Buy a 'Pottery of Hope' for Escuela de Sordo in Nicaragua This Sunday

Shop for a cause this Sunday, Oct. 9th! Pick up some one-of-a-kind pieces of pottery and give impoverished deaf children from a third world country a chance at learning. Two professors from the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) are leading this America to Americas humanitarian effort.

Escuela de Sordos kids

Drs. Julie Delkamiller and Ann Coyne from UNO, manage a small school for deaf children in Leon, Nicaragua, called Escuela de Sordos. Outside the duo’s regular UNO activities and teaching obligations they both are volunteering their time at a school in another hemisphere. In order to fund this endeavor, they purchase original, hand-made, world-renowned Nicaraguan pottery and crafts from a local artist while in Nicaragua and bring them back to Omaha, Neb.

"The sale of these items then provides much needed funds to run the school and purchase teaching tools," said Dr. Delkamille from UNO's Department of Special Education.

Though the Republic of Nicaragua is the largest country in Central America it is among one of the poorest. According to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), 48 percent of the population in Nicaragua live below the poverty line and 79.9 percent of the population live with less than $2 per day.

It comes as no surprise that the living conditions are obstacles of learning but there is even more to the story, according to Dr. Delkamiller, "Largely due to unsanitary conditions in Nicaragua, the rate of deafness is much higher there than in the United States. With a new Nicaraguan Sign Language that is less than 30 years old, very minimal teacher training and limited materials, education for deaf/hard of hearing children in Nicaragua continues to be barely adequate."

population-we™ staffers proudly supports this humanitarian effort and encourages those who can to buy a "Pottery of Hope." Sale items will include pottery pieces, small size for $12 and larger pieces for $45, as well as jewelry and wooden puzzle boxes.

Samples of pottery that will be for sale

"We cannot trust (or afford) the shipping so when we make a trip, we always bring back whatever pottery we can fit," Dr. Delkamiller said. "Please join us for our fundraiser to benefit the Escuela de Sordos in Nicaragua."

Event Details:

• Date: Sunday, Oct. 9
• Time: 2 to 5 p.m
• Place: Jewish Community Center of Omaha Art Gallery
  333 S. 132nd Street (on the West side of 132nd, between Pacific and Dodge)
  Enter through the main entrance by the flags

"So, please take a few minutes to stop by and check out the beautiful pottery. Profits from every purchase go directly to the school," Dr. Delkamiller said. "Many pieces are available, so please feel free to invite your friends!"

Sale questions? Contact Dr. Delkamiller by email at jdelkamiller@mail.unomaha.edu.

"We hope to see you on Sunday, October 9th," Dr. Delkamiller said.
- population-we™ blog post by Becky Bohan Brown 
© 2011 population-we, LLC 
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