Visiting Nicaragua

It was a bit of a shock to return from the heat and humidity to the cool, damp air of Vermont. I was saddened to see that our two treasured and ancient maples had fallen in the windstorm, but was thankful that there was no structural damage of any sort.
The four of us who travelled to Nicaragua, had a fascinating time. We visited two different projects: Women in Action in La Primavera, Managua, and Chacocente, in Tipitapa.
Women in Action is a small grassroots project in a very poor community in Managua. The women make soy food once a week to share with each other, raise chickens (when they aren't stolen), create beautiful gourds, attend adult education, and some participate in a microlending program so they can run small businesses.
At Women in Action the women who welcomed us with speeches and games. We walked through the settlemet of La Primavera, which is essentially a squatter settlement, the poorest community in Managua, and saw Lake Managua. We each had lunch in a different home, and despite the poverty of the families we dined with, they fed us royally. I was fortunate because I ate at the home of Antonio, a boy I sponsor so he can go to school. I had made him a book of photos of my family and house, and made captions in Spanish. His mom got the book out and it had been well used. He proudly pointed to a photo of my dog and announced "Ladybug" to me. Not an easy word for a Spanish speaking person to say.
Houses which hold more than four people are smaller than many people's living rooms. Often cooking and washing takes place outside, and of course, there is a pit latrine off in some corner. Grayson Crounse and Laura Rigoni, two of our travellers, helped build a chicken coop out of old wood palettes. I helped paint at the center while Jeff Houseman loaded a program in Spanish so the women at the Women in Action Center could practice their computer skills in the new computer center--now don't think luxury, it houses 3 old computers!
On our last day there we visited Granada, had a boat ride through the isles of Lake Nicaragua, at lunch at Lagoon Apoyo, and the grandest adventure of all, explored the bat caves at Vulcan Masaya, one of the most unique volcanos in the world.
Next we went to visit Project Chacocente, an amazing and unique project in the countryside. The director, at the inspiration of some youth, developed a community wherein families who previously lived in the horrors of the Managua City dump, could move to the country, build their own homes, own land, share land and start anew.
Eight families live there; several families were unable to make the adjustment to community life and returned to the dump. Families commit to learning budgeting, team work, nutrition, healthy family living, and after 5 successful years will own the house they built and live in. The project has its own school and social worker.
We pulled beans, hacked weeds with machetes, and helped clear the roads of brush so the town could grade the road. Laura helped with the pre-schoolers and we also played games with some of the children.
Our adventure with this project was to visit Vulcan Mombacho, a magnificent cloud forest volcano, and have dinner at the top.
If you would be interested in hearing more about either Women in Action or Project Chacocente, or having any or all of us come and share our experiences, please contact me, Rev. Elizabeth at 849-6588.