Seeing is Believing

My first thoughts upon entering La Chureca; becoming comfortable in a place like this would be impossible, and everyone should have a shot at a better life. The inhabitants of La Chureca and other dumps around the developing world, stay in close proximity to the trash because in some cases it is their only economic and food sources. Every time I enter such a place I become less sensitive to what I see, though accepting the existence is hard. As a program director with Manna I was able to experience my first "milk day" last week. We systematically checked the kids weights, heights, and asked the mothers if there were any other concerns. The heights and weights are compared with prior appointments, to see if the kids are growing at an acceptable level. The mothers are informed of future doctor visits to the clinic and then they are on their way. Before the families leave, vitamins, oatmeal, and enriched milk are distributed to the children in our child sponsorship program. We may be skimming the surface of an ocean, but collectively with amazing people and organization such as the Manna Project International, a major difference is in order. It is the greatest pleasure of my life to see the progress first hand and to be part of the change.

"Be the change you wish to see in the world."...Gandhi

'tis the season

On Friday morning we arrived at the clinic with bags of holiday gifts. The children were waiting for us with eager smiles. Most were dressed in their best outfits. It seemed like everyone in the clinic was ready to spread the holiday spirit. The staff members were laughing and joking around with one another. Dr. Lesley, who is typically very composed man, was posing for pictures and hugging Esmo and Coco.

We started things off by asking all of the kids go to the backyard of the clinic for a group picture. Unfortunately, some of the little ones were not excited about posing for our cameras. Maria Magdalena started crying first, then came Jerohan and a few others. We decided to postpone the group shot and move right along to the gift distribution.

One by one each kid came into the conference room, received their present, and posed for a picture wearing a Santa hat. As you may imagine, the kids looks absolutely adorable. The Spiderman toys were a huge hit with the boys, as were the purses with the girls. The little ones delighted in their new baby toys.

We also had a little surprise for the mothers. We gave each of them a 5lb bag of rice and a 5lb bag of beans. Because the price of beans has been on the rise, many of the moms have not been able to afford it. They were, therefore, extra thankfully for the gift.

November Milk Days

This past Wednesday and Thursday the whole Manna crew went to the clinic in La Chureca to run Milk Days. When we arrived on Wednesday, the doctor and Esmo were nowhere in sight. After getting a hold of Dr. Lesly and hearing that they wouldn’t be at the clinic for another 40 minutes we decided to go ahead without them.

Never have Milk Days run so smoothly! Everyone had their job mastered. Geoff and Tessa measure and weigh each kid. After a child’s weight and height have been recorded, Dane takes the mom and child to one of the consultation rooms and relays the weight/height information to the Program Director who is stationed there (either Matt or Erin).

Once Matt and Erin are given the weight/height info they compare the measurements to the previous months’ data. Matt and Erin then talk to the mothers to find out how their child has been doing, answer any questions the mother may have, and give them advice based on whether the child has gained or loss weight. Once the meeting is over the mom comes over to me to receive the monthly supply of milk, oatmeal and vitamins. During this time Julie snatches a cute picture of the little one to send to his/her sponsor. Julie also gives each kid who celebrated a birthday during the month a cute birthday bag filled with goodies.

I have to admit that it makes me really excited to see how well we are working together. What’s even more exciting, however, is seeing how well the mothers are responding to us. It’s incredible to see how much they have warmed up to us over the past few months. I believe that we owe Erin the credit for this. She has done an awesome job getting to know all the moms in the program.

As the moms warm up to us, so do the kids. Some of the kids who wouldn't smile at all are now full of giggles. The first time I saw Wendy smile was during the October field trip but this past Thursday she actually walked over to where I was, sat next to me, and asked me to play! And let me not forget Jerohan....this was the first time we've been able to get a picture of him smiling!

A final highlight: we had perfect attendance! This is the first time this has happened!

Vandy Visits La Chureca

Yesterday the Manna house said goodbye to an amazing group of Vandy students. The group of 10 spent their entire Thanksgiving break in Nica, learning about Manna's programs and working alongside Program Directors. One of the highlights of my week was taking the group into Chureca.

Prior to coming, the Vandy group asked if they could put a presentation together for the mothers in our Child Sponsorship Program. Without any hesitation I told them yes and said that they were free to choose the topic. They decided to focus their health talk on HIV/AIDS.

At 9:30am on Wednesday the students sat down in front of the mothers and began their talk. It was clear that they had spent a long time researching and practicing for this day. They touched on all the important facts without using fancy terminology and they kept the moms' attention by making the talk interactive. Of all the health talks I've listened to in Chureca, this one was my favorite. Watching the way they delivered the presentation and reached out to the mothers made me so proud to be a Vanderbilt graduate.

After the health talk was finished, Matt took the group on a tour of Chureca while I stayed behind to talk to Esmo. I met up with the group about an hour later and noticed how their expressions had changed. Seeing their faces and hearing what they had to say about La Chureca reminded me of how I felt the first time I walked through the dump.

It also made me realize that after being here for 4 months, and going to the dump so many times, I have gotten over its shock value. It made me sad to think that I have grown accustomed to watching little kids running around naked, seeing youngsters sniffing glue, and school-age children sifting through trash in search of food, recyclables, and toys.

Familial Introductions

On the Tuesday before Thanksgiving I had the pleasure of taking my parents and younger sister, D'Arcy, into La Chureca. Driving through the front entrance, we saw several men pointing at our micro. I made a joke to my parents that even the people in Chureca make fun of our transportation. However, one man was so persistant that we stopped to see what he wanted. Little did we know that we had been dragging a branch-- which really qualified more as a small tree-- for quite some time. If they had not told us, we absolutely would have gotten stuck in the mud twenty feet ahead of us. In true Nica fashion, ten men appeared out of nowhere to help us, not allowing us to touch the branch. As soon as the crisis was averted, they all disappeared just as rapidly as they came. When we got back into the micro, my dad asked what their motivation was to help us. While I do not know the exact reason, I do know that they were not looking for a handout, but rather looking out for us.

So began our journey. My family saw all the sites: the clinic (where Esmo declared my sister and I twins), los Quinchos (an alternative school for kids who sniff glue), the "hole" (where we saw children bathing in rainwater collecting in the middle of the trash), and finally the school (where my entire family became jungle gyms for preschoolers to climb). My mom's favorite memory is of a little boy trying in vain to eat some soup the school had given him. Unfortunately, using his hands was causing more soup to fall onto his lap than to enter his mouth. The girl sitting next to him saw his plight and without a word dropped her own spoon into his bowl. Unfazed, the boy took the spoon and went to work on the soup.

Every interaction I witnessed in Chureca on that day seemed more significant because I was seeing it through my parents' eyes. I love that they now have personal memories and that they have met some of the people that have shaped my experience here thus far. Additionally, the thought that my Nicaraguan family knows my actual family means that they know me more personally, hopefully allowing our relationships to grow even deeper.

Where's the Milk?

After hearing some murmuring that moms might be selling the milk, we as a Manna team decided that we needed to change some of our practices. Therefore, this month (at the end of our field trips) we gave out the milk with the label removed and the date written on the jar. If moms do not bring back those specific containers next month, then we have a pretty good idea that they're selling.

On Tuesday, while Geoff and Marcela were giving tours to some of our friends from Cedro Galan, I went around to visit families. The moms were excited to see me, saying that it had been a long time since I had visited (I've been sick and infrequent in my Chureca visits lately). I always felt welcomed in-- Hector's grandmother showed me his report card (excellent scores) and Milton's mom asked me some questions about the antibiotics he had been given for his teeth. After chatting for a bit, they were all more than willing to show me the milk and vitamins that they have left. Some even made the comment that they were glad we had decided to do this because they don't think it's right for some mothers to sell. One mom put it this way: "you've given us a gift. I'm going to follow whatever rules you make because I know you care about our children and you're doing this for them."

Although there were one or two moments in the morning where I could perceive some annoyance, that mothers' words seemed to be the general consensus. It felt good to know that the mothers can see our commitment to their children and that they want to work with us in improving their health.

Field Trip Day 2

This past week, we decided to provide the mothers and children of our child sponsorship program with a change of scenery. In so doing, we hoped we could, if only for a brief while, help them escape the harmful environment that infiltrates every aspect of their life. In addition, we sponsored a talk with the famous “Señora Soya” who provided the mothers with demonstrations on cooking with soy. By promoting soy, we are hoping to provide community members with an alternative form of nutrition that is free of many of the toxins contaminating the foods they normally obtain.

Once we loaded all of the mothers and the children in our microbuses, the looks on the children’s’ faces as they experienced their very first car ride were priceless. As I peeked back, I saw an absolute sense of awe as they watched cars and people pass and felt the new and strange sensation of sitting in a moving vehicle. Once there, the mothers were put to work in the kitchen while the children played.

Though the mothers were working very hard, there was no doubt that they were having a great time. Watching them in the kitchen, I marveled at the sense of camaraderie they displayed and saw smiles from people I never thought possible. All the while, the children were simply being children on the play set and soccer field. Running around and laughing with them certainly wore me out, however while laying down for a nap afterwards, I felt so fortunate that I could give them the opportunity to enjoy a healthy atmosphere for playing. I cannot wait until the next time we take the mothers and children to the land, seeing them away from the dredges of their everyday life gave me new hope and inspiration.