Today we heard from our own Dave Newman who provided an update on Rotary District 5960's "Lift" program, formerly known as "Fast For Hope". Rotary's work under this program has been centered in Nicaragua. Lift's mission is to end poverty and sustainably transform lives. This is what distinguishes Lift from the typical project undertaken by Rotarians. The Lift model addresses the causes of poverty related needs, along with addressing the needs themselves. The most critical phase of the Lift program is listening to local citizens about what they need. Nicaragua was chosen for several reasons. It is the 3rd poorest country in the western hemisphere, is relatively easy to get to, and the local language is Spanish, which many people have some familiarity with. One large project that has sprung out of the Lift program is the El Corozo Water Project which has both District and Global RI funding. An 800 foot deep well has been dug and is being connected to 130 individual homes. Rotary has several important partners in Nicaragua -- Planting Change Foundation (PCF), Engineers Without Borders (EWB), and Opportunity International (OI).