I had seen videos of La Chureca and heard stories from those who had been there, but I realized that I did not have even the slightest understanding of it until I had smelt the smells, stepped on the trash, and spoke to the people who call it home. La Chureca is by no means a place that anyone should ever have to call home, and although my heart ached for those people before I had ever met them, it now bleeds. After holding Esteven (my sponsored child) and seeing his tiny body, as well as talking with his sweet mother, I wish I could have just lifted them out of their environment forever. It is a hard concept for me grapple with that such wonderful people must live their lives surrounded by conditions not suitable for animals. I am not able to take them out of Chureca, but I am able to make some of their burdens a little light through my support young Esteven and his family with a simple 20 dollars a month, money that my life will remain the same without, but will greatly enhance Esteven's life. The smiles, tears, faces, and warm hearts of the Churecans are forever engraved on my heart, and I feel honored to have met them.

-written by Morgan Davis, summer volunteer (May session)

May has proved to be another wonderful month in Nicaragua. The temperatures are very hot but the beginning of the rainy season brings welcomed afternoon storms. However, the welcomed rain also brings a fear of flooding and sickness for the people in La Chureca.

One special event to report from my time here is that we had the pleasure of celebrating Mother’s Day with the women and children in La Chureca. Mother’s Day is one of the largest holidays in Nicaragua, and it was a joy to be a part of it with the families in our Child Sponsorship program. We invited them to join us for a day trip to the lake where the women and children enjoyed swimming, bag lunches, and a day off from life in La Chureca. We also had the opportunity to throw a Mother’s Day party for the women in our program. The piñata was a success, as always here in Nicaragua, and the women and children were given individual gifts such as shoes, jewelry, school supplies, and kitchen supplies as well.

Milk day was also an incredible success this month. Every child in our program was given milk, oatmeal, and vitamins to fit their specific needs. It was such a joy to see the gratitude on the smiling faces of the mothers and children in our program. Because of our wonderful sponsors and other people like them, over 60 children in the community of La Chureca receive basic needs: schooling, confidence, and so much more. Thanks to all our sponsors for allowing us to experience the joy of milk day every month!

We also are pleased to announce that we have entered 3 new children into the program and are in the process of entering more. It is always great to meet new children and families and open our hearts to them as we have done with so many during our time in La Chureca.

-Written by Sarah Lynn McKinney, summer volunteer (May session)

Milk Day Memories

One of our roles in the child sponsorship program in La Chureca is to distribute oatmeal, milk, and vitamins to all the kids in our program on the last Wednesday and Thursday of every month. We call it “milk day” and it is a really fun couple of days where we get to spend at least some time with every kid in our program. I am usually responsible for weighing and measuring the kids and then passing them on to a consult with one of the other volunteers who then evaluate their growth.

Although most milk days are the same, this week’s was a little different. This week we had the honor of graduating 9 kids from our program. What their graduation signifies is that they are no longer malnourished and have reached a weight that is healthy for someone of their height and general age. It was so fulfilling to see these healthy children grinning ear to ear as they received their certificates of completion, a few prizes and a bag of oranges.

The biggest blessing came a little later in the morning though. Tressa and I walked up to the houses of the three children that were not at graduation to deliver their certificates and prizes. The first was a young girl named Arelys whose mother accepted the gifts and thanked us before we walked away. The other home we visited was a mother of twin boys who are both vibrant, healthy young men with radiant smiles and some of the best manners I have seen. She invited us into her yard as we explained that her sons were graduating and gave her the things they had earned. She handed the stuff to her sons who stood before us smiling with the pride that comes from completing a task. She then began to pour out her graciousness upon us for all that we have done to help her family. She explained to us that our program was an answered prayer in her life and the lives of her sons. She prayed specifically that they would have enough food to eat and being in our program fulfilled that need. I was fighting back tears as she told us these things just thinking of how much I was blessed to be standing right where I was in that moment. The beauty of her love for her sons shined through even the darkest of circumstances and made me believe that all things are possible. She expressed her gratefulness to us but more than that I am grateful to her for showing me what life means. I will never forget that conversation with her.

We want to express our continued appreciation to all of you, our sponsors, who make these stories possible with your giving. You are physically changing lives in La Chureca and I am so grateful to witness it firsthand.

Returning to Chureca

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

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

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:

"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

This week also brings about another milk day. This month we are doing something special for the mothers - we have reserved a hairdresser/manicurist to treat the mothers to a "day of beauty and rest." We are taking the mothers and their children to Chiquilistagua to the August's land "El Salero", where we will be providing child care for a couple hours to give the mothers a rest and the children a healthy and safe place to play. (http://www.charityadvantage.com/Manna_Project_InternationaDBVFBW/NicaPartners.asp) I hope to have pictures of the event up this coming weekend, please view the link to the right side of the screen.

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...

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.