Weekly Update – 11th July 2007
On Tuesday the 10th of July we finally signed the Promesa de Venta pertaining to the purchase of the Alfonso Valle Castillo Cooperative’s land. Our Rivas lawyer traveled to the island and managed to obtain the signatures of all 13 members. Upon signing the land Totoco paid the Cooperative $9,000 which was very gratefully received. This $9,000 is refundable if, in the unlikely event, the Ministry of Labor does not issue the Authorisation to Sell.
In relation to the Authorisation to Sell we have yet again had confirmation that everything is in order and the document will be issued. On this subject, we were told to expect the document today (Wednesday 11th July) but in good ol’ Nicaraguan fashion someone who was important to the release of the document was not in the office and as such the handover has yet again been delayed.
This week has seen us develop the planting plan and the creation of a number of guilds. A guild is where a number of different types of plants and trees are placed in close proximity to one another. Each variety planted serves a purpose and usually there is one plant that is the star of the guild. In our case, we have opted for grafted fruit trees as the star and each of the other companion plants either help protect establish the star (in this case the fruit tree) or serve to improve the soil conditions around the guild.
We met again with the Madronal Water Committee this week. The intention of the meeting was to hash out the details of the project with the invited business and foreign community but unsurprisingly there has been little demonstrated interest by most. Still, Totoco was well represented and our relationship with the water committee is stronger than ever. The intention is to commence the installation of the tubes in 4 months time but this may be impacted by the fact that it is currently the rainy season. We will soon be writing a detailed update on this subject – when we are sure of the details.
Also this week we had a meeting with the owners of Project Bona Fide (www.projectbonafide.com) the Permaculture Farm located not too far from us. We have been steadily building our relationship with Project Bona Fide especially because one of the owners, Chris Shanks, is consulting to us on Permaculture matters. Like Totoco, Project Bona Fide has sincere social intentions for the community. It is a consequence of this that they approached us about the possibility of working together in a joint venture to realize a multi-purpose community center in Balgue. The meeting confirmed that Totoco and Bona Fide have a very similar intention & mission and not to mention, complementary skills. Working together, we are now in the process of putting together a proposal to the Supervisory Board and Investors to ascertain their approval of and support for the project. Stay tuned for this!!
On more of a personal note, the three of us attended our first Nicaraguan funeral today. The mother of one of the Water Committee’s members passed away suddenly and we each felt compelled to pay our respects. The event was somber and deeply moving and has only helped to add to our understanding and appreciation of Nicaraguan culture.
In relation to the Authorisation to Sell we have yet again had confirmation that everything is in order and the document will be issued. On this subject, we were told to expect the document today (Wednesday 11th July) but in good ol’ Nicaraguan fashion someone who was important to the release of the document was not in the office and as such the handover has yet again been delayed.
This week has seen us develop the planting plan and the creation of a number of guilds. A guild is where a number of different types of plants and trees are placed in close proximity to one another. Each variety planted serves a purpose and usually there is one plant that is the star of the guild. In our case, we have opted for grafted fruit trees as the star and each of the other companion plants either help protect establish the star (in this case the fruit tree) or serve to improve the soil conditions around the guild.
We met again with the Madronal Water Committee this week. The intention of the meeting was to hash out the details of the project with the invited business and foreign community but unsurprisingly there has been little demonstrated interest by most. Still, Totoco was well represented and our relationship with the water committee is stronger than ever. The intention is to commence the installation of the tubes in 4 months time but this may be impacted by the fact that it is currently the rainy season. We will soon be writing a detailed update on this subject – when we are sure of the details.
Also this week we had a meeting with the owners of Project Bona Fide (www.projectbonafide.com) the Permaculture Farm located not too far from us. We have been steadily building our relationship with Project Bona Fide especially because one of the owners, Chris Shanks, is consulting to us on Permaculture matters. Like Totoco, Project Bona Fide has sincere social intentions for the community. It is a consequence of this that they approached us about the possibility of working together in a joint venture to realize a multi-purpose community center in Balgue. The meeting confirmed that Totoco and Bona Fide have a very similar intention & mission and not to mention, complementary skills. Working together, we are now in the process of putting together a proposal to the Supervisory Board and Investors to ascertain their approval of and support for the project. Stay tuned for this!!
On more of a personal note, the three of us attended our first Nicaraguan funeral today. The mother of one of the Water Committee’s members passed away suddenly and we each felt compelled to pay our respects. The event was somber and deeply moving and has only helped to add to our understanding and appreciation of Nicaraguan culture.
posted by Totoco Management at 11:10 AM
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