End of the Semester Arts Event at the CCBN

Saturday was the end of the year Cierre Cultural at the Centro Cultural Batahola Norte. A crowd of several hundred people gathered to watch presentations of folkloric dance, children's theater, and music, in addition to a presentation by the beauty course, and the awarding of diplomas for the arts classes. It was a beautiful event!

Congratulations to all of the students, and to the teachers, staff, and administrative team for their tireless efforts throughout the year to make the arts program available and to make it so vibrant. The huge crowd at the Cierre Cultural was a powerful reminder that the impact of the CCBN is not only on the students that receive classes, but on their families and community as a whole.

Below are a few of the photos, and a short clip from one of the folkloric dance performances.

Recital at the Centro Cultural Batahola Norte

Yesterday was the end of the year recital at the Centro Cultural Batahola Norte of the music classes. Family and friends gathered to listen to the classical pieces the students played. Some of the instruments played were: flute, clarinet, cello, violin, guitar, trombone, and trumpet.

It was a great event, and congrats to all the performers!

Club de Jovenes Ambientalistas

On Saturday, Christine and I had the chance to go to the weekly meeting of the Club de Jovenes Ambientalistas (Youth Environmentalist Club) in Managua. I learned about the club through Denis, another Action Parter I met at the Oxfam International Youth Partnership who has been involved with the Club for many years, and is interested in collaborating with us at the Center to help to educate people about protection of the environment (photo below, with myself and other Action Partners).

Christine and I were very excited to meet other members of the Club de Jovenes, and we hope to plan action with them in the future. Climate change is one of the biggest threats to Central American countries, including Nicaragua, which suffers from all major forms of natural disasters: hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, droughts, volcano eruptions, etc. In addition to these natural disasters, the daily environmental problems of air, water, and soil contamination have serious implications for Nicaraguans. The sector of society most impacted by these environmental issues are the poor, women, and indigenous groups.

I have included some photos from my trips to Nicaragua in November, 2006, with Sister Helen Prejean, and March 2007 with the Pedro Arrupe group from Boston College. La Chureca (left) is the trash dump of Managua, which is located on Lake Managua. La Chureca is dangerous because the trash burning there leads to air pollution, and the runoff from the dump goes directly into Lake Managua, the water source for most of the city. In addition, there are hundreds of people who survive by living in La Chureca, collecting tin or plastic, and eating the food they find there. This population faces innumerable health risks from the contaminated water, food, and air, and also face additional disease risks because the medical waste of the city is also dumped there.

The second photo (right) is of a camp of workers protesting the use of the chemical pesticides on the cane fields owned by Casa Pellas, the company that makes the rum Flor de Caña. The pesticides used are extremely toxic, and after a few years, workers on the plantation fall ill with renal failure (kidney failure), which is a terminal degenerative disease. Unable to work, they are fired without compensation or health care, and their families loose their livelihoods. Hundreds of these workers are currently living in tents in Managua in front of Casa Pellas in protest of their unjust treatment. The story of the workers and their currently legal battle was recounted by a representative of the workers (below).

There are many other similar stories of the negative use of chemical pesticides in Nicaragua. The urban neighborhood Cuidad Sandino is located on land that used to be owned by the Somoza family, but which was discarded because the heavy use of pesticides rendered the land unusable, and a squatter settlement developed there. Many who have moved to Cuidad Sandino came as refugees from natural disasters.

The banana workers are another group that has been negatively affected by pesticide use. Banana plantations use Nemagon, a chemical that has been banned for its toxicity in the U.S., but which continues to be exported to Nicaragua and other poor countries. Similar to the cane workers, the banana workers go into kidney failure due to the chemicals, and eventually die. Once workers are too sick to work, they are essentially discarded, without any help for their families or compensation.

Environmental problems disproportionally affect the poor and marginalized, and will be an increasing problem in the future. For this reason, Christine and I are hoping to educate ourselves about environmental issues that affect Batahola Norte, Nicaragua, and all regions of the world, and the measures we can take in our daily lives to reduce our environmental impact.

-Laura

Thanksgiving at Casa Ben Linder

We spent Thanksgiving at Casa Ben Linder, the community center for internationals living in Nicaragua and working for non-profit and social justice organizations.

While we were missing our families at home, we were glad to celebrate with others and to meet new friends. In the pictures are friends from the volunteer programs Witness for Peace and Jesuit Volunteer International, but many other organizations were in attendance as well.

Happy Thanksgiving to all of our friends and family back in the U.S.!

Remembering the Martyrs of Central America

"No Hace Falta Tener Mucho Para Ser Mucho"

- Ignacio Ellacuría

Remembering the Martyrs of El Salvador and Latin America: The Vigil at the UCA, San Salvador

One of the most appalling acts carried out by Salvadoran forces during El Salvador’s 12-year Civil War (1980-92) was the November 16, 1989 massacre at the Jesuit University, the UCA. Military forces entered the campus, dragged six Jesuit priests from their beds, and brutally assassinated them, along with a university employee and her young daughter.

Every year, thousands of people from around the world gather to remember the martyrs of the UCA, and all of the martyrs of El Salvador and Latin America who struggled for justice.

Christine and I first came to El Salvador in 2005 and 2006 as part of the Casa de la Solidaridad program, where we learned about the history of the Salvadoran Civil War, liberation theology, political science of Latin America, as well as accompanied grassroots organizations in various communities. The Vigil was an important time for us to gather with our Salvadoran friends, teachers, and communities, and remember those who lost their lives.















Martyrs of the UCA:

Ignacio Ellacuría
Ignacio Martín Baró
Segundo Montes
Armando López
Juan Ramón Moreno
Joaquin López y López
Elba Julia Ramos
Celina Ramos

Why Were They Killed?

Many of the Jesuits were outspoken proponents of liberation theology, which encourages Christians to work to help create the "Kingdom of God" on earth by dismantling oppressive social structures. As God loves everyone, God does not want people to be poor. Poverty equals death, and is a result of "structural sin," which deprives people of human rights and basic necessities. In liberation theology, Jesus is recognized as being a subversive revolutionary, who was executed, like so many in Latin America in the last several decades, for protecting the poor and marginalized.

Liberation theology was a departure from earlier Catholic teachings, which often encouraged the poor and oppressed to "bear the cross" of their sufferings with the knowledge that God would reward them in heaven. This shifted in the 1960s with the Vatican II Council, and the following Medellín Conference of Latin American bishops, in which the Church was encouraged to attend to the "signs of the times," to speak out against injustice.

Liberation theologians reject the notion that the Church should be apolitical, because they see that Jesus was not apolitical--he advocated for social justice and the creation of the Kingdom of God on earth. It is not only the right, but the responsibility of the Church to speak out against injustice. In light of this belief, Archbisop Oscar Romero in the last homily before he was assassinated in March, 1980 denounced the Salvadoran military:

"I would like to make a special appeal to the men of the army, and specifically to the ranks of the National Guard, the police and the military. Brothers, you come from our own people. You are killing your own brother peasants when any human order to kill must be subordinate to the law of God which says, "Thou shalt not kill." No soldier is obliged to obey an order contrary to the law of God. No one has to obey an immoral law. It is high time you recovered your consciences and obeyed your consciences rather than a sinful order. The church, the defender of the rights of God, of the law of God, of human dignity, of the person, cannot remain silent before such an abomination. We want the government to face the fact that reforms are valueless if they are to be carried out at the cost of so much blood. In the name of God, in the name of this suffering people whose cries rise to heaven more loudly each day, I implore you, I beg you, I order you in the name of God: stop the repression."

Like Oscar Romero, the Jesuits of the UCA were outspoken in their defense of the poor, which is why they were seen as a threat to the Salvadoran government (which was at the time, largely funded by the U.S. government).

The Voice of the Voiceless

Fr. Jon Sobrino, who survived the massacre because he was out of the country at the time, has since become one of the world's most prominent liberation theologians. The Jesuits are remembered and loved for being the "voices of the voiceless." Despite the assassination of Romero several years earlier, and the assassination of many other priests and clergy, they continued their work courageously, knowing that their lives were endangered.

The Vigil at the UCA not only commemorates the death of the Jesuits and 2 women, but is a time to remember all of the martyrs of El Salvador and denounce the continued impunity of the Salvadoran military who were responsible for over 80% of the assassinations. The majority of the soldiers who carried out the massacre were trained at the School of the Americas, the infamous U.S.-based military training camp for Latin American soldiers (the National Guard of Somoza, the previous dictator of Nicaragua, had his troops trained at the SOA, and the SOA has trained troops of many other repressive regimes throughout Latin America).

Close the School of the Assassins: Vigil at the SOA, Georgia

Every year, the anniversary of the massacre at the UCA is remembered at the School of the Americas Vigil outside of Fort Benning, Georgia. People gather from around the U.S. to demand the U.S. government to stop using U.S. tax dollars to train Latin American soldiers in repression and torture. Far from being unaware of atrocities committed by SOA alums, U.S. military advisers have been involved in directly overseeing operations many Latin American countries including Guatemala (whose 35-year civil war amounted to the worst genocide in the Western Hemisphere), El Salvador, Nicaragua, Argentina, Chile, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Columbia and other countries.

Currently, the U.S. government is constructing the ILEA (International Law Enforcement Academy) in El Salvador to train Latin American police forces in counter-insurgency and "anti-terrorism." Several other countries, including Costa Rica, rejected plans for the school to be built within their borders because of the school's refusal to be transparent about its activities. For more information see: "The ILEA: U.S. Exporting “Criminal Justice” to Latin America from a Base in El Salvador"


Below is a short slide show of the Vigil on Nov. 16th this year:

Vigil at the School of the Americas, Fort Benning, Georgia


El Salvador Photo Album

Report on El Salvador from Rick Jones, Catholic Relief Services (CRS)

Christine and I had the opportunity to attend a talk by Rick Jones of Catholic Relief Services gave to the students of the Casa de la Solidaridad (the study-abroad program that Christine and I both attended).

Rick identified three principal issues in El Salvador:
1. Violence
2. Immigration
3. Climate Change

El Salvador has the third highest homicide rates in the world (after Iraq and Columbia), and has the highest homicide rates in a country that is not at war. The majority of the homicides are attributed to:

1. Gang Violence
2. Organized Crime
3. Domestic Violence and Police Violence

Violence

What is shocking about these causes of violence is that police violence accounts for over 40% of homicides, according to CRS. This is attributed to the "Mano Duro" (Hard Handed) laws, which grant police amnesty for their actions.

While the Mano Duro laws were enacted a few years ago to combat gang violence, since that time, El Salvador has actually seen an increase in violence. Instead of investing money in education or programs that would provide an alternative for young people, the Salvadoran government enacted Mano Duro laws as a way to legitimate state repression.
Death squads sponsored by the Salvadoran government (ARENA party) are still active, and new "Anti-Terrorism" Laws have made protesting (even peacefully) illegal. On July 2, 2007, 14 people were detained for partaking in a peaceful protest against the privatization of water. The privatization of water is a hugely controversial issue in El Salvador, and throughout the Latin America, as allowing international corporations the right to sell water means much higher prices for water and less access (or no access) for the poor. The 14 people detained were labeled "terrorists," and could face up to 70 years in prison if convicted. Some of these “terrorists” include single mothers and poor campesinos. For more information, see the CRISPAZ article: Protests Against Water Privatization Thwart Saca Announcement

Immigration

There are currently 2 million Salvadorans living in the US, or approximately 25% of the population. In 2006, the remittances (money sent to Salvadorans from family members abroad) totaled over $3 billion, or 18% of the GDP of the country. The $3 billion in remittances is more than double the amount of money invested in El Salvador in the form of FDI (Foreign Direct Investment), and is largely responsible for the decrease in poverty. While the statistics on poverty seem to be improving, this improvement is artificial and not sustainable. In many rural Salvadoran communities, there are no men between the ages of 15-45 because they have all immigrated to the US. In addition to tearing families apart, immigration causes many other social problems.

While El Salvador, in terms of GDP, seems to be doing well economically, the country would collapse with out remittances, and the extreme inequality in the distribution of income (Latin America has the most unequal distribution of income in the world) masks the severity poverty in the country.

Currently, there over 200,000 Nicaraguans living in El Salvador, and Nicaraguans are immigrating in increasing numbers to replace the lost Salvadoran population. Increasingly, human rights abuses and exploitation of undocumented workers that is found in the US is being repeated in El Salvador, as Nicaraguan undocumented immigrants have no political rights and work for lower wages than Salvadorans.

The immigration issue is of central importance throughout Central America, and should cause policymakers in the U.S. to re-examine the sustainability of CAFTA and NAFTA free trade agreements, which have had a de-stabilizing effect in the region, exacerbating poverty in rural as well as urban areas.
Effects of the U.S. Response

The increasing security of the U.S. border has not decreased immigration into the U.S., but has rather provided an opportunity for greater profits for smugglers or "coyotes." Because of increased security, the price of smuggling a person into the U.S. has risen, and it has become almost as profitable to smuggle people as drugs.

For this reason, the once-rival groups of coyotes and drug smugglers are uniting and building a strong network. The heightened security makes immigrating more dangerous, since immigrants must use more risky routes, and there is little incentive on the part of coyotes to ensure the safety of those crossing.

For women, immigrating is especially dangerous, and many women can expect to face violence and/or rape during the journey, or in the U.S., as undocumented workers have little legal protection and live in constant fear. The children of undocumented workers are also at risk, since they are left with friends or relatives in their home country, which can potentially be more dangerous for them.

CRS’s Strategy

In addition to working on grassroots development projects in El Salvador, Catholic Relief Services also works with transplanted Salvadoran communities living in the U.S., thereby trying to direct remittance funds into sustainable community development projects to support schools, cooperatives, and other projects that benefit communities in a lasting way.


Climate Change
Similar to Nicaragua, El Salvador faces almost every kind of natural disaster: volcano eruptions, earthquakes, floods, droughts, and hurricanes. El Salvador is the 2nd most deforested nation in the world (after Haiti), and over 98% of the rivers are polluted.

As the protests against water privatization indicated, water security is a central issue in El Salvador (as well as in Nicaragua). At the crux of the environmental issues is the conflict between long-term sustainability and short-term benefits. Multi-national corporations, as noted earlier, raise the prices of water sharply, making it less accessible for the poor. They also are legally permitted to export 100% of profits, so there is little investment in the local economy. Why a government would want to privatize water and other basic necessities often has to do with corruption, since government officials are part of the wealthy oligarchy of El Salvador and would personally profit from privatization.

Gold mines are currently a threat to water security throughout Central America, and are currently an issue of contention in El Salvador. Open- pit gold extraction uses large amounts of toxic chemicals that destroy the environment and pollute water sources. It takes 400 years before land is able to be used again after gold extraction. While gold mines pay $7/hour to workers rather than $7/day, mining companies also have to right to export over 90% of the funds out of the country.

Access to water is a human right, and unless actions are taken to protect access to clean water, many more conflicts will be seen in the coming years.

Why Privatization Matters

The issue of privatization of basic necessities (water, electricity, health care, education, etc.) is of central importance in Latin America. One of the problems with privatization, is that basic necessities are placed in the hands of foreign multi-national corporations whose interest is not the well-being of local populations, but in maximizing profits. Multi-national companies often have the right to export all or the majority of their profits, so invest very little in the local economies. While private companies often claim to provide better services, this is often not the case. Nicaragua is currently undergoing massive blackouts (which were not experienced before 2000 when electricity was privatized). Union Fenosa (a Spanish corporation) controls all of the electricity of Nicaragua, and has been caught tampering with meters. Because they have refused to pay the generators of electricity, there have been massive shortages. Instead of people paying lower bills for receiving less electricity, Nicaraguans' electricity bill have been the same as before the energy cuts or more expensive.

In the case of water, private companies sell water in bottles, which can be difficult (if not impossible) to transport to rural areas, and which produce huge amounts of waste, in addition to hundreds of times more expensive than public water.

As a neighboring country, and as a country that also faced a similar history of foreign exploitation and intervention, the current situation in El Salvador is very pertinent to Nicaragua.

Volunteer Missionary Movement Retreat


On the 14-15, Christine and I attended a retreat with VMM, which brought together all of the volunteers from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Nicaragua. It was a really rewarding experience, because we had a chance to reflect on our experiences thus far in Nicaragua, and also to hear about the experiences of other volunteers. What I enjoyed the most was perspectives of people doing volunteer work who were specialists (nurses or engineers), and also those at different stages of life. Damien and Mary who work in El Salvador, and Dan and Melissa who work in Guatemala both have young children accompanying them, which presents a lot of distinct challenges and joys. Stephen and Betsy, who work in Guatemala, are also in their late 60s and 70s, and their struggles are different from those that Christine and I might experience.

We are thankful to VMM for their support of Friends of Batahola Volunteers, and for the guidance that they have provided us so far. Throughout our two years in Nicaragua, Christine and I will have several opportunities to gather together with other volunteers from the region, as well as with VMM directors to share experiences

Visit to Cantón el Cedro: Casa de Cipote

When I studied abroad in El Salvador in the fall of 2005, I had the chance to spend some time accompanying the community of Cantón el Cedro in the community center Casa del Cipote (Children's House). Casa del Cipote offers a comedor (soup kitchen) for 105 children between the ages of 1-12, and offers them 2 meals a day. There is also a pre-school, kindergarten, and workshops in sewing, crafts, and computers.

Casa del Cipote began four years ago as a soy cooperative started by Sor Lidia, a Daughter of Charity. She wasn't content with only providing food for the community, so the helped to organize people, and raised the money to build the center where Casa del Cipote is located. With the help of community members, the land was leveled, and one concrete building was constructed, which has since been expanded to include a covered playground and another covered space for activities and presentations. Sor Lidia saw transformation in the community in the period of a few short years, and saw the children grow from being afraid to express themselves to being vivacious and outgoing. The women too were once very reserved and lacked self-confidence, but have since formed community and self-worth by coming together to help their community.

Cantón el Cedro Photo Album

- Laura

Mary Jo Martin's Visit with the Women's Quilting Group

This week, we had a visit from Mary Jo, a woman from Chicago who has been supporting the women's quilting group here at the Center both financially and through skills development workshops. The women have been looking forward to her visit for months! She came for the first time this past March to introduce the basics of quilting to a group of about 25 women. From that group, about 10 women have been meeting on a weekly basis in the hopes of developing their skills and organizing themselves in to an income generating group. One of our main projects at the Center is to accompany this group, and in time others like it, in their process of self organization. I have been meeting with this group of women once a week to discuss goals and challenges, help spark discussion of possible products and markets, and support them as they define what kind of group they would like to be and how they plan to accomplish their goals. All week I have been translating for Mary Jo, and learning a little about quilting, too!

The workshop took place over five days, and concentrated on helping the women refine their quilting skills, choose effective color combinations, and learn various new patterns to incorporate into their work. We were also able to take the women and Mary Jo on a museum visit to the "Palacio de la Cultura", in order to identify color combinations and designs that represent Nicaraguan culture that they may be able to incorporate into their work. We looked through artisan exhibits, indigenous masks and carvings, exhibits about the biodiversity of the region, etc. We were also lucky enough to catch a bit of a free concert in the museum by the National Orchestra. If you look closely, you can see our friend Abel in the back row with a trombone. He is only 17, yet through taking classes at the Center for many years he was invited to enter the National Orchestra this year!

It was a great week, and I'm excited to have a chance to reflect on Mary Jo's visit with the women in the next few weeks. I'm also excited for a little vacation after a rewarding yet work intensive week. Laura and I are leaving for El Salvador tomorrow to take part in the UCA's vigil to honor the Jesuits who were killed there during the revolution in 1989, as well as attend the VMM annual retreat. We are looking forward to seeing good friends and being able to take some time to process this past month. Another update will be coming soon! Sending much love to you all.

Christine

Envio: FMI y Educacion en Nicaragua/ Envio: The IMF and Education in Nicaragua (soon to be translated)

Envio:
Nicaragua, el Fundo Monetario Internacional, e la Educación
10/30/07
Adolfo Acevedo
Economista

El Sistema de Educación

Uno de los problemas más grandes en Nicaragua actualmente es la falta de inversión en la educación. Las personas entre 0-15 años en 2005 van a componer más que 50% de la fuerza laboral del 2020, y la mayoría de ellos no van a la escuela ahora.

Educación básica (la primaria) es unas de las Metas del Milenio de la Naciones Unidas, y Nicaragua no esta haciendo lo suficiente para cumplirlo. Además, invertir en la primaria no es suficiente—las personas también necesitan recibir la secundaria. Todos los países desarrollados desarrollaron cuando podían establecer un sistema de educación universal y gratis. Nicaragua también necesita invertir en las personas, invertir en la educación para seguir adelante. El Fondo Monetario Internacional impide la inversión del gobierno de Nicaragua en la educación.

¿Qué es el Fondo Monetario Internacional (FMI)?
Según la página de web del FMI, el FMI es:
fue creado mediante un tratado internacional en 1945 para contribuir al estímulo del buen funcionamiento de la economía mundial. Con sede en Washington, el gobierno del FMI son los 184 países miembros, casi la totalidad del mundo. El FMI es la institución central del sistema monetario internacional, es decir, el sistema de pagos internacionales y tipos de cambio de las monedas nacionales que permite la actividad económica entre los países. Sus fines son evitar las crisisen el sistema, alentando a los países a adoptar medidas de política económica bien fundadas; como su nombre indica, la institución es también un fondoal que los países miembros que necesiten financiamiento temporal pueden recurrir para superar los problemas de balanza de pagos. (http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/exrp/what/spa/whats.pdf)

Aunque el FMI dice de que quiere aliviar los críses económicas en los países del mundo, hay muchos críticos que dicen de que el motivo verdadero del FMI es proponer el papel de los Estados Unidos en el mundo como una forma de control sobre los países subdesarrollados o pobres.

¿Qué Tiene que Ver el Fondo Monetario Internacional (FMI) con el Sistema de Educación?
El gobierno actual de Nicaragua tiene un acuerdo con el FMI. Aunque algunos dicen de que el FMI se impuso en Nicaragua, no es cierto. El gobierno de Daniel Ortega solicitó al FMI para un programa en Nicaragua. Uno de los argumentos más fuertes en contra de los programas del FMI es que, como condición de los prestamos que da, el FMI exige que el gobierno del país baje los gastos. Esto significa que el gobierno no pueda invertir tanto dinero en el salud y la educación, lo cual hace mucho daño especialmente a la gente pobre.

Para eliminar la pobreza en Nicaragua, una meta muy importante es la inversión en educación. Para mejorar el sistema de educación, es necesario también aumentar los salarios de los maestros, los cuales actualmente son muy bajos. Es necesario aumentar los salarios también para atraer maestros de mejor calidad.

La FMI está en contra del aumento de salarios para maestros. El FMI dice que si el gobierno aumenta los salarios de los maestros, los otros trabajadores públicos van a demandar aumento salarial, y poco a poco Nicaragua va a perder su estatus como país con mano de obra barata, y así Nicaragua no va a poder atraer tanta inversión extranjera.

No es el rol del FMI dictar como el gobierno de Nicaragua invierta su dinero. Muchas personas tienen miedo del FMI, y piensan de que la gente no puede hacer nada, pero no es cierto. Argentina es un ejemplo bueno de la posibilidad de rechazar el FMI, y recuperarse económicamente como país. Lo necesario es que toda la gente estén informado sobre la situación y que no estén pasivos, que participen en la política y la transformación de la sociedad. El gobierno de Ortega no debiera hablar sobre el contrato con el FMI en secreto. El gobierno debió consultar con la gente sobre la posibilidad a decidir y negociar.

Algunas preguntas importantes:
¿Cuál fue el motivo del gobierno Nicaragüense de entrar a un acuerdo con el FMI?
¿Cuáles fueron los efectos de las políticas del FMI en otros países?
¿Cuál será el efecto de la política de FMI en Nicaragua?
¿Cuáles son otras posibilidades para el desarrollo en Nicaragua?
¿Qué pasara si Nicaragua negará al acuerdo con FMI?
¿Qué puede hacer la gente que no está a favor de este acuerdo con el FMI?


- Laura Hopps

Our First Week Together! And Hurricane Felix Update from Accion Medica Cristiana

Last week was my first week living in Nicaragua, and the first week that Christine and I have spent here together. The first few days, I was overwhelmed with all that we needed to get started on for the program and tried to balance that while still recovering from jet lag, and running around Managua with Antonio to buy necessary items for our house and other errands.

We had several meetings with Jennifer, the Coordinator of the Center, to discuss our plans, and outline what we need to be working on. I also had time to get caught up on what happened in the 2 weeks that Christine had been here. We have a lot to get done in terms of planning for the next few months and for the future of Friends of Batahola Volunteers, strategizing about fund raising, and coordinating with the Center.

The above photo is a picture from a meeting with two of the university scholarship students, Hazel and Ciro, where they were brainstorming ways that scholarship students can be more united as a group and collaborate together on different projects and activities of the Center (there were about 6 other scholarship students attending the meeting as well). Another one of their goals was to think of ways that scholarship students can continue to contribute to the Center after they have left and become professionals. All scholarship students at the Center currently also do social service hours, which may consist of working in the library, tutoring children from the local primary school, and other activities. This was one of the meetings that we attending during the week, and it was great for us to get to know some of the scholarship students a little better and hear about their experiences, and how the Center has positively impacted their lives. Later in the week, we also attended a meeting that was planning ways to raise awareness about environmental issues in Batahola. Some of the ideas included cleanup campaigns and educational programs at the local primary school. These meetings were helpful to learn about in greater depth what is going on at the Center and groups of students and others affiliated with it.

Despite feeling a bit disoriented my first week, it feels great to be here again. Christine and I are living in a house owned by the Center, and which is right next to it. We love sitting on our front porch and waving to our friends at the Center. Lots of young people our age have been stopping in to see us, to watch movies and play cards at night. It has been really nice to see people I met when I was here before, and to make new friends. Everyone has been very welcoming so far, and I look forward to forming strong relationships with people here, and learning a lot.

(the last photo is of our house, and the photo above is the view from our front porch of the Center, which is approximately 3 meters away).


Report from Casa Ben Linder: Accion Medica Cristiana
http://www.casabenlinder.org

Each week, Christine and I will be meeting with other international volunteers at Casa Ben Linder, which hosts a weekly talk with Nicaragua non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that work in such fields as: relief and development, sustainable development, trade justice, woman’s rights, environmental protection, HIV/AIDS, and other issues.

This week the speak was from Accion Medica Cristiana (AMC), one of the NGOs leading the effort on the Atlantic coast on relief after Hurricane Felix, which is one of the worst in recent history, hitting the coast as a level 5 hurricane on September 5th.

Some facts and statistics about the current situation in the hurricane-affected region:

- Lack of infrastructure: most people on the Atlantic coast get around by canoes, and less than 1% of households have land line telephones (compared to 12.6% nationally). The lack of existing infrastructure made communicating to communities about evacuation near impossible (and even more so because of how quickly the hurricane developed and hit), and poses serious problems to the relief effort.
- Migration: In the past 10 years, the population in the region has doubled, but the government continues to give the same amount of money for education and health care. Migration to the region is due in part to labor attracted by the mines. Before the storm, there was over 60% malnutrition in the mining regions (contradicting hypotheses that opening mines creates economic opportunities for local communities).
- Birthrate: while the national birthrate is close to 3 children per woman, on the Atlantic coast the average of children per woman is 5, and close to 7 in some regions.
- Maternal Mortality: while nationally the maternal mortality rate is 94 deaths per 1,000 women who give birth, on the Atlantic coast, the rate is 332 deaths.
- Deforestation: between 1983-2003, 23% of the forests disappeared in the region. More forests would have protected the region from the impact of the hurricane more, and would have prevented soil erosion.
- Unmapped communities: because many of the communities in the region were not identified before the relief effort, finding the effected communities was a challenge for aid organizations and the government.
- Food Insecurity: most of the current food aid is coming from the western part of the country, but recent flooding here has caused food insecurity on a national level.

It must also be noted that this region is among the poorest in Nicaragua, and a high percentage of the population is indigenous. One of the underlying causes of poverty in the region is the history of marginalization of the indigenous communities.

Response:
- Government: The government initially tried to centralize all aid coming to the country, but has since realized that that they cannot manage the aid alone. One criticism from AMC is that the government has not called a meeting of civil society and the NGOs despite the fact that NGOs handle over 24% of the aid. On the other side, the government has not posed any barriers to the work that NGOs are doing.
- AMC: the goals of AMC in the recovery period are:
o Safety of survivors
o Houses
o Food security: secure the next food production

HOW TO HELP!
For more information on AMC, and how you can help to support the relief effort, see: www.amc.org.ni

As I mentioned earlier, Nicaragua is about to enter a period of national food insecurity. It is not only the Hurricane-affected region that is in danger now, because of the flooding that has ruined the harvests in the western part of the country. Nicaragua, as the second poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, was already in a vulnerable position before, but the situation now is becoming much worse. Please help the efforts here if you can.


Saludos,
Laura

Oxfam International Youth Partnership

Safe and Sound in Batahola Norte!

Laura and I arrived safe and sound in Managua, Nicaragua on September 26th. We were met with many warm hugs from the Centerś staff and a beautiful basket full of fruit and bread in our new home. Here will will be staying for the next two years, collaborating with the Centro Cultural Batahola Norte. Ironically, Laura had to leave as soon as she got to Nicaragua. She is taking part in a conference about globalization and community development in Sydney, Australia! So far she has told me she is learning a lot and making plenty of contacts all over the world... I'm sure we will be hearing from her soon! But for now, that means that I have two weeks by myself to begin familiarizing myself with Batahola Norte, the Center and the Centerś staff, scholarship students etc. I am living literally ten steps away from the Center, renting a house that the Center owns. We will be quite comfortable there as we have a living room-kitchen, bathroom and each have our own bedrooms.

In my first week, most of my time and energy has gone into meeting people from the Center, and finding out about what they do. The Center is run primarily by women, who seem to have an endless source of energy. It is apparent how much they, and so many people in the community, love the Center. Most of the administrators are prior students, many of them having been at the Center more than 20 years. I have also started meeting with a group of women who are interested in exploring the possibility of organizing themselves into a sewing cooperative. Many of these women have participated in the craft class (known as manualidades at the Center), and know how to knit, embroider, make objects out of plantain leaves, and sew. I will be accompanying them in their efforts to organize themselves, define their goals, and come up with possible solutions to the challenges they face.

All in all, my first week in Batahola Norte has been very fruitful. I'm still working hard to get peopleś names down, and am getting back into the swing of speaking Spanish all day. There is no doubt much work to be done in investigating all the possibilities for a volunteer program, as well as working on organizing the English program. But for the next week or so, Iĺl be concentrating on orienting myself to the community and neighborhood - learning as much as i can. More updates to come later!

Much love,
Christine

Greetings from Mexico!

Laura and I arrived two weeks ago to sunny, and rainy (depending on the time of day) Guadalajara in order to take a certification class in Teaching English as a Foreign Language. It´s hard to believe, but we are already half way done with the course. We are in class from 9 - 3:15 everyday learning teaching and classroom management techniques, acquiring lesson planning skills and receiving instruction and advice on how to start setting up an English language program. After class everyday we practice teach at a neighboring English school. Everyday each trainee is assigned a different class... meaning new students, a new level and new objectives everyday. We make our own lesson plans and are observed by a trainer who then gives us tips on how to improve. I think its safe to say that we both are improving everyday and becoming more comfortable and confident in the classroom! The opportunity for us to be here will definitely serve us and the community of Batahola Norte as we begin making plans for their English program.

During the week, we don´t have too much time to see the city and explore because the course load is so heavy. But, weekends are generally our own to do with what we like! This weekend we visited a part of Guadalajara called Tlaquepaque, known for its artisans and mariachi bands (music typical to Mexico... its a group of musicians... guitarists, violinists, trumpet etc, and generally one singer). We had a fabulous time perusing the artwork and were lucky enough to catch a mariachi performance over a tall glass of ice tea. On Sunday I went rock climbing for the 1st time, with some new friends. Although I´m a bit terrified of heights and don't have much upper body strength, I gave it a go! I didn't get too high, but I did have a lot of fun and gave it my best shot (I have very sore arms to prove it).

Needless to say, our first weeks of this journey have been full and fruitful. We are sending much love to all of you - family and friends - and a big thank you to everyone who has and is making this possible. We are keeping you in our hearts, and in our prayers, too.

Much love,

Christine

CCBN Aids Hurricane Felix Survivors

Centro Cultural Batahola Norte Action Update

Centro Cultural Batahola Norte Announces Assistance to areas affected by Hurricane Felix Managua, Nicaragua - September 6, 2007 - With reports of Hurricane Felix's devasting impact to Nicaragua's Caribbean (east) coast, the Centro Cultural Batahola Norte is cooperating with local and international organizations providing financial and material aid to the region. See below for details on the extent of damage and how you can help with relief efforts. Report of the Damage The Northern Atlantic Autonomous Region (RAAN) of Nicaragua is located 550km from the capital Managua. The fragile wood-slat houses of the mostly indigenous populations are dispersed among small peninsulas that extend out to the ocean, making access difficult. An estimated 200,000 Nicaraguans in the RAAN live in conditions of extreme poverty. The Nicaraguan Army Operations Center informed that 5,505 houses have been destroyed in the entire region of the RAAN. In some communities, up to 95% of houses and other buildings were damaged. Over 35,000 people are currently affected. Crucial staple crops (rice, beans, corn) have been completely flooded out. Help is urgently needed to feed, clothe and house the thousands of people affected. The Centro Cultural Batahola Norte is organizing in our local community to collect material aid for our compatriots in the RAAN. We also extend this invitation to you, our international supporters, to contribute to the relief and reconstruction efforts as you are able. How to Help Many trustworthy local organizations working in the hardest-hit areas are responding to the emergency and can use your financial support in any amount. Funds will be used to transport material aid from Managua to the Coast and also to purchase perishible food supplies locally in the affected communities. For tax-deductible emergency giving: NICARAGUA NETWORK has created a special on-line donation channel for Christian Medical Action; all support will go to CMA's relief efforts. Christian Medical Action is part of the Action by Churches Together (ACT) project and will be receiving funds through UMCOR and ACT through this Advance Project Hurricanes 2007. Visit www.nicanet.org. CHURCH WORLD SERVICE, a partner agency of Christian Medical Action. Visit www.churchworldservice.org. UNITED METHODIST CHURCH via the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR). Visit the UMCOR website at www.gbgm-umc.org/umcor, go to Current Emergencies and Select Hurricanes 2007(Hurricane Dean Recovery); UMCOR Advance #982511. CATHOLIC RELIEF SERVICES. Donate via phone: 1-877-HELP-CRS or online at www.crs.org. You can also write a check to: Catholic Relief Services P.O. Box 17090 Baltimore, Maryland 21203-7090 Memo portion of check: Hurricane Felix The Centro Cultural Batahola Norte is honored to collaborate with these sister organizations in relief efforts. We are inspired by our founder Sister Margarita Navarro, who worked tirelessly to mobilize assistance following the devastation of Hurricane Mitch in 1998. Thank you in advance for your support.

About Centro Cultural Batahola Norte The Centro Cultural Batahola Norte is a community-based educational and cultural center, founded in 1983 to help the women and children of poor neighborhoods of Managua become self-sufficient. Our mission statement invites us "To live a more just and convivial style of life, according to the Gospels and with preference for the poor, through holistic education and culture which lead to the discovery of Human Rights, Self-Esteem and Equality."

Centro Cultural Batahola Norte Jennifer Marshall General Coordinator www.friendsofbatahola.org www.centrobatahola.org

Oxfam International Youth Partnership

We have some very exciting news! I have been selected as part of the Oxfam International Youth Partnership program, which brings together 300 young people from around the world working for positive change in the world. More information can be found at: http://www.iyp.oxfam.org/

Oxfam is one of the leading international aid organizations in the world, working in over 100 countries with more than 3,000 partners to address problems of poverty and injustice. Programs include: famine relief and emergency aid, HIV/AIDS programs, educational and health programs, human rights advocacy, fair trade, debt relief, arms trade, and anti-poverty campaigns, among other programs and campaigns. For more information on Oxfam, see the website at: http://www.oxfam.org/

From September 30-October 8, 2007, I will be attending the Oxfam International Youth Partnership conference in Sydney, Australia. I will be able to meet the other 299 Action Partners from around the world, who come from over 100 countries. It will be a great opportunity to meet new people with similar ambitions and learn about the work that they do. In the past, Action Partners have worked on sustainable agriculture projects in rural Mexico, HIV/AIDS prevention in Kenya, educational projects in Jordan, to name a few.

Christine and I are looking forward to lots of new ideas for the volunteer program, and great networking opportunities to aid our project. Please check back for updates from the conference soon!

~ Laura

Yard Sale Fundraiser a Success!

On August 11, 2007, I had a yard sale at my home to fund raise for Friends of Batahola Volunteers. Thanks to donations from friends, family, neighbors, and members of St. Andrew's Church in Yardley, we raised money which will go towards purchasing English textbooks in Nicaragua.

Thank you to everyone who donated to the yard sale, and to everyone who stopped by to support us!

Check out The Courier Time's article on our event at: http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/111-08122007-1391527.html