More Dreams Will Come True Through Febrero Fiesta 2022!

Dreams will come true in Central America, thanks to the 225 people who attended one or more of the four nights of the Febrero Fiesta. Together with the many Fiesta event and video sponsors, they raised over $23,000 for projects in El Salvador and Nicaragua. You can read more about this exciting event below and see who made it a success.

*At the bottom of this article are also links to each night’s program and to the videos from the Fiesta.

Inhabitants of the Zacamil Dos community joined before the arrival of a CoCoDA delegation to organize the work they would do together.

The Febrero Fiesta began in 2016 as a way for CoCoDA to introduce ourselves and our mission to new people. It was also intended to raise money for our projects in Central America. In 2016, about 100 people attended this evening event in Indianapolis, Indiana, and raised about $8,000.

In 2021, in response to the pandemic, the Fiesta transitioned to a virtual Zoom event over four nights. Using live interviews and compelling videos, CoCoDA was able to reach over 200 people from twenty-five states and five countries. Each night was a 45-minute focus on one area of projects.

This event raised about $19,000 over the four nights. This year, we reached 225 people and raised over $23,000 as of today. Though we didn’t reach our goal of $25,000, we consider the event a huge success.

Indiana University medical students taking Spanish lessons in the Pájaro Flor Spanish School in Suchitoto after their rotations in health centers.

One of the highlights of the week was being able to interview Dr. Charlie Clements, author of Witness To War. Dr. Clements volunteered as a physician in the rural communities surrounding Suchittoto during the Civil War. His account of that experience became a best-selling book and an Academy award-winning documentary. More importantly, his work helped end the US support of the Salvadoran military.

Our Executive Director, Jim Mulholland rightly notes: “One of CoCoDA’s stated missions is connecting North Americans and Central Americans. During the pandemic, the Fiesta has been a powerful tool in continuing this important mission. The videos created for the event can be used by CoCoDA and others to promote and highlight this important work year-round.”