680.00 per month. The other 19 are school-age children from the communities who join for breakfast on schools days. The cost for each additional child’s lunch is $1.25 which translate to $23.75 per day, 5 days a week $118.75 which is $475.00 per month. Total cost to feed all 31 children per month is $2,155.00 US DOLLARS.  

Fundraising goal for project 2: Build a 2 story home

Description: This house of refuge will be a home to many children as well as Pastor Carlos and his family. The plans have been made and the volunteers at the home are ready to start the foundation as soon as the funds start to come in. $62,321.00 is needed to build their home.

Nicaragua Trip At-A-Glance

Please join Flutemaker Ministries in a humanitarian mission to Nicaragua. We will launch projects to help orphaned and abandoned children in the area of Somoto named The Kids of Cascabel.

Day 1

Arrive to Nicaragua and settle in at Managua Best Western. Connect with in-country coordinator. Hold a briefing with participants to give an overview of the visit, needs, goals and objectives for the trip. Also review the itinerary and communicate any changes that may have happened.  Communicate funds that have been raised to contribute to each project. Review any health or safety issues and ask participant to represent our organization with respect to the custom and culture of the area/ministry that we are visiting. Remind team that being flexible is important, as plans can change at any moment. J

Day 2

Travel early 7:30 am to Somoto by bus (3.5 hour). Settle in to Pan American hotel and Meet Pastor Carlos (in-country coordinator) for introductions and to unload the humanitarian aid (some humanitarian aid can be bought on location to support the local economy). Hold a welcome activity and meet The Kids of Cascabel. A welcome activity will consist of lunch, a tour of the children’s home and a brief overview of projects with Pastor Carlos. Some suggested afternoon activities with kids are: an art class, guitar lesson, puppet show, a soccer game with oldest kids, etc. Mission coordinator will provide suggestions and ideas of places to visit or things to do for participants during their free time (including pointing out where the Internet Café is and International phone service). Participants are expected to reflect a good impression in the places visited; no smoking or alcohol consumption in children’s home.  $1.00 tips are appreciated by bus bag handlers and taxi drivers that pack suitcases.

Day 3

Breakfast at hotel at 7:30 am and 8 o’clock pick up in pick-up truck to the Cascabel Home to share whatever talent mission participants may have to teach. Suggested activities with kids are: Art class with kids of Cascabel, guitar or keyboard lessons, computer lesson, English lesson. Help with a construction project and other ongoing projects at the home (To be determined with in-country coordinator). Communicate your gift and talent with mission coordinator to see how we can match your talents with the right children activity. At night Pastor Carlos will hold a thank you and good bye gathering with the kids and volunteers.

Day 4

In the morning of the day we leave mission coordinator will meet with in-country coordinator (Pastor Carlos) to debrief the trip, evaluate the success of the trip with recommendations for future trips. Participants will receive a list of needs to see if the team would like to help meet one or more of them. Consider a monetary offering to leave with Pastor Carlos to bless the Kids of Cascabel and his staff of volunteers. The volunteers like the cook, the driver, the builder, tutors, night watchman and helpers have no salary. It’s appropriate and a privilege to give them a financial blessing of support when we go “A way to say thanks for serving the Kids of Cascabel.”

Before the trip you are encouraged to build a net of influence with your friends, family and workers to bring an offering of help. Create a strategy to raise some money to bring. The area is in a sea of needs and meeting the one that touches your heart makes a big difference all around. A specific need will be loud and clear and can change the course of a person’s life.

Enjoy lunch, and at 1 pm or so travel back to the Best Western in Managua. Arrive to Managua shell station near Best Western by 4:30 pm. Walk a few blocks or take a taxi to hotel. Get to our rooms, shower, rest, dinner and a farewell gathering to reflect & debrief and share about the experience with some brainstorming on how to make the next one better. At the end of the meeting the brave may want to go swimming again. J

Day 5

Breakfast in hotel, hotel check out and departure for USA. If time permits, visit the Tourist Market in Masaya ½ hour away by taxi $15. You can buy nice art work cheap to raise money for these kids. Nice pottery too, but put it in you carry on. Return to hotel, shower, lunch and head out to airport for departure or stay at hotel restaurant forl evening for departure. Bags are watched safely in lobby if you need to wait at hotel after check out. Airport is across the big busy street but it is safer to take the airport shuttle ($1 tip).

***This trip is pay as you go. Prices are provided for your information.

Hotel Information:

Hotel Best Western Las Mercedes (Managua) is strategically situated in front at the International Airport of Managua. Some amenities include fully equipped rooms with internet connection, 2 swimming pools, craft store and 24 Hours Free Transportation Hotel-Airport-Hotel. $85 pp (double).

The Hotel Panamericano (Somoto) is located just in front of the central park, is a place with a lot of offers. It has comfortable rooms for one to seven people with very economic prices, equipped with fans, private bathroom, TV and the possibility of having a mini fridge. This hotel has a second place close to the main hotel and at the shore of the Pan-American Highway. In the main hotel there is a handcraft shop with a huge variety of handcraft from the region, and there is also a garden offering orchids and other plants for sale. The Hotel Panamericano offers breakfasts.

Prices at Hotel Pan Americano:

Nicaragua Travel Facts:

Entry Requirements: Valid U.S. passport.  
Taxes/Surcharges: International departure tax: $25.
Hotel Taxes & Service Charges: 15% hotel tax.
Tipping: Gratuities are not included on a restaurant bill.
Currency: Cordoba. Exchange available at hotels, banks and tourist agencies. ATMs in Managua, and major credit cards accepted in Managua. Banking hours: 8:30 - 5:00 p.m. Monday thru Friday, and from 8:30 a.m. - 12:30 a.m. on Saturdays.
Telephone Area Codes: (505) country code; Managua (2)

Emergency contact information: Pastor Carlos (In-country coordinator) Phone: 814-2925

Calling Carlos from USA dial 011 + 505 + 814-2925

Suggested Personal Clothing:

We recommend bringing as little as possible. Due to local customs and warm weather we suggest casual clothing. Comfortable, broken-in walking shoes are a must! Sandals and running shoes are appropriate. The days are hot, and sometimes wet; so light clothing is ok, but bring a change of clothing appropriate to attend any special gathering like a church service or dinner (slacks, cotton T-shirts and jeans are ok). You may want to bring a sweater for the evenings and a light rain jacket just in case. Keep jewelry to bare minimum. These simple mountain folk don’t wear make up, and will relate better if we come as natural as possible. Due to some unsanitary conditions in remote areas we suggest you bringing tissues and wet hand wipes. Insect repellent and sunscreen is also suggested.

Suggested humanitarian aid needed for the Kids of Cascabel (ages 5-17):

·         Bedding: 3 bunk beds, mattresses, sheets, blankets, pillows

·         Hygiene: soap, shampoo, toothpaste, toothbrushes, vitamins, first aid kits, hair brushes for   

•  the girls.

·         Education: educational DVD’s in Spanish, kid’s bibles, bible stories and educational books,

       crayons, markers, construction paper, regular paper, kid’s scissors, notebooks and pencils.

·         Recreation: Well made soccer balls, baseball gloves, soft balls and kid’s bats and 2 adult bats and sport shoes #10 and down.

·         Clothing: shoes, sneakers, socks, kid’s underwear, t-shirts, shorts, pants, light jackets, etc

·         Musical instruments needed are: tambourines, classical guitar, steel string guitar, bass  

       guitar and a keyboard. Microphones, stands and cables are needed also.

Thank You for Helping the Kids of Cascabel!

Mission Coordinator: Adriana Gonzalez “Adry”

Address: 7270 NW 114th Av.

Miami, Fl 33178

Phone: 305-316-2399

Email: adrygonzalez@live.com

In Country Contact Person: Pastor Carlos Baez

Address: Iglesia de Dios pentecostal.
Costado norte parque Mimbah

4 cuadras al este, sector numero 14

Somoto, Madriz, Nicaragua.

Email: carlosemiliobaez@yahoo.com

US Contact Person: Erik Sampson  

Address: Flutemaker Ministries 14701 SW 18th Ct.

Davie, FL. 33325 

Phone 954-424-6502

Email: info@eriktheflutemaker.com