First of all, I want to apologize for the lack of new posts. Since July, Manna Project has been transitioning from last year's Program Directors to the new ones of 2008-2009. This being said, everyone, including myself, has been very busy feeling out our programs. However, that being said, now we are set in and rolling along smoothly (more or less) in our programs.
This coming year there will be four of us running the Child Sponsorship program in La Chureca. Mary Rose Conroy, Christina Colopy, Maddie Jalandoni, and myself (Tressa Hoekstra) are the new directors of the program. As there are four of us, we want to expand the program from 45 children to 60+ because of the need we see in the community. We have all fallen in love with the children and the families that we serve in the community, and are excited to expand opportunities for more children and their parents.
Since we have been here there have been a few exciting updates: one of the children has received glasses to help fix a problem he has had since birth, we are lining up a surgery for a child with a hernia, for the last two weeks we have been assisting the staff to give vaccinations to all the children in our program and their siblings, and have seen countless smiles from all of the children. We seem to be gaining the trust of the families very quickly, and we would like to thank the past staff (Erin and Marcela) for all they did to help us transition smoothly.
Coming into Chureca was very strange for me at first; all I could see was the devastation, dirt, and sadness. Though I continue to see these things (La Chureca is not a place conducive to living healthily), I have also begun to see life in it - the joy of learning and the excitement of the children when they tell me the new things they are learning in school, the anticipation as they wait for their milk, oatmeal, and vitamins, and the enthusiasm as some show me their responsibilities at home (including feeding the pigs). Already I have learned so much in just the two months I have been here. Chureca is now my office, the mothers my friends, the children my joys and the reason I return day after day.
I'm excited for the year to come, and to keep everyone updated on what is going on in our program. Please email me if you have any questions or comments or anything interesting (tressa.hoekstra@mannaproject.org)!
10 September 2008
07 July 2008
Part of the reason I chose to spend a month of my summer with Manna Project was the opportunity I would have to work with the community of La Chureca. This is my fourth time in Nicaragua, but on all of my past trips I have only had one day each time to spend in the dump. It’s a hard feeling to explain, but from the first time I stepped foot in this bittersweet place I knew I wanted to come back as often as possible.
Working with the Child Sponsorship Program in La Chureca has definitely been the highlight of my experience with Manna Project. In the States we always see commercials on television about donating a small sum of money each month to help sponsor a child, but people usually don’t feel enough of a connection to pick up the phone and make a commitment. It has been incredible to see firsthand how $18 a month is not only helping these children to physically survive, but the sponsorship program goes much beyond that. Last week I got to experience a “milk day” which is when all the children come in, get weighed and measured, have a consultation, and then if everything is good and their mom has attended the health talks then they are given oatmeal, vitamins, and milk for the next month. The money that these child sponsors give covers all of those food items, but Erin and Marcela also add so much more. They care about each child individually. Over the past year they have developed relationships with the families of each child in the program. They want to see that the child is not only looking healthier, but they also check weekly that the moms are feeding the children correctly, and they encourage the children not to work in the trash like the majority of people, but to get an education at Esperanza (the school of hope in the dump). The love they show to these children is what makes this program a success.
Even though I have only had one month to see all that the Child Sponsorship Program has to offer, it has greatly impacted me. It is so great to know that as each year passes this program will continue to grow and change, to not only benefit these children, but so that each child will have a chance to go out and make a difference in their community of La Chureca.
-- By Christa Samaha, Summer Volunteer
Working with the Child Sponsorship Program in La Chureca has definitely been the highlight of my experience with Manna Project. In the States we always see commercials on television about donating a small sum of money each month to help sponsor a child, but people usually don’t feel enough of a connection to pick up the phone and make a commitment. It has been incredible to see firsthand how $18 a month is not only helping these children to physically survive, but the sponsorship program goes much beyond that. Last week I got to experience a “milk day” which is when all the children come in, get weighed and measured, have a consultation, and then if everything is good and their mom has attended the health talks then they are given oatmeal, vitamins, and milk for the next month. The money that these child sponsors give covers all of those food items, but Erin and Marcela also add so much more. They care about each child individually. Over the past year they have developed relationships with the families of each child in the program. They want to see that the child is not only looking healthier, but they also check weekly that the moms are feeding the children correctly, and they encourage the children not to work in the trash like the majority of people, but to get an education at Esperanza (the school of hope in the dump). The love they show to these children is what makes this program a success.
Even though I have only had one month to see all that the Child Sponsorship Program has to offer, it has greatly impacted me. It is so great to know that as each year passes this program will continue to grow and change, to not only benefit these children, but so that each child will have a chance to go out and make a difference in their community of La Chureca.
-- By Christa Samaha, Summer Volunteer
15 June 2008
My Experience in La Chureca
Written by Summer Volunteer Heather Lillemoe
Throughout the past month as a summer volunteer for Manna Project in Nicaragua, I got to spend a great deal of time in La Chureca. However, on my last day there I remember feeling a lot different than I did on my first day. When my group of volunteers toured La Chureca and saw it for the first time, I felt helpless and overwhelmed with sadness. I remember Dane telling us as he led us around that we should look at La Chureca as a community, because that’s what it is and we can’t just look at it and try to figure out how to change it. I tend to be one of those people who sees a problem and wants to solve it, but I instead took Dane’s advice and accepted the situation. I think hearing those words early on was very helpful to me because from that point on I looked closely at the community that is La Chureca. During my month in Nicaragua, I chose to spend 2 to 3 days every week in La Chureca. Once a week I would go on house visits with Marcela or Erin to check on the children in the child sponsorship program and ensure that the mothers had the appropriate amounts of vitamins and milk. On the other days of the week I experienced a Milk Day, a women’s health talk (along with a crazy fiesta for international children’s week!), and I helped out in Juntos Contigo. Through all of these different activities I got to know certain kids and individuals in La Chureca.
In a way, I felt that I had the opportunity to enter into these people’s lives for a little while and forget the world that I’m used to. On days that I went on house visits I was welcomed into different homes of different families in La Chureca. Erin or Marcela would chat with the mothers and check on their milk and vitamins, very frequently having to ask why the children weren’t in school. Some days were good days and some were more frustrating. I remember visiting the school in La Chureca and having the children run up to me with so much excitement and energy. It felt so good to see all of the kids happy and giving me hugs. I realized that even though many of these kids lived in these terrible conditions, they almost always had smiles on their faces.
On my last day in La Chureca, the women in our English class greeted us politely when we arrived. I got to meet some new families and said hello to some of the families I knew. I saw a rare smile from an always-sad Ángel, I listened to a father bickering about another community member, I watched a group of kids playing soccer, and I got a great picture with a bunch of community members and some of the other volunteers. I really felt like I had become a part of something after this month in La Chureca. I went from feeling worried and angry about this place to feeling like I was a part of it. Although I couldn’t get rid of all of the trash or give all of the families clean homes or even shoes to wear, I know I did make a difference. From saying “adios” in passing, to getting high fives from my favorite kids on various occasions, to the abundance of hugs in Colegio Esperanza, I finally realized as I walked out of La Chureca for the last time this summer that it was most definitely a community and that I was honored to have been a part of it for a short while.
Throughout the past month as a summer volunteer for Manna Project in Nicaragua, I got to spend a great deal of time in La Chureca. However, on my last day there I remember feeling a lot different than I did on my first day. When my group of volunteers toured La Chureca and saw it for the first time, I felt helpless and overwhelmed with sadness. I remember Dane telling us as he led us around that we should look at La Chureca as a community, because that’s what it is and we can’t just look at it and try to figure out how to change it. I tend to be one of those people who sees a problem and wants to solve it, but I instead took Dane’s advice and accepted the situation. I think hearing those words early on was very helpful to me because from that point on I looked closely at the community that is La Chureca. During my month in Nicaragua, I chose to spend 2 to 3 days every week in La Chureca. Once a week I would go on house visits with Marcela or Erin to check on the children in the child sponsorship program and ensure that the mothers had the appropriate amounts of vitamins and milk. On the other days of the week I experienced a Milk Day, a women’s health talk (along with a crazy fiesta for international children’s week!), and I helped out in Juntos Contigo. Through all of these different activities I got to know certain kids and individuals in La Chureca.
In a way, I felt that I had the opportunity to enter into these people’s lives for a little while and forget the world that I’m used to. On days that I went on house visits I was welcomed into different homes of different families in La Chureca. Erin or Marcela would chat with the mothers and check on their milk and vitamins, very frequently having to ask why the children weren’t in school. Some days were good days and some were more frustrating. I remember visiting the school in La Chureca and having the children run up to me with so much excitement and energy. It felt so good to see all of the kids happy and giving me hugs. I realized that even though many of these kids lived in these terrible conditions, they almost always had smiles on their faces.
On my last day in La Chureca, the women in our English class greeted us politely when we arrived. I got to meet some new families and said hello to some of the families I knew. I saw a rare smile from an always-sad Ángel, I listened to a father bickering about another community member, I watched a group of kids playing soccer, and I got a great picture with a bunch of community members and some of the other volunteers. I really felt like I had become a part of something after this month in La Chureca. I went from feeling worried and angry about this place to feeling like I was a part of it. Although I couldn’t get rid of all of the trash or give all of the families clean homes or even shoes to wear, I know I did make a difference. From saying “adios” in passing, to getting high fives from my favorite kids on various occasions, to the abundance of hugs in Colegio Esperanza, I finally realized as I walked out of La Chureca for the last time this summer that it was most definitely a community and that I was honored to have been a part of it for a short while.
12 June 2008
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.
04 June 2008
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.
30 May 2008
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)
05 May 2008
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.
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.
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