Celebrating 30 years of Reading’s twinning with San Francisco Libre in Nicaragua
It's being marked in Reading with a free event
The Reading San Franisco Libre Association (RSFLA) will be marking the 30th anniversary of the twin town link between Reading and San Francisco Libre in Nicaragua with a special event celebrating the achievements over 30 years.
The event, which will involve videos from Nicaragua, food, talks and a photo exhibition, is free to attend and is part of the Reading International Festival.
Through the RSFLA, a volunteer-led organisation based in Reading, Reading has been working with the community of San Francisco Libre in the Central American country of Nicaragua since the late 1980s. This was formalised by the official twinning in 1994.
RSFLA is an associated registered charity that funds a number of projects and educational initiatives in San Francisco Libre through a local partner NGO (Non-Governmental Organisation) Apreden (Asociación por la Recuperación y el Desarrollo en Nicaragua or the Association for Restoration and Development in Nicaragua).
Over the past 30 years, the RSFLA has worked to increase understanding and partnership between the two communities of Reading and SFL.
With the support of many people in Reading, the University of Reading, Reading Borough Council and many others, the Association has helped San Francisco Libre by providing ongoing assistance with numerous community projects in the municipality.
Many of these projects have been funded by the David Grimes Trust set up in memory of Dr David Grimes, a Senior Lecturer in Hydrometeorology at the Department of Meteorology of Reading University.
David died at the age of 60 from a rare neurodegenerative condition. He was a strong advocate for social justice and equitable international development and was a founding member of the Reading-San Francisco Libre Association and a trustee of its charity. The University’s Meteorology Department’s annual ball is a fundraiser for San Francisco Libre.
The current chair of the RSFLA, Paul Starkey, said “Reading’s 30-year partnership with San Francisco Libre has been amazing, with people in both towns gaining from the cultural exchanges. As Reading is much richer, it has been able to contribute to the education, development and ecology of San Francisco Libre. This has only been possible through the fund-raising work of volunteers and the generosity of people. Join us to reflect on our 30 years of town twinning, and please volunteer to work with us, and contribute to the continuation of this important partnership with people in Nicaragua”.
The Mayor of Reading, Councillor Glenn Dennis, said: “Reading Borough Council would like to send a message of solidarity to the people of San Francisco Libre in Nicaragua and to commend the work of the volunteers at the Reading San Francisco Libre Association in marshalling Reading’s support for one of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere. Over the last 30 years, the work of the Association has supported a wide range of projects in our twin town of San Francisco Libre, including regular bursaries that have allowed many young people to attend school instead of having to work to support the family economy.”
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