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 EXHIBITION FOR HONDURAS BUILD A BRIDGE, BUILD HOPE  'Build a Bridge, Build Hope' was the theme of the exhibition held in the Mullingar Arts Centre Gallery. Anna Marie Leavy joined with her eldest son Niall to present their new artworks in an effort to raise money for relief work for the people affected in the aftermath of Hurricane Mitch. The exhibition opened on Sunday 5th March. It was officially opened by the former president of the Water Colour Society Mrs. Kay Doyle and accompanied by the Secretary of APSO, Mr. John Daly. APSO Anna Marie's son Aidan works for APSO (Agency for Personal Services Overseas) which is part of Ireland Aid. The Government's Overseas Development Assistance Programme, is leading a project which aims to build a suspension footbridge over the River Copan. This bridge will allow village people of the San Antonio Tapexco and Chonco community cut short a four hour walk to the town of Copan Ruinas (north east Honduras) by two hours, particularly during the rainy season (January - May). ADVANTAGES This helps men and women alike to have improved access to the local market to sell their goods - mainly maize, beans and vegetables. It also improves access to the local health centre, an important advantage of the bridge, as health levels are drastically poor among the Maya-Chorti communities. The bridge also allows residents of the Chorti community improve access to their recently acquired land on the opposite side of the Copan River in northern Honduras. This applies particularly in the rainy season as the Chorti men cultivate the land on a daily basis taking advantage of natural irrigation. Land for the Maya-Chorti population not only signifies a source of food and nutrition necessary for physical survival, but also represents the rich ancestry that allows them to live and survive as indigenous culture. NAME The name of the bridge will be 'Candido Amador' in memory of the charismatic and cherished leader who was assassinated in 1997, presumably by local landowners. He dedicated himself to tight for the recuperation of the ancestral lands, a process that has been fraught with risks and tensions between indigenous people and landlords and indigenous people and the government for over five years. ART In March 2000 Anna Marie and Niall held an art sale in the gallery of the Mullingar Arts Centre to raise funds for the victims of Hurricane Mitch. Through the artworks, they raised £20,000 to build a bridge. The suspension bridge is now completed, and was opened officially by Anna Marie in August 2000 when she visited Honduras.
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