Human Rights Fellowship: Nicaragua: Still in the City

Saturday, November 10, 2007

Still in the City

After a long day at work yesterday, we got an audience with the UN- Monday. So, as it goes, Kai and I are in the capitol for the weekend, and are enjoying ourselves staying with friends whom I met when I worked here in 2002. Today we will move to a hotel and give them a break. Our project is finally starting to take shape, as I am understanding the greater vision for ANF. They have not been officially recognized as aiding the first Millennium Village in Latin America, but are hoping for that soon. They have a good working relationship with the UN, and are hoping that with my presence and work that the UN will recognize them, drawing more attention to the broader work that ANF does. Both the goals of ANF and the Millennium Goals allign. I am excited and very curious about the UN office here. We are hoping they might have some resources to use in our meeting with El Menco community leaders next week, such as a video or visual aids about Millennium Villages. Many people do not know how to read or write, so we are trying to move beyond those barriers together.

2 comments:

Gumpa said...: Thanks for the update. I think the promise of the internet is just this sort of thing. You offer us a great opportunity.

Interesting. You are trying to improve conditions caused by poverty.

Back home we are trying to improve conditions caused by excess. Each has what the other needs.

Thanks,
Kent; November 11, 2007 at 5:10 AM
Anonymous said...: Hello Elizabeth and Kai- We are so fortunate to have this way to talk to you and to hear first hand about your plans and goals. You are well on your way to setting a foundation for good outcomes for this community. I am sure they also see you that way, and will show up to help you any way they can.

I wonder if you two will celebrate on December 25th in any special way?

Will be anxious to hear all about your accomplishments when you come home in January.

We love you,

Mom and Dad (MiMi and Pop Pop).; November 12, 2007 at 10:24 AM

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More information about El Menco

EL MENCO COMMUNITY

Rivas, Nicaragua

El Menco is located at the municipality of Buenos Aires, department of Rivas, 95 kilometers from the capital of Managua. It is one of the poorest communities of Buenos Aires.

BASIC INFRASTRUCTURE

This community does not have electricity or any kind of telecommunication.

Healthcare is poor. There is a tiny health center located at the entrance of “El Jenízaro” at the east side of the community, but it is always undersupplied. In case of emergency people have to travel 20 kilometers to Rivas – a long trip taking into consideration that there is not an ambulance or vehicles in the community.

There is only one primary school in the area, but it is too small to educate all of the children in the area.

There is no potable water on this community; forcing the people to drink untreated lake water or water from questionable hand dug wells.

Many of the homes in the community don’t have sanitary facilities, and most of those that do are saturated with solid waste. Most of the people do their necessities on land.

One hundred percent of the estimated 200 homes in the community are made of impermanent materials that allow the rain and critters to come into the house at all times. There is a high level of respiratory and urinary track infections in the community due to the poor housing and sanitary conditions.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Most of habitants don’t have a permanent job and live of fishing from the Great Lake (Cocibolca) and cattle farming.

The average income of a family in el Menco is less than $40 per month.

Due to the desperation, the community is selling lake sand to survive, creating an ecological problem.

POTENTIAL

Relatively good all weather roads to access the community
Availability of water for irrigation and human consumption.
Young population
Low possibilities for natural disaster
High possibilities to receive specialized services
Recognized agricultural abilities
High tourism potential

PLAN FOR DEVELOPMENT OF EL MENCO COMMUNITY

Goal: Reduce extreme poverty and hunger

Create a sociological study and census of the community.
Build homes and latrines for all needy families in the community.
Provide basic nutritional support for the families for one year
Build a community center that can be used as a technical training center or a local market.
Bring in technical assistance to create jobs or some sort of economic development in the community that can include a fishing village, small animal farms, or farming resources with a market component.
Create a small micro credit fund that can be tapped by each one of the home recipients.
Increase average salaries to over $1.00 per day

Goal: Achieve primary education

Increase the size of the school to allow all children to attend classes.
Provide meals and basic educational supplies for the students in the community as an incentive for parents to send the children to school, thus increasing the attendance rates and decreasing the drop out rates in the schools to ensure that all boys and girls complete a full course of primary schooling.

Goal: Promote gender equality

Build homes titled to the women.
Create jobs with the women in mind.
Create a small micro credit fund that can be tapped by the women in the community.
Increase the learning opportunities for girls in the community and the ratio of gils in school
Create awareness of the importance of education for the girls.

Goal: Reduce child mortality and combat basic diseases

Dig 5 wells to provide potable water to the community.
Build homes and latrines for all needy families in the community.
Create prevention campaigns to reduce the incident of the top 5 diseases killing children under 5.
Deworming programs.
Improve healthcare availability with donations of pharmaceuticals and medical supplies as well as hiring of permanent doctors for the community.
Healthcare prevention training programs

Goal: Improve maternal health

Improve healthcare availability with donations of pharmaceuticals and medical supplies as well as hiring of permanent doctors for the community.
Create maternal care awareness programs and availability of doctors in the community
Impelmentatio of a local IMCI (maternal and child care) program.

Goal: Ensure environmental sustainability

Train the community to properly care for their homes and latrines.
Create clean jobs
Study solar power possibilities
Create f community forest or plant 5 trees around the new homes