Happy Holidays

December 20, 2007

As Christmas is only 5 days away, El Menco remains unchanged, except for a set of lights, and slightly more traffic in the streets. Christmas is a large holiday here in Nicaragua, but one that one must afford to celebrate. I have seen no decorated trees, no presents, only the houses are more full with visiting family members. More people attend church, but unless you lived here and noticed these subtlties, you wouldn’t know Christmas was here. I sit at my computer and watch a dog scarf down a few pieces of rice left from my meal while Kai plays on the porch with 5 brothers. A cow moo’s to its companions in the street, and the roosters wander in search of hens, who in turn search for bugs to eat. El Menco is still El Menco.

Other parts of Nicaragua are in full swing. The capitol has a 40 ft tree decorated in the middle of a rotunda, complete with a fence and armed guards. The main shopping mall, which is just like US malls, is complete with a tree of the same size, spanning two stories, with Santa dropping from a hot air balloon (also complete with a fence and armed guards). I visited briefly Sunday with Kai when we dropped my boyfriend Jason off at the airport after a brief but wonderful 5 day visit. Kai was shocked to see the Christmas tree and all of the presents. I was shocked to see high prices- more than what I’d pay in the US, in a toy store. The next day, Monday, I had a meeting with the Mayor of Buenos Aires, the department that contains El Menco. My co-workers picked me up in Managua, and I make a brief stop in the Mall to dash in to buy a carefully selected toy for Kai while he waited in the car. Even a Christmas present is something I have to consider. I was very fortunate to find an educational toy store with imported European products, which was both a curse and a blessing. A blessing because it had some well made educational toys that Kai really enjoyed. A curse because not only would these toys set him apart from all of the kids in El Menco, but also because we’d have to be very careful with it, as other kids don’t treat toys well here. My other options however often display plastic automatic weapons, guns, monster trucks, etc., all made in China. Kai has gotten one or two of these before (not the guns- you all know me better than that), all which have broken within a week of getting them. I settled on a cloth doll and a separate outfit to dress her in. Kai has recently become obsessed with bodies, and loves to dress and undress dolls. When asked what his choice would be, he chose a girl doll over a boy (Amanda over Brian that is). So there you all have it, you know what Kai is getting for Christmas, and the simple dilemma over the choice. Just one example of many daily dilemmas involving the best decision for Kai in the situation.

My meeting with the Mayor, a woman by the name of Zela Diaz Mora, went very well. The Millennium Village Project was a new idea for her, but she thought it wonderful, and was very supportive. It was clear that she has a great working relationship with Juan de Dios, my co-worker and Assistant Project Coordinator for ANF. She went so far as to call me an angel for El Menco, for working here and spending so much time in the community, which then allowed me to confirm my fear of providing false hope for the people. My simple association with ANF, the organization that so quickly transformed the lives of so many, has many hoping for new houses, and wells to pull water from, ending their endless treks to the lake with 5 gallon buckets. I feel my time here dwindling, as my work intensifies. I have always offered total transparency to the people I’m working with, and I’m wondering if it’s wrong to have done so. For each time I report meetings with other organizations, such as the United Nations, it inspires more hope in their eyes that their reality may change. While in truth, the real change will happen after I am gone, and only if the ANF and others continue the project. I have no reason to believe that they won’t, but it is literally the lives of the people here that I have the ability to change, or not change. It is a weight I feel, for I don’t want to fail them. I have asked for a doctor for their health clinic, a teacher for the school in El Islote, medical supplies to be delivered to the clinic, and for new houses and wells for the people of El Cerrito and El Islote for the immediate future. These are easy needs to recognize as priorities. I am in the process of working with local organizations and understanding the needs better in El Menco to do some long-term planning for sustainable projects that will improve the quality of life here. These people often travel miles to meet with me and spend time in activities that reveal more about their reality. They give their time and energy, and I only hope that there will be enough strength behind our plans that they may see the results of their work, their dreams, and their hopes for a better future.

They say Christmas is sad here because the people can’t afford material things, but I see more people visiting with each other, passing their days telling stories. They are celebrating the religious aspect in church, and through family. I think of the craze in the United States, the expectations of toys by many children, demands made, demands met. I think how so many parents try to make up for any shortcomings as parents through the purchase of material items, as if voids can be filled with toys. And they can I believe- momentarily. They are quick cures for larger epidemics that plague our material culture. While Christmas may be sad here to some, I can say that it is relaxed. The cows are still brought home at night, the kids still play in the sandy streets, and rather than empty houses, the lights and candles burn through the night showing smiling faces enjoying companionship.

For all of you, I wish you a blessed holiday. I hope that you gather those that you love around you and celebrate the things that count- love, family, friends, health, and living true to yourself. Not only remember that there are other less fortunate people in the world, but that you are connected to them in so many ways, and that you have the ability to change things, even if but a little, for the better. Kai and I send you our love and prayers!

December 6, 2007

Today was interesting. I awoke to Kai telling me that there was a dead dog outside the house. Dona Carmen, our next door neighbor, without looking said it was probably sleeping. An hour later, I walked around to that side of our house, and sure enough, there was the dog from across the street, dead as could be. I went and got Dona Carmen, and she immediately recognized the dog from across the street. The owners came over, looked at the dog, and got a rope. They tied the rope to the dogs hind feet, and three little girls drug it across the street and back to their house, without much fuss. They figured it was poisoned, as it was in good health compared to most dogs here. As it seems the dogs have some communication between themselves, I can only imagine what gossip must be going on in their language of who killed their comrade. I figured it wasn’t a great way to start the day.
Needless to say, our day went surprisingly well. We had a combined meeting with El Islote and El Cerrito, on the northern side of El Menco. Again, we had good participation from this group. The numbers for this meeting continue to stay strong. Today we began to look at the 8 Millennium Goals, learn more about them, and learn what are priorities for the community. We broke into groups, and each group picked a goal written on a piece of paper from a bag. They then had to act out their goal while the rest of the people guessed what it was. I was a bit concerned about this activity, wondering if they’d be able to do it, but they came through with some great skits, with props and all! Afterward we discussed more about the goals, and listed them in order of importance. 1 being the most important, 10 being the least important. Here’s what they concluded:

Millennium Goal Priorities for El Islote and El Cerrito

Develop a global partnership for development. (This was localized. They decided that without formulating a vision and a plan for development, they’ll never be able to address the other issues.)
Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger.
Achieve universal primary education.
Promote gender equality and empower women.
Ensure environmental sustainability.
Combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria, and other serious diseases.
Improve maternal health.
Reduce child mortality.

For numbers 6-8 the group concluded that they don’t really have problems with these goals in the community.

I also thought I’d tell you about an activity we did last week. Working sector by sector, we listed all of the assets that the community had- from trees for firewood to schools and churches. We came up with a large list of over 100 assets to the community. This is an interesting activity to do with people. When asked to list their problems, they can go on forever, but when starting with assets, it inspires thought and appreciation, as well as the basis for potential future projects. At first most lists began with 10 things, but as they thought more, many things surfaced. Here´s what the Millennium Village Committee listed as the top ten assets to the community:

Top Ten Assets in El Menco

New latrines
Primary School
Health Center
People own property.
New houses
Love
Lake Nicaragua
People know how to read and write
The churches
Feeding program for children

December 9, 2007

I also thought I´d share with you a community tour that was conducted yesterday. A leader from El Cerrito took people from Las Piedras and Santa Barbara to the other side, so they could get to know the community better. The group was mostly women, which was good because they so seldomly get out of the house.

Kai and I take a trip to Le Flor Reserve.

Kai and I headed to the beach for a little bit of fun and work this last weekend. It was my first time at a Nicaragua beach, and it was beautiful, not to mention amazing surf. And yes, Kai is really sleeping in that picture. One of many things he´s mastered. Actually I´ll create you a quick list of new skills Kai´s mastered:

1. Sleeping or standing on croweded busses.

2. Riding in backs of pick-up trucks on dirt roads (a favorite)

3. Riding on the middle bar of a bike while we bike to meetings

4. Not stepping on cow or horse poop in the road.

5. Sleeping under a mosquito net

6. Taking a bath in a bucket (I still heat up water for him though)

7. Not petting dogs, cats, chickens, ducks, frogs, etc without asking first.

8. How to communicate basic Spanish words.

9. How to leave the house quickly so mosquitos don´t come in.

10. How to put his toilet paper in the trash- not the toilet!

Kai at the Black Cat Cafe. San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua

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Hi out there!
To all of you reading this blog, please let us know what you think! Remember that you can comment after each entry, and the comments are sent directly to my email. They aren't posted publically. So let us know what you think!
-Elizabeth and Kai

This week has been a long one, as I am trying to rethink ways of working successfully in El Menco. My work in three out of four sectors proves to be worthwhile, while the largest sector of Las Piedras still contributes little. Yesterday we had an interesting situation, and a difficult one that still isn’t resolved. We had a group of Rotary Club members visit in late afternoon, bringing gifts for the children of the people who benefited from the housing project. This was a great group of people who have been involved in this community for several years. They came from Ohio, Iowa, Cape Cod, etc, and knew this community before the housing project. The community knew they were coming, as two of ANF’s project staff came around 2pm. Dona Carmen, the woman that looks after Kai and I had also walked around the entire sector telling people that they were invited to meet the Rotary group. I’m sure something was said about people bringing gifts as well. I was unaware of the gift aspect of this visit, and as I went to begin my meeting in the afternoon, there were about 100 people waiting. Last week I had only 15 people participating, so I was glad that Dona Carmen had supported me in getting the people together. As I began, my enthusiasm soon faded, as the group of 100 soon moved away from me and began to socialize. For the most part, they weren’t interested in my meeting. They were there to get something from the Rotaries. I was left with a group of about 13 people, who worked on an activity where they list all of the assets of their community. Several hours wore on, and we concluded the meeting. No Rotary group yet. We finally had contact with them, and they were 10 minutes away. Unfortunately, by the time they arrived, they only had about 45 minutes of daylight. They came in a medium sized tour bus, and took a quick drive to see the new houses, and to show some of the first-time visitors what the old houses looked like. We stopped at a water station set up by ANF, where people can pump water and do laundry, and at the beach. I’m sure that the group would have liked to have more time. By the time it came to give out the supplies that this nice group of folks had packed and personally traveled with, over 200 people had gathered. One of the strings attached to these shoe boxes, which contained school supplies, clothes, a ball, etc, was that they were only for the beneficiaries of the houses, and that the children had to be attending school. What complicated the situation was that kids are currently out on vacation for the rest of the month, and no teachers were present to give a list of the kids in class. There were more kids than what they had supplies for, so after careful consideration, the group sent their supply truck back to Managua, where the supplies will wait until next week to be delivered by another Rotary group. The Rotary group left disappointed, as I know they were excited to see all of these children get these gifts that they had put so much time and effort into preparing. However, I think they made a good decision, because they would have also seen all the other kids’ sadness because they didn’t get anything.

It’s even more complicated than this. When Kai and I arrived, we brought a bag full of school supplies from our community in Ashland to the school for the teachers to distribute. Of course we didn’t have enough for every child, so we were hoping the school would utilize them for all of the kids. We later found out that the teachers had not given things out evenly. I don’t know the truth in this. I saw supplies being utilized in the preschool, but was told that kids were given things that didn’t even attend school. There are also many children who aren’t sent to school. Some by choice, but many by circumstance. Many parents can’t afford supplies for all of their children, so often the younger ones are kept home. Some parents simply need their children’s help at the house, and keep them to work.

Another interesting aspect is that only ½ of the community has benefited from the housing project, and I think we’ve finally figured out why. Felix and I were discussing this, and he informed me that when they started researching the demographics of El Menco, they worked with another organization, and hired someone from the community to go house to house and conduct a census. This local person simply conducted the census in the side of the community that has easy access and never traveled the 6km to the other more impoverished side. Therefore, ANF thought they had complete data, and were a little confused when I started working with the other side. El Menco, of course is all four sectors. Many people in Las Piedras seem to think that the only place of value is their sector. It has caused some justified tension in the community, as the people from El Islote and El Cerrito, whom haven’t worked with ANF have never known why they weren’t helped. Our goal at this point is to try to fundraise for houses and wells for them by early 2008.

Felix and I also had an interesting conversation about the difficulty of doing aid work with populations that are altogether ungrateful, and at times, downright selfish. This evening was a great example, where we see that people won’t attend meetings unless they are promised something. I see several things. For one, this section of our community has several generations of dysfunctional families. Families of parents who have abandoned their kids, who have been left to be taken care of by other family members. Families of children having children, as most women in our community become mothers between the ages of 13-16 years old. Many marry at that age as well, but parenting skills are almost non-existent. Social skills are poor, and in general, people don’t treat others with compassion.

Second, their lives were changed so dramatically with houses, wells, and latrines, all within the same year, that they haven’t really understood the implications. They’ve never received anything like this, and even though things have been explained, I feel that the idea of having to co-pay on their house, let alone on a sliding scale, is so new to them, they will need a lot of explaining.

Also, it is difficult to identify leaders in a community from a distance, such as is the case with ANF or any other organization working with similar aid projects. ANF has relied on several leaders identified by the community to tell people about meetings. What I have realized though, is that in Las Piedras, those leaders have certain alliances, and although they tell many people, they are not necessarily looking out for everyone. Organizing the community needs transparent, direct communication that serves everyone, such as postering the community in various popular spots.

All in all, no doubt the work ANF does benefits hundreds of thousands of people, which is bringing people out of poverty every day. I think that they will find that if they invested in building an education team, that they would start seeing more sustainable results, and would have a closer understanding and connection with their beneficiaries. In general, I believe their projects would be more successful.

Community Leaders stand with their visions for the future.

Community leaders came together, bringing their visions of their future that they drew. We connected them, section by section, to have one big drawing. We discussed what we liked, what was possible. It was interesting that they all drew what they already knew. It's very hard for them to imagine a future with such projects like women's cooperatives. We're currently trying to arrange a tour of sustainable projects that are successful for them to get some ideas of what they may want to be involved with.