Since returning to Chureca from Christmas break six weeks ago, there have been many changes and updates in our program and in the lives of the families we've grown to know and love. Two of our mothers have recently given birth: Jose Manuel's mother to a beautiful baby boy named Kevin, and Evert's mother to a tiny, two-week old boy who still doesn't have a name! Mildeana's mother and Esteban's mother are both in their second trimester of pregnancy. Jose Antonio Chaverria and his mother recently moved out of Chureca to southwestern Nicaragua; we are overjoyed they have moved out of such a toxic, dangerous environment, but are definitely missing the beautiful smile and presence of his mother and cute-as-a-button Jose Antonio.
Today and yesterday were the February Milk Days which I'm responsible for coordinating; my event planning skills are put to the test for the monthly distribution of milk, vitamins and oatmeal to the 50 kids we sponsor! It's been a fun process to learn how to order and buy all of the necessary food items. Ordering the vitamins and milk via phone puts my Spanish to the test and makes for some funny conversations as I'm shouting quantities of milk into the phone, trying desperately to be understood by the man on the other end. This month Milk Day went off without a hitch, and included a fun new element: the graduation of nine kids from the program who had reached and maintained a healthy weight, and who were ready to be promoted! On top of their oatmeal and vitamins, each graduating child received an official certificate to mark their achievement, a bag of oranges, a toy, and a personal hygiene kit from our donations stash.
Graduating these nine leaves even more spaces to be filled by needy, malnourished children, of which there seems to be an endless supply. We've recently been revamping the process for entering and exiting kids; we've had some communication issues with the Ministry of Health, MINSA, who was previously in charge of this process. MINSA's lack of responsibility to our program has forced us to take action to side-step them in this process in order to expedite entering new children in the program. The health clinic recently hired a pediatrician who will work in conjunction with Esmo (the head honcho nurse at the clinic and our main contact) to evaluate kids and fill the spaces quickly!
On a less joyful note, our kids' incessant health woes have kept us rather busy. Most of our sponsored children (and adults at that) are severely affected by the ever increasing amounts of smoke in Chureca. Two girls, Ana Yuri and Lisbeth, have hernias that are not only causing them pain but need to be operated on ASAP. We're working on getting them appointments to have these conditions resolved; more word later on how these situations turn out!
-Christina
27 February 2009
09 December 2008
Christmas Party!
As we gathered with the mothers and children of our Child Sponsorship Program, there was palpable excitement in the air. When they entered the courtyard of La Esperanza, an elementary school located within the boundaries of La Chureca, the Managua city dump, the kids' eyes lit up when the saw the party we had set up for them. Our Christmas party is an annual celebration, made all the more special this year but the addition of Hilda Bleiwiess, the founder of Mi Casa Charities.
Months earlier Hilda had contacted Manna Project International in the hopes of partnering with us as we both worked to better the lives of the children and families of La Chureca. The dump can be a difficult place to work, and we were encouraged to hear from a total stranger who had also fallen in love with “our” kids, so much so that she had recruited many of her friends and family members to the cause, collecting both monetary and clothing donations to bring to Nicaragua.
We are incredibly grateful not only for this outpouring of support and generosity, but also for the eagerness of Hilda to work with other organizations that have a presence in Chureca in order to maximize our effectiveness and strengthen our combined efforts. My coworkers and I collected boxes and boxes of medication (to be distributed by Casa Base, La Chureca's health clinic) and clothing that Mi Casa Charities had sent. We also we fortunate that the families in our program were the recipients of a delicious catered lunch courtesy of Hilda and her donors.
With the help of a local restaurant, we served an early Christmas meal of rice, bread, chicken, snacks, and sodas to over 100 people. After all of the families in our program had been served (and even had seconds!) we opened up the doors of the school to some other local children in need of a good meal and kept passing out plates of food until there was none left. The seemingly simple meal was a wonderful gift to families who all too often can barely afford to put the Nicaraguan staples of rice and beans on their tables.
I can personally attest to the gratitude these families felt for the generosity shown to them by strangers thousands of miles away. Their smiles and quiet expressions of thanks were heartwarming. It is was a privilege for me to witness and be a part of this event that would not have been possible without the contributions of so many people who, in spite of difficult economic times, were moved to give this holiday season.
We look forward to continuing our partnership with Hilda and Mi Casa Charities for many years to come and we're hopeful that through our work and that of so many others La Chureca will begin to see the change it so desperately needs.
Mary Rose Conroy
27 October 2008
Whether to wear rainboots, or weather not...
As the end of the rainy season comes about, a breath of fresh air is coming over the Child Sponsorship program. This past month has had it's share of problems, but joys continue to prove themselves stronger.
October is a the rainiest month of the year in Nicaragua, which means flooding and mud and often an increase in sickness. We have been busy reminding mothers of the suggestions the Ministry of Health gives them in order to keep a healthy household, as well as advising them to go to health clinic when the children are sick. The health clinic has certainly seen an increase in patients this past month; and though it may seem disheartening, it is encouraging to see the confidence the community has in it.
One of the more tragic events of the past month has been the flooding of houses in Chureca, including six families in our program. Christina Colopy account describes the scene well:
On a more humorous note, the rain has forced us to use rain boots for our walk into Chureca. A group of Gringos with multi-colored rain boots and grubby clothes walking into Chureca with an odd assortment of bags and sunglasses is endless entertainment to the people who live in the area, especially when it is a sunny day. It is even better for them when we run out of Chureca in rainstorms - as most of us have forgotten to bring rain jackets or umbrellas. We are usually soaking wet as we load into the white microbus, and often laughing at our forgetfulness.
In addition to the changes brought about by the rains, the Spanish initiative for Chureca is beginning to take shape. Last week Spanish representatives came to the Wednesday charla (health talk) to announce their plans for Chureca and those who live in it. There were varied reactions and opinions within the audience of mothers and other residents of Chureca, but overall the representatives were very informative and diplomatic. For more information on the Spanish Initiative for Chureca, please view the following links:
Thank you again to all of you who help to support our program. We are still looking for more sponsors for the children, as we hope to add ten more children to the program before the end of the calender year. If you do not want to support a specific child, but wish to help our organization, feel free to contact us (childsponsor@mannaproject.org) or designate money for the Child Sponsorship program via our website: (http://www.charityadvantage.com/Manna_Project_InternationaDBVFBW/DonateNow.asp) Thanks again! Until next time...
October is a the rainiest month of the year in Nicaragua, which means flooding and mud and often an increase in sickness. We have been busy reminding mothers of the suggestions the Ministry of Health gives them in order to keep a healthy household, as well as advising them to go to health clinic when the children are sick. The health clinic has certainly seen an increase in patients this past month; and though it may seem disheartening, it is encouraging to see the confidence the community has in it.
One of the more tragic events of the past month has been the flooding of houses in Chureca, including six families in our program. Christina Colopy account describes the scene well:
"I thought that if you lived in Chureca, things couldn’t get much worse. Well, I was wrong, way wrong. Towards the end of last week, rainy season hit Nicaragua full force- there was so much rain we had to cancel our programs for 2 days! You can only imagine what all that rain would do to a place such as Chureca. As we found out this morning, a number of the families in our sponsorship program were forced out of their homes due to the flooding of a nearby lagoon. This morning as we walked around visiting the moms and children, we surveyed the damage and I was in shock at the sight of one particular home. We rounded a corner and where this young mother’s house used to stand, there was only a metal bed frame in 2 feet of water. No roof. No walls. No other furniture or things. They were able to get some of their belongings out of the home and salvage “algunas cosas”, but right now their circumstances are truly dire. This mom was additionally upset because she lost all of her notes and school supplies for the classes she’s attending. Talk about an excuse to not have studied for your upcoming test.
Currently Colegio Esperanza, the school in Chureca where 350 students attend, is closed because it is serving as an emergency shelter for 16 families whose homes were destroyed or completely ruined by the flooding. Therefore, the normally semi-quiet streets were busier than normal with all of the children running around enjoying their vacation day from school! We passed by a group of young boys who had built one of the best tree forts I’ve ever seen. It was precariously perched about 20 feet above ground on top of a tree and made of scrap metal, cardboard etc. The best part were homemade signs the boys proudly showed us: one said “no se permiten mujeres, solamente varones!” (girls not allowed, only boys!) with a picture of a girl with a huge X through it. Hilarious. I was pleased to see that the cootie disease that afflicted me as a child was also rampant on this side of the world.
Tomorrow when we go to Chureca for the weekly charla put on by the Ministry of Health, Mose, Maddie, Tressa and myself will become pack mules for the trek in: we are bringing clothing donations for the families in our program who have been worst affected, as well as food for the previously mentioned family whose home is now gone. In a way I feel helpless and heartbroken for these families, but we WILL find a way to help them. How, you may ask? I’m still working on that, hit me back with any ideas…"
The next day we each had a backpack full of clothing for children and some for the moms and families of those most affected. We brought some rice and beans and oatmeal as supplemental food, as some of the families were not receiving food at the school because they were worried about guarding their homes (or what was left of them) from thieves. The mothers were very appreciative, but it still felt like there was more we could do for them. However, one of our policies requires that we not gift people in the communities in which we work; if we were to give more to these mothers and not to others who also live in poverty it could lead to a loss of respect and confidence in the community.On a more humorous note, the rain has forced us to use rain boots for our walk into Chureca. A group of Gringos with multi-colored rain boots and grubby clothes walking into Chureca with an odd assortment of bags and sunglasses is endless entertainment to the people who live in the area, especially when it is a sunny day. It is even better for them when we run out of Chureca in rainstorms - as most of us have forgotten to bring rain jackets or umbrellas. We are usually soaking wet as we load into the white microbus, and often laughing at our forgetfulness.
In addition to the changes brought about by the rains, the Spanish initiative for Chureca is beginning to take shape. Last week Spanish representatives came to the Wednesday charla (health talk) to announce their plans for Chureca and those who live in it. There were varied reactions and opinions within the audience of mothers and other residents of Chureca, but overall the representatives were very informative and diplomatic. For more information on the Spanish Initiative for Chureca, please view the following links:
- Details about the Spanish project are towards the bottom of this article:
http://www.elnuevodiario.com.ni/nacionales/10931 - This has a few more details but is also from a while ago, January 2008:
http://www.radiolaprimerisima.com/noticias/general/23965 - This is blog-like entry but has some good info about Chureca in general:
http://www.nicaliving.com/node/11816 - The 4th and 5th paragraphs mention the Spanish plan and its political implications:
http://www.macleans.ca/world/global/article.jsp?content= 20080611_41093_41093 - Informative overview of Chureca and the project as well.
http://www.envio.org.ni/articulo/3749
Thank you again to all of you who help to support our program. We are still looking for more sponsors for the children, as we hope to add ten more children to the program before the end of the calender year. If you do not want to support a specific child, but wish to help our organization, feel free to contact us (childsponsor@mannaproject.org) or designate money for the Child Sponsorship program via our website: (http://www.charityadvantage.com/Manna_Project_InternationaDBVFBW/DonateNow.asp) Thanks again! Until next time...
06 October 2008
Milk Day September
Sorry for the delay... this was written on September 25 by Christina Colopy, and I only just located it today. tmh
Today and yesterday saw the voyage of tired yet excited gringos bearing gifts for the children of Chureca in the form of milk, oatmeal, vitamins, and many strong hugs. We just completed our monthly Child Sponsorship ‘Milk Day’ in Chureca which I’m in charge of coordinating. Needless the say, the week leading up to the milk day is quite hectic. I order the milk on the phone (which in Spanish is sometimes quite tricky) and it is then delivered to our house by my new friend Lino. I order the vitamins from a local pharmacy which we pick up when we go grocery shopping, and we buy about 50 one pound bags of oatmeal from our wholesale grocery store. I get rather strange looks pushing around a huge grocery cart overflowing with oatmeal, maybe I just like my grains okay? I’ve become quite proficient in Microsoft Excel with all of the charts, lists and forms I’ve had to organize to make sure milk day goes smoothly!
Our troops arrive to the Chureca clinic at 9am sharp; our tank-like vehicle, the Patrol, is driven through the front entrance (which we hardly ever frequent) laden with the milk day goodies. The rest of the group walks in through the back entrance like normal and we unload everything into the clinic. Arlen, a little girl in the program, insisted on helping me carry in the bags of oatmeal. Her little frame could barely hold one bag while we carry 5 or 6, but seeing her willingness to help was so heart warming! The moms were in their weekly health talk put on by the ministry of health, and as we waited in the front of the clinic, we laughed and played with a few of the precious children running around with their dirt smeared bodies and ragged clothes. Heysell loved drawing on our legs and hands with a pen, while Arelys enjoyed taking pictures with my camera. I divvied up the duties for the day: a photo taker, someone who hands out the milk, a height/weight measurer , one person who records these measurements, and one ‘messenger’ who takes the mother and child to one of two consult rooms where Nikki, Mose and myself review the child’s health and growth with the mother based on their weight and height progression over the past few months. Most kids are plagued by chronic sickness and a weight gain of even half a pound is a celebrated victory! I make sure the children are eating their milk, vitamins and oatmeal, and that if they’ve been sick or had diarrhea the past month, that they’ve seen a doctor at the clinic. Today a few children I saw currently aren’t enrolled in school which is a big no-no! I tried to encourage the moms to enroll their kids as soon as possible, we’ll see if they start going or not.
Walking through the clinic, tracking mud from my boots across the white tiled floor, I was so encouraged as I glanced around and realized I knew all of the women and children filing through. We’ve been working so hard to learn their names, where they live, and their stories, and it seems to be paying off little by little. The women confide in us and trust us a little more each time we love and care for their beautiful children.
I love milk days.
10 September 2008
New Beginnings, High Expectations
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)!
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)!
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.
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