By Carole Townsend
Staff Correspondent

For three years now, the Buford-based nonprofit Christian group Amigos for Christ has been building a safe, clean community for Nicaraguans left destitute and homeless by Hurricane Mitch in 1998. A golf tournament next weekend will help the group raise money to continue their work in the area.
The Amigos for Christ Golf Classic is scheduled for Friday at the PineIsle Resort at Lake Lanier, and a Fiesta celebration, featuring entertainment and a live auction, is scheduled for Sept. 30. All proceeds will benefit Amigos for Christ’s work in Nicaragua.
Hurricane Mitch, the most devastating hurricane to hit the Western Hemisphere in 200 years, killed almost 3,000 people in the Central American country. The Nicaraguan government relocated displaced families to an area called El Limonal, which was bordered by a contaminated river, a garbage dump and a slaughterhouse, the group said.
Following a visit to the area, volunteers with Amigos for Christ have been helping Nicaraguans rebuild their lives. The group purchased 52 acres of land, on which
volunteers helped construct Villa Catalina, a community for displaced Nicaraguans.
“We’re just now finishing the last of the 116 homes in Villa Catalina,” said Sue LaFave of Amigos for Christ.
Residents, who have been living in tents, will move in to their homes Nov. 15.
“They are so proud of their houses and their community. These people are learning to live together and cooperate,” LaFave said.
Amigos for Christ does more than just build new homes, however. The group is helping the community with economic development projects.
“There are pig and chicken farms, a thrift store, crops and compost production,” said volunteer Kristin Monacella. She spent most of the summer in Nicaragua this year.
A school the group built in Villa Catalina is already full and now has to be expanded, and Amigos for Christ plans to build an agricultural secondary school as well, LaFave said.
The group has also funded a mobile medical unit and provides a full-time nurse to care for the villagers’ day-to-day medical needs. A doctor and a pharmacist travel from village to village to see patients, while surgeons from the United States and Canada travel to Nicaragua periodically to help.
 Another urgent concern in Nicaragua is the need for fresh water. The displaced Nicaraguans had been bathing, cooking with and drinking polluted water. Amigos for Christ helped provide clean water for Villa Catalina.
“With the help of Sugarloaf United Methodist Church, we built a water tower at Villa Catalina. When the villagers move into their new homes, they will have running water in their bathrooms and kitchens,” said Mary Mastrogiovanni, an Amigos for Christ volunteer.

If you go
What: Amigos for Christ Golf Classic
When: 12:30 p.m. Friday
Where: PineIsle Resort at Lake Lanier
Cost: The fee for four players is $600. Individuals can play for $150.
Info: Call 770-614-9250.

What: Amigos for Christ Fiesta
When: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sept. 30
Where: Suwanee Town Center Park
Cost: Admission is free.
Info: Call 770-614-9250 or visit www.amigosforchrist.org.

Fiesta Entertainment Schedule
Noon: Greg Rogers Bluegrass Company
1:15 p.m.: Banks and Shane
2:45 p.m.: Chip Houston
4:15 p.m.: The Transiztors
5:45 p.m.: Abbotts Bridge
7:15 p.m.: Classic Rock All Stars