Children's Day

Written by Summer Volunteer Becky Maroon:

June 1st is internationally recognized as the celebration of the child. That being said, the people of Nicaragua have taken it upon themselves to extend this celebration, like all others, into a full week of festivities. To honor the sacred tradition of celebration, we hosted a party for the children of our Child Sponsorship Program in La Chureca. Prior to the grand event, there was a brief health talk with the mothers in the program concerning the effects of the rainy season on the health of their children. This covered everything from the specific diseases that can occur as a result of the increased rain, to the bugs and critters that create problems by taking refuge in any form of shelter throughout the season. The mothers and children then gathered to play games, eat cake, and win prizes in the multipurpose room of the clinic where the party was held.

Since I have been in Nicaragua I have been so focused on the needs of the communities that I am here to serve – nutrition, sanitation, hygiene, etc. However, just seeing the beaming faces of the kids when they were eating cake, hitting the piñata, participating in the coloring contest or dancing around with volunteers and their mothers alike, helps to remind me that kids are kids no matter where you are in the world. They shouldn’t have to worry about whether or not they will have food on the table or clean clothes to wear. So even if for only that morning that we celebrated and danced around in the back of the clinic in La Chureca, we were able to let these children forget about their daily troubles and just be kids, I think that we more than served our purpose. The memories that I have already created by spending time with these children are some that I know I will never forget.