Chubby babies need loving too...

Manna Project was very active in La Chureca this past week. On Tuesday, Matt, Erin and I made our weekly trip to check up on the mothers in our program. In two hours we visited between 15 and 20 houses and we spoke with many families. All of the reports from the mothers were good. We had recently had a milk day so no one was running low. Most people were still running off their last month’s supply. One family stuck out to me during the visit. There was a mother with her child sitting on her lap. When looking at the child she appeared very chubby to me, even fat. I brought this up with Erin as we left La Chureca. She is more familiar with each family because she meets with them individually each milk day. She told me that this particular mother is HIV positive and therefore cannot breastfeed her child. This chubby baby is not in our program because of malnourishment, but because there is no other safe way to feed the child. It made me realize the difficulties of feeding a child, especially in the developing world.

A group went on Wednesday to administer our weekly health talks, but I didn’t return to Chureca until this past Friday, when there was a party at the school in La Chureca. Our friend Norman, who is the preschool teacher at the school, invited us to attend a school wide party. The reason for the party was not very specific, but the kids all turned out wearing costumes. There was a little red riding hood, a gypsy, superman, a power ranger, three queens, and of course, a clown. The kids played, while everything was being set up, then they lined up outside the school and marched through the community, ending up back at the school. The march was followed by many presentations which were very entertaining, which included some plays, dancing, and singing. It was such a joyous day, it was easy to forget that we were in the middle of a dump. I had a child sitting on my lap, in my arms, or laughing with me pretty much the entire time. It felt so good to be with the kids and share with their happy time. I feel like I made many new friends that day. I will be sure to look for them next time I am in La Chureca.

Milk Day Take #2

Upon returning to Nicaragua from a brief respite in my hometown, I felt both a sense of longing to return to the comforts of my life in Texas while at the same time a welcoming optimism upon coming back to a country in which the pace and everyday concerns of life are far more simple. My first morning back, I returned with the group to La Chureca for this month’s second milk day. I was immediately pleasantly surprised to find many of the mothers with their children waiting on the front porch of the Funjofudess clinic. However, when I heard that neither Esmo nor the doctor were there with the key, I knew I was back in Nicaragua.

Due to the absence of our team member Dane, who accidentally ingested copious amounts of Nyquil which he believed to be Dayquil, I took the responsibility of leading mothers and their children from the height and weight station to consults and then to get their milk, oatmeal, and vitamins. Upon doing so, I realized how inspired I am by their unwavering optimism in the face of a daily poverty, the likes of which I had never previously experienced. Though I cannot help but be saddened to think of what the future holds for these playfully innocent children in such an impoverished setting, I know what we do gives them hope for a better tomorrow.

As I escorted family after family, I learned that the new vitamin had effectively increased the children’s appetites and as a result, many gained weight. Witnessing the children come closer and closer to a healthy weight during my time here has enabled me to see firsthand the difference we make. To see the priceless look on the faces of the children and mothers alike as they left the clinic made me take pride in yet another successful month for MPI-Nicaragua’s child sponsorship program.

Dia de Leche

Wednesday started off with a 6AM phone call from Esmo. I have to admit that I was less than enthusiastic when she informed me that she would not be able to come to the clinic. Milk Days are definitely the busiest days at the La Chureca clinic and being that it was only my second time organizing it, I was a bit worried that things would get out of hand.

To my delight, however, everything ran extremely smoothly. Mothers showed up in a timely fashion, the vast majority of our kids gained weight, and throughout the day the mood inside the clinic was one of happiness. What made this an especially good trip to Chureca, was the interaction I had with the mothers and the children. The mothers were noticeably more comfortable around me and consequently, so were their kids. Esmo's absence ended up being a blessing in disguise.

When the time came to start packing up, the only kid we were still missing was Danilo. He is one of our special cases- while there is no question that he needs to be in the program from a health stance, his mother's constant absence from the health talks makes it difficult to enforce our program rules.

I decided right then and there that if he wasn't coming to us, we would go to him. Together with Geoff I made my way to Danilo's house for the first time. Once we got there Geoff and I introduced ourselves to Danilo's mom and I explained to her that today was Dia de Leche. I asked her if she would be willing to come with us to the clinic for 15 minutes so we could weigh Danilo and give her the monthly supply of milk, oatmeal, and vitamins. She agreed. It was a great day.

Taking It All In

On Monday morning Erin and I took Brian Shumway to La Chureca. Brian is a photographer from NYC who is staying with us for the next 3 weeks. He came to Nica with the specific purpose of photographing La Chureca, and the people who live and work inside of it. Since Monday was Brian's first time in the dump, we began our visit with a walking tour. The school (Colegío La Esperanza) was our starting point. From there we climbed to the top of the hill that overlooks Chureca.

It is from this spot that you can fully grasp how imense the dump is. Although I have stood in that same place several times before, I still needed a few minutes to take it all in. When I'm in that spot, looking down on the endless mountains of trash and the homes made out of scrap metal, I can't help but wonder...will this place ever cease to exist? Will its residents ever be given the care and attention that they deserve?

The truth is that I don't expect to answer these questions during my time here. For now I'm content with answering the smaller, day-to-day questions. The interactions I've had with the children and mothers in our program thus far have shown me that there is plenty to be done. Plenty that I can do.

Charla on Lead

In order to be in our program mothers must attend monthly health talks (or "charlas" as they are called here). The talks are given on a weekly basis at the La Chureca clinic. Speakers for the charlas include Esmeralda (better known as Esmo), Dr. Lesly, nutritionists from the Ministry of Health, and outside professionals.

Esmo, our head nurse at the clinic, gave this week’s health talk. The talk focused on the dangers of lead. This is an especially relevant topic because just last month all of our kids were tested for lead and five of them showed elevated levels. While none of the kids required immediate attention, it was another reminder of the hard conditions these children live in. What I found encouraging, though, was the number of mothers who came to us and requested that there be a charla on lead. The fact that these mothers are taking interest in their kids and are trying to educate themselves on issues that pertain to their kid's health shows me that our health talks are serving their purpose.

I left this week's charla energized and excited. Watching the way Esmo spoke to the mothers and connected with them really made me see what a vital role she plays in our team. She spoke with authority but always in a soothing voice. The mothers respect her and know that they cannot give her flimsy excuses when it comes to their kid's health. I know that trust takes time to earn and I sincerely hope that in the coming months I will be able to form a similar bond with the mothers.

Venturing Out into Chureca

One of the goals for this year's child sponsorship team is to develop relationships with all 34 families in our program, specifically with the mothers. On Tuesday, Geoff, Matt and I began this journey as we set out to find houses where our children live. With Sandra, one of the women who keeps Clinica Funjofundess running, as our guide, we visited 11 homes made out of scrap metal, political banners and anything else they can claim.

Some mothers were receptive, eager to become our friends. Lidia and Zayda's mom took us all around her house, showing us where she keeps the oatmeal, milk and vitamins. She did not show us the three bent bed frames where the family sleeps, their foam mattresses falling through to the floor. When we knocked on Erick's gate, we found his mom making lunch as Erick bounced in a baby seat. He has her eyes, big, dark and full of innocence and happiness.

Kenan's mom, who runs a venta (small sundries shops), told us that she already sells soy milk packets and is planning on selling soy meat as well. This prospect greatly excited us, as soy can be a viable and nutritious alternative to the fish many families eat from the contaminated Lake Managua. We plan to continue to pursue this option, possibly partnering with Keenan's mom and grandmother. Sandra told us that the 15 cords (less than one American dollar) that they would charge in the ventas is still cost-prohibitive for many Chureca families. Our current thoughts are to sell crude soy on the Funjofudess porch, but this is still under consideration as we do not want to compete with a family in our program.

However, not all visits were as pleasant. The most discouraging visit was our encounter with Danilo's mother. Because she frequently does not come to milk days, she was the only mother we had not previously met. She didn't invite us into the house, we had to ask to see Danilo and she said he wasn't drinking milk or receiving the vitamins. Obviously, our whole group was frustrated until we asked Esmo (the Funjofudess nurse). She told us that her husband prohibits her from leaving the house, which is why she doesn't come to any of our events. At that moment, all frustration disappeared as we started to comprehend the realities of her life.