First Few Days

Saturday morning was spent going over the history of WFP and becoming aware of culture norms in Nica. Then we took our first trek into the city during the daytime. Visiting both the market full of fresh fruits, veggies and raw meat was quite a contrast to the upscale mall. Learning that the average Nicaraguan lives on $2 a day, it was really hard to comprehend how they feed the average family of 6.

In the afternoon we covered a historical timeline, focusing on the cycles of military and economic violence, much of which has involved the United States. After this discussion we were able to tour the historical sites we learned about and see them firsthand.

Yesterday (Sunday) morning we participated in a power and privilege activity and self-reflection on where we come from. After this, we learned about neolibralism, debt and structural adjustments in Nicaragua. Our leader at WFP Ben does a great job explaining the context of the situations we are learning about. Many participants get very fired up after learning about these injustices.

The last two aspects of Sunday involved visiting the homes of two very strong, courageous women. The first was Maria, who lives in a squatter community that has been in the same location for over 30 years. She works, goes to school and helps run a community health clinic out of her own home. The project is funded by a private Canadian non-profit. She has about 20 meds on hand and then a doctor visits the community once a week for a few hours in the afternoon and sees 20-25 patients. Maria's home is open 24/7 and she has 2-3 people each day seeking her guidance.

The second woman, Yamileth lives just outside Managua's public dump. She lived in the dump for many years and worked off the dump, before having children. When her daughters were born, she decided she no longer wanted to live off the dump and never wanted her girls too. She also runs a publicly funded health clinic for the community of Acahualinca where she has 4 different medicines to distribute. Because of her prevention and community action, the neighborhood's health and safety has greatly improved. Make sure to ask a participant more about Yami's story!

Despite all the structural challenges, it is leaders like these women who are inspiring us. Stay tuned. We're all doing well (slightly overwhelmed with information) and excited to learn more stories to share with everyone.