Next quiz: Thursday 7th November.

7:30pm, Roebuck, 15 Pond Street, NW3 2PN

Email tony.killilea@os.uk for details.

Please donate via this site, or directly to IMFA's bank account:

Islington Managua Frndshp Assc (IMFA) RC11

Acc no: 65594577

Sort code: 089299

Parque Ian Birchley opens in School Playground

The 210 children enrolled for the last school year were thrilled to find a new playground. This was financed by donations from the late Ian Birchley. Trustees of IMFA decided to dedicate the playground to Ian and have paid for a plaque to be displayed next to the swings.

New Building Finally Finished!

Very few Nicaraguan school children have access to computers, particularly schools in the most disadvantaged areas. Our long-term aim is to provide computers as teaching aids and for the children to use themselves. This requires a secure room, preferably with air-conditioning. At the same time the school needs a library and the teachers need an office.

In June 2016 we sent a donation of £6,500 to get the project started and thanks to donations from St Paul's Cathedral School another £1000 in March 2017 but it still needs tiled floors, plaster, windows, doors and electrics.

The disadvantage of the bit by bit approach is that we had to replace the roof before we could finish the building but thanks to more generous donations and funds raised at the quizzes the building was completed in October 2021. For now it is being used as an additional classroom.

School Survives week of Earthquakes with Minor Damage

On April 10th Managua was hit by an earthquake measuring 6.2 on the Richter scale followed by many smaller tremors over a two week period. Managua sits on 28 fault lines and has been destroyed by earthquakes on  three occasions, in 1885, 1931 and 1972 - roughly every 40 years. The '72 earthquake killed an estimated 10,000 people and made 250,000 homeless.  Much of the international aid was stolen by the US backed dictator, Anastasio Somoza and the centre of the city remains derelict to this day.

Luckily this one was not as bad as feared. A state of Red Alert was declared, all schools were closed and citizens were advised to sleep outside for a two week period. 101 schools suffered damage including ours. A wall has fallen away from the perimeter fence and we have sent emergency funds for a repair. None of the children or teachers were injured but like most citizens they spent the week sleeping outside.