Bainbridge-Ometepe Sister Islands Association

Travel: A major component of our mission is to promote understanding between the two cultures, and travel is a necessary factor in that understanding. Each year we have a delegation of high school students go to Ometepe to live and work in communities there. Also, two staff members from the Ometepe office have visas to allow them to travel to Bainbridge. We also supported the travel costs of an adult from Bainbridge Island who lived on Ometepe for 8 months helping in our office with our programs and with communication back to the board. All of those connections happened in 2024

Community support: For coffee growers on Ometepe: Production of coffee on Ometepe, which we buy, import, roast, and sell in the US, was significantly impacted by fungal disease over the last several years. We continue to support spraying, fertilization, and introduction of new plants to try to increase the size of the coffee crop. We fund a full-time agronomist to support these efforts. For community needs and projects: These are brought to our office on Ometepe by community members, and approved and funded if they show value to the community and community willingness to engage with us in the success of their projects, usually through their labor.

These expenses are associated with the Ometepe office. The office screens, coordinates, and monitors all of BOSIA's activities and funding requests on Ometepe. Included in this expense is the salary of the general manager of BOSIA's efforts and presence on Ometepe. Other office expenses include utilities payments, rent, supplies, and other such expenses. Also included here are monthly stipends for a Bainbridge resident to help in the office.