A St. Albert-based organization, Roots of Change, is creating hope for Nicaraguan communities in need.
Saturday, June 7, the Roots of Change foundation is hosting its fifth annual fundraiser event at Holy Family Parish to collect funds for several business, social and health initiatives for the Nicaraguan people.
“Over the centuries the Nicaraguan people have been suppressed … and they need to know, or they need to learn, how to speak up their needs,” explains Raymonde Schile, community liaison for the Roots of Change Foundation.
Schile, and her husband, John, have been to Nicaragua twice now to oversee the work that Roots of Change and their partner, Nicaraguan-based FUNDACCO, have been doing in the communities.
“Our vision is not to just hand them money,” explains Schile about the organization’s vision statement: to see the poor not as a problem but as a people who can become the principal builders of a new and more human future for everyone.
“We want to train and guide them, and to give them encouragement.”
Both the Roots of Change organization and FUNDACCO were created by St. Albert priest Father Hebert of Holy Family Parish. The organization focuses on assisting communities in the creation of co-operatives in business and in farming, and how to become self-sustainable.
Not only do Roots of Change and FUNDACCO assist in the financial aid of communities, but through these efforts also try to help some with social organizations within the community. The organizations have created a scholarship and day camp program for Nicaraguan youth, as well as having established a medical clinic and several satellite clinics too.
“The percentage of kids in trouble has really dropped,” explains Schile.
The Roots of Change event hosts a mass at 5 p.m., and dinner at Holy Family Parish (75 Poirier Ave.) at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are available for purchase through John Schile at 780-459-8680, or at [email protected]. Tickets must be purchased before May 31.
