On my last trip to Tipitapa, I was honored to meet Jacquelyne, a mother of three who received a Dos Pueblos microloan almost two years ago. A resident in Oronte Centeno near the center of town, Jacquelyne requested a microloan to help her small business making bags and fixing clothes. The leftover fabric never went to waste, since her skills on the sewing machine allowed her to stitch and darn every last piece of material into something to sell to support her family.

With the loan, and some family support, Jacquelyne sells and sews not only in Tipitapa, but also sends her cousin off to Matagalpa in the north of Nicaragua every month with a batch of bags to sell there, and he always comes back empty handed. Meanwhile in Oronte Centeno, the word of her work is spreading and she has new visitors all the time. “I’m the only person in this community who mends clothes”, Jacquelyne says, “I think that’s why work is always busy”. That and the fact that her bags are beautiful, fully lined and even zipped to keep all your things safe. We’ll have some for sale at our Fall Fundraiser on November 7th. Come along and see the bags for yourself and support Jacquelyne!

Marina and Emanuel, one of her star pupils

Life has thrown its lot at Marina Garcia Hortado, one of our dedicated volunteers from Chilamatillo, Tipitapa. Despite all the odds, Marina has always taken it upon herself to improve the lives not just of her children, but of her entire community, providing support such as education on birth control and workshops for women so they can start their own businesses. Not to mention that she’s a fantastic cook!

Her volunteer life began in 1985, when she taught at the local preschool in her community. There was no funding for paid teachers, but Marina understood the importance of free education for all from as young an age as possible and immediately offered her services. However, diseases such as malaria meant many children could not attend school, and in larger families children had to spend their time pitching in to put food on the table. Marina attended courses on malaria and diarrhea so she could share her knowledge back in Chilamatillo, and started working with ‘Profamilia’ who provide programs and services on family planning.

When Marina’s husband Jose lost his sight and could no longer work as a mechanic, Marina took a job at the local primary school to support the upbringing and education of her four children. But this did not impede her volunteer work, and her experiences as a teacher gave her the skills to teach adults how to read and to give private classes to children with special learning disabilities. And since improving the lives of the women in her community was her main priority, she continued to share her family planning knowledge, riding around the community on her bike to distribute contraceptive pills to as many women as she could.

Marina cooks Indio Viejo stew for 20 people

Through working with Rosa, our community leader in Tipitapa, Marina is now assisting our microfinance program, and learnt many skills so she could assist the women along the way – cooking, sewing, handicrafts, even beauty classes! She is our main cook when we head down to Tipitapa on a delegation, and even does a hot plate of ‘gallo pinto’ (beans and rice) better than anyone else. When asked of her dreams for the future, Marina replied “To always have the opportunity to help the people in my community. And perhaps one day to be able to thank the donors of Dos Pueblos in person!”

Digging the foundations

By heading to Tipitapa a week before the 2011 Tipitapa Delegation in January, I was lucky enough to really see community work in action with our Health Center Security Fence in Ciudadela San Martin. The entire fence was built in just over a week, all with the labor and support of local volunteers and Rosa, our local community leader and organizer, supervising the project from start to finish. Whether this meant following up on deliveries of supplies or bringing the working team fresh fruit for lunch, Rosa was always present making sure that the fence would be ready in time for the delegates to see, and in time for the planting of our family vegetable patches in the grounds.

With barely a shred of construction knowledge, watching the fence go up was a learning experience. It was also an opportunity to learn some very specific vocabulary (‘malla’ is Spanish for wire mesh fencing). On the day we transported the ‘malla’ from Masaya to Ciudadela, the accelerator pedal in the hired truck gave way. Never an issue in Nicaragua – our driver threaded a rope through the engine, under his feet and into his hand, and just pulled to pick up speed.

Rosa takes a break on the malla

Each day saw new progress, with women, men and children helping to create cement mix, chop down weeds blocking the path of the fence and solder the iron tubes in place. The community was supported by CPC (the Citizen’s Power Council) and CAPS, the National Nicaraguan Potable Water Committee on this project, partnerships which can only serve to strength the work we do.

Now our recently renovated Health Center is secure, and the enclosed family gardens are already sprouting radishes and lettuce. Here, parents and children with special needs are working together to grow sustainable and healthy food to support good nutrition, and we also hope to begin workshops in this secure space to teach preventive health. This one, simple project has brought together so much, from community spirit to health and education.

Of the many experiences I had planned for retirement, Tipitapa turned out to be not only the first one, but the most challenging! Having travelled in Central America before and speaking Spanish, I did not feel the need for preparation. As a social worker for over 30 years, I have dealt with poverty, cross-culturalism, and most types of human needs. Yet, this short trip opened new windows of experience and brought me friends in two very different sister cities. First, the experiences of Tipitapa prompted a true understanding of the old Native American adage: Do not judge your neighbor until you have walked three moons in his or her moccasins. Learning from these experiences and directly sharing life limitations on a daily basis made a lasting change in my life. In seeing the strength, of the people, their daily challenges and struggles, their ability to laugh, love, and give of themselves (and what little they had), has left a profound impression on my life, leading to my questioning who actually has more, those The Tipitapa experience, as a human experience, is probably replicated daily in multiple countries around the globe, yet it has led me to re-frame the question of how best I can be of help to others. This, I thought, I knew well from my professional training. I have since questioned what are real priorities in the scale of human needs, how I can help others voice what they would want to say, what aspects of others’ culture is not to be touched by me, and how do I best understand other views. Critical to me has been questioning how I can develop true equity in a world of differences and commonalities.

“Pero todo no fue reflecciones serias y trabajo.” There was also fun! I met a fantastic and dedicated group of people who accepted my differences and led me to see myself somewhat differently. Everyone in the group, including Luke (the youngest), was a trooper.

From Luke’s reading to the children, to Arlene’s salsa dancing, and to everyone tolerating my food fetishes and difficulties in eating rice and frijoles for breakfast, my fear of worms when gardens are planted, and in making do with whatever was at hand. The group was superb, I learned to “let go,” laugh at myself, and accept that I am melindrosa. The next time I will be better armed with acceptance and openness in the true spirit of these concepts!

Our first report comes from Scott Woods, who joined our delegation from Phoenix, Arizona. This was his first delegation with Dos Pueblos and we were honored to have him as part of our group.

“No mas no more, we must stop the dirty war, compañeros compañeras cry out, no mas no more.” While the lyrics from this School of America Watch song  (written by none other than our great friend and supporter, John McCutcheon) are more relevant to Colombia, El Salvador, and Honduras, Nicaragua too has fallen victim to failed international policies and internal strife. The civil war in Nicaragua ended decades ago resulting in a relatively peaceful society, one with promise, but one that still faces social challenges. The recognition of positive peace, in which the society experiences social systems that serve the entire population, is still a dream for many, especially the residents of communities in and around Tipitapa.

An ongoing interest in Latin American culture, governmental systems, and global policies affecting Central America, specifically Nicaragua, initially drew me to Dos Pueblos. In researching the history of the organization, I learned quickly of the many successful projects and contributions that Dos Pueblos has made to the communities of Nicaragua. The January 2011 delegation was not only an opportunity to gain a breadth of knowledge of the challenges facing Nicaragua, but also, witness the successes of Dos Pueblos and the “faces” of the various communities supported by Dos Pueblos.

Last year, I was involved in a campaign to bring attention to the displaced people in Colombia. The campaign used “faces” and personal stories in an effort to humanize the displacement of campasinas in Colombia. The people of Latin America are often forgotten as a whole when it comes to United States governmental policy and U.S. corporate actions. NAFTA, CAFTA, and the pending Colombian trade act fail to take into account the “faces” and the broad reaching ramifications of many policy actions.

As I disembarked Managua’s Augusto Sandino International Airport, and until my tearful departure eight days later, I was always greeted by warm, caring, happy, and smiling Nicaraguan people, perhaps even more so, from those living in situations of extreme poverty or with physical/cognitive disabilities.

With Nicaragua being the second poorest country in the western hemisphere, a considerable level of financial despondency was expected. It was emotionally disquieting to witness the pain and suffering, but more disconcerting is the fact that much of this suffering results from a lack of compassion on the part of distant political and corporate leaders. I witnessed the many successes and happiness that Dos Pueblos and other NGO’s have brought to the various communities; on the other hand, I would be remiss if I failed to share some of the less favorable situations and the affected faces.  The economic strife witnessed was broad reaching within the areas of human rights, nutrition, health, and education.

Day one of the delegation brought us to the community of Santa Marta.  I learned that at one time, the area around Santa Marta was home to sugarcane fields and a state-run sugar processing facility that employed many people in Tipitapa, which was subsequently privatized in the 1980s and eventually closed down. They have been replaced by many sq km of fields filled with rice paddies. This seems like a perfect fit until you learn that the co-op responsible for the rice uses nearly all the available water, leaving a well in the community of 200 plus families nearly dry.

While the pain I witnessed was heartbreaking, the projects supported by Dos Pueblos and this delegation, however small, do make a huge difference. It is difficult to say which project has or will have the most impact. A well project from last year enables 200+ families to have potable water. However, the community has no school, and the nearest community with a school, San Benito, does not have the resources to support students from other communities’ even if they could afford the bus fare.

Various micro-finance projects allow women to prosper and contribute to the community. While nearly all micro-finance projects have contributed greatly, the children’s smiles indicated that the expansion of a small community store to include the sale of ice cream (Eskimo) was particularly welcome and successful.

The delegation with Dos Pueblos to Nicaragua and the delegates have made a lasting impression. Kicking a football on a dirt street with the kids, watching a young boy roll an old bicycle tire with a stick, smiling the entire time, and the smiles on the children’s faces at the library will forever bring a smile to me.

The people of Nicaragua will always be close to my heart and in my thoughts. I will continue to share my witness and will return soon in hopes of contributing to more growth and opportunity for the people of Nicaragua. I cannot express how proud I am of the children and their contributions to their communities and families, and how sad I am that often they do not have the opportunity to just be kids.

Our delegation brought five 50 lbs bags of school supplies and Spanish children’s books, kindly donated by PS87, a public grade school on the Upper West Side of Manhattan for the children of Ciudadela San Martin. Given the success and demand for Rosa’s existing library, Rosa has started a small library here that serves handicapped children and the children who labor at the local dump.

The big day for the delivery arrived and we were told, “some children will be waiting for you”. As we approached the red gates of the school, a group of policemen stood in the street. Were they waiting for us? Our thoughts were soon confirmed as we turned into the school to see around 200 cheering children sitting in the sun with their teachers and parents. We were suddenly confronted with five times the children than we were expecting. Everyone was excited about the gifts from the students at PS87, but the idea of handing out the materials was now impossible – Rosa’s meticulous inventory of all supplies down to the last pencil for 30 children had to be rethought. She was also surprised, and remarked that as funds and resources have become scarcer, word travels fast around the communities, and parents (mostly mothers) do their best to provide educational goods for their children.

We thank our little New Yorkers at PS87 for contributing to Rosa’s dream of making education a reality for so many children, especially for handicapped children who are often forgotten, and are a source of shame for families in places like Nicaragua. Through school supplies and books, Rosa is able to show parents their children’s talent!

We were impressed that upon arriving at the airport in Managua, all passengers were screened for swine flu with a thermal camera before being allowed in the country. Nicaragua also launched a major public health campaign to prevent the H1N1 virus from affecting its population, dispatching thousands of health brigadistas to educate people and detect any new cases. This theme of good organizing in the face of financial scarcity was repeated throughout our trip.  With the help of community organizers, we saw these realities in Ciudadela San Martín when delivering much-needed school supplies. Next we visited the community water well to see their plan for new pipes to bring potable water for 120 additional families. We also looked at a location for a feeding center, as lay-offs at the free trade zones continue to idle employees as jobs leave for China.

Mayor Cesar Vazquez and Vice mayor Ligia U. Santana informed us that Tipitapa continues to grow. Ligia took us to a new settlement Cristo Rey, where cardboard, plastic and aluminum sheets serve as new homes for the latest residents. We were glad to hear that all property titles in this community were only being given to women, but the good news ended here as Ligia informed us that with the swell of thousands of residents in less than a year, and no electricity, water, or social services, the risk of disease and crime is high. I asked if she thought that only a woman could pull this community together. She asserted, “women do this kind of hard work everyday around the world, and get nothing for it. Here we are giving them property for the hard work that is involved in keeping families together, especially in these impossible circumstances.”

The women of Nicaragua have become the beacon for change, and we were glad to hear this from the halls of the mayor’s office to the communities women serve. The fight for most women is twice as tough – not only do they need to earn a living but they must also provide family care, and run a household. They are survivors of war, economic and sexual exploitation – yet they refuse to give in to despair. Instead, they teach us how to organize, to build health clinics, nutrition programs, schools and literacy campaigns. Women such as Rosa, a community organizer who helps over 200 children, and Lucia, a mother of 6, who built her own home and installed pipes to bring water to her family illustrate the power of women.

We left Nicaragua filled with hope but sobered by the increasing poverty we saw. We returned home ever committed to the struggle for health, nutrition, equality, and an end to economic injustice. Please join us in supporting these women and their strength in making this world a better place.