Getting to Know La Chureca

Written by Summer Volunteer Becky Maroon

After living in Nicaragua for one month, I feel that I have grown a lot in terms of the way in which I perceive the world around me. I was fully aware at the beginning of my journey that I would be encountering ways of life and standards of living that were completely foreign to me and everything that I know. However, those things that have changed me, my thoughts, my perceptions – they are not things that I would have been able to pinpoint upon arriving in Nicaragua. I have found that my greatest struggles here have also been my greatest source of learning.

Manna Project holds true to its mission of communities serving communities. On one of my first days touring a community outside of La Chureca, I was truly taken aback by the poverty of the people in the community. A few days later I was able to meet the mothers and children of the Child Sponsorship Program in La Chureca on Milk Day. The people that I met in the clinic of La Chureca came with a whole new wave of poverty. I was certain that this must obviously be the most severe level of poverty that I would be exposed to while in Nicaragua. Then came the house visits to the mothers of the Child Sponsorship Program to ensure that the kids were doing well and receiving the vitamins and food that the program provides. I do not think that I am mistaken when I say that this is when I abandoned all of my expectations of poverty and the communities with which we are working.

Poverty, in its many shapes and sizes, has been full of surprises this past month. In addition to accepting the living conditions of the communities that we serve, I learned that I am not here to fix anything. It has been a constant struggle for me to accept the fact that I cannot change the way these people are living their lives or provide a simple solution. I am here to serve and help in any way that I can. I am here to build relationships. I am here to look at these people, not as the poverty-stricken and destitute, but as the people that I have come to know and respect as my friends in the communities I came here to serve.

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.

Dia(s) de las Madres

True to much of our year here, Nicaraguans celebrate Mother's Day a little differently than we do in the States. First of all, the date: it is always May 30th, no matter where it falls in the month. Secondly, the government makes sure everyone visits their moms and grandmothers by making it illegal for people to work past noon. No kidding. The third and perhaps most striking difference is that while Mothers' Day in the States is a private family affair with breakfast in bed and presents at the kitchen table, anyone who has any professional contact with mothers is supposed to celebrate with them. Meaning that Marcela and I spent two full mornings this week at Mothers' Day parties in La Chureca (it would have been three, if not for rain from Hurricane Alma on Thursday).

The first was at the school, where children of all ages sang songs, danced and recited poetry for their mothers and grandmothers. Marcela and I were quite pleased with ourselves when moms in our program offered us seats close to the front... we really did know every third mother by name! My lap time was split between Blanca and Josue Daniel, while Marcela hung out with the Vanegas clan for a bit. We left when the Palo de Mayo, or booty dancing, competition began, but I'm pretty sure I know which kids won... some things never change.

Now I know that I'm partial, but I preferred the fiesta today at the clinic. Yes, just about every mom in the back room had a kid on her lap, but the fiesta wasn't about the kids or what they can do; rather, it was about the mothers and what they've done for their children, an actual celebration of motherhood. Several mothers stood up and sang or recited poetry that they themselves had learned in primary school Mothers' Day fiestas years ago. One mom danced folklore while others showed off their reggaeton skills. Two of our mothers stood and said with tears in their eyes what it means to be a mother. For many women in La Chureca, as I'm sure it is the world over, their children were the first thing that was "theirs," the first responsibility they had ever felt. When I heard that, I felt a renewed encouragement that Manna and the clinic are not working alone to try to improve the health of La Chureca. We have the moms on our side, and that's more than enough.

Moms who were part of the clinic party show (kids' names in parantheses):
Singing-- Patricia (Jorge)
Folklore-- Carmen (Mariana)
Reggaeton-- Celia (Jose Manuel), Mariela (Blanca and Maria Antonia), Liseth (Mildeana)
Speakers-- Dalia (Zayda), Virginia (Cristofer)

Tranquilo en el Campo

On Wednesday and Thursday of last week, we brought the kids in our program and their mothers to the Augusts' land. Last October, our days in the "Campo" were sheer madness-- kids running everywhere, going to the bathroom on volunteers, moms yelling at the kids running everywhere and going to the bathroom on volunteers. This time, in contrast, our ninos came in, found their little chairs, and just chilled sucking on the mangoes growing on the property. The transformation was truly surreal.

Senora Soya graced us once again with her presence, conjuring recipes of arroz a la valencia and sausage out of soy. Everyone's mouths watered in anticipation and the moms scurried around in their donated aprons and head wraps. While we waited, I had a chance to hang out with the moms who weren't cooking (the moms who were cooking wouldn't let me in the kitchen because they say I have baby hands. Another story for another time). We talked about life, how they came to Chureca, what it's like to be a mom and a wife in Nicaragua. Many of them asked me if I had any children. My response was always "45," to which they would just nod. They know that I love their kids like they were mine. As we chatted, their children would crawl into my lap, no longer afraid of my white face or strange yellow hair.

Marcela and I agree that these are some of our favorite moments in Nicaragua. Please follow the links for more photos of our magical days.

Lunch With Friends

Earlier today we had the clinic staff over for lunch. Although we see the staff multiple times a week, our interactions always take place at the clinic and are therefore not as informal as we would sometimes like them to be. Erin and I invited the staff over to the Manna house so that we could take some time to step back from work, relax and enjoy each others company.

The lunch was a lot of fun. We made giant cheeseburgers with oven-roasted potatoes. For dessert we had brownies with ice cream. We told the staff that they were welcomed to bring their kids to our house so Esmo brought her son, Shy, and Yami brought her son, Leo. It was amazing to see just how energetic their kids were! Despite not knowing how to swim, they were really excited about being able to use our pool. So, after lunch, Erin and I put on our bathing suits and hopped in the pool to serve as swim coaches/lifeguards.

It was great to have the opportunity to enjoy an afternoon with Esmo, Yami, Sandra, and Dr. Perez. We have certainly come a long way since August.

Back in School!

This morning when Erin and I arrived at the clinic Dr. Lesly, Esmo and Yami were no where in sight. Thankfully Sandra saw us walking outside the clinic with confused expressions and came over to tell us that the staff was at the school, giving anti-parasite meds to the kids. Erin and I decided to make our way over to Colegio Esperanza to say hi to the staff and see how things were going. When we arrived at the school we were greeted by a multitude of hugs from hyper kids who were enjoying their last few minutes of recess.

The clinic's staff had just finished their work at the school and was ready to head back to the clinic. As we were about to leave, Erin spotted Yelsing, one of the boys in our program. We couldn't believe it! For weeks we had been asking Miriam (his mom) to send her kids to school. Did all our conversations with her finally pay off?

Since we only spotted Yelsing at school, we wondered if his sisters Katy and Miriam, were also in class. Instead of heading back to the clinic with the staff, Erin and I decided to walk over to the Vanegas' house. Our excitement was reflected in the way we walked- there was a definite bounce to our step.

When we arrived at the house Miriam gave us a warm welcome. We asked her how things were going and how she was feeling. She was happy to show us her new smile- for as long as I had known her, she hadn't had any front teeth. Now, thanks to the help of a dentist, she has a smile that accurately reflects her sweet personality.

Miriam then told us that she had taken Katy, Miriam and Yelsing to school in the morning. I'm sure she could tell by our smiling faces how excited we were to hear the news, but we told her anyways about how happy we were that the kids were in school. She then started telling us about each of her kids. She said that Katy is excellent at memorizing information but has some trouble writing. Miriam, on the other hand, has trouble storing new information but knows how to write well. She's also a great artist. Yelsing, the oldest, is a diligent student with very neat handwriting.

It was great to see Miriam recognize the skills each of her kids has and acknowledge the importance of keeping them in school. Now we just have to make sure that she continues to take them to school each day.

Strike and Clinic Update

Almost as quickly as it began, the huelga is now over. Unfortunately, those who seemed to profit most from the Churequeos' strike were those they were striking against: the truck drivers and trash collectors. Because they're unionized (and the Churequeos are not), they were able to use their collective voice to negotiate a salary increase, which supposedly decreases the temptation to take trash out of the trucks before they reach the dump. However, one father I spoke with on Saturday said that everything is back as it was before, although it is easier to find plastic bottles (which sell for 4 cords a pound... about 25 cents US).

On another, more uplifting note, Casa Base, the clinic in Chureca, has found friends not only in Austin Samaritans, a medical mission group based out of (you guessed it), Austin TX, but also la Fundacion el Samaritano, whose director is the first Nicaraguan surgeon to be board-certified in the US. Through these two organizations, members of the Chureca community have access to more specialized primary care (pediatrics, dentistry, gynecology) in addition to a surgical center. This Saturday I will take two young boys to Samaritano for surgical consultations, both for complications they've suffered for the vast majority of their lives. Additionally, Samaritano has committed to bring more specialized care into Chureca itself, with a dentist twice a week and discussions with pediatricians and gynecologists underway.

While some things post-strike may look sadly the same, there's also a lot of hope that's coming in to change lives.