Nicaraguan Migration

This morning I attended a presentation at the Casa Ben Linder on the reconfiguration of Nicaraguan transnational families. The speakers were Cándida Rosa Gomez, a researcher with Jesuit Migrant Services, and Kristin Elizabeth Yarris, a doctoral candidate at the UCLA Department of Anthropology and a Fulbright Scholar. Their presentation focused on the social, cultural, and economic consequences of migration for the sending families and communities. Immigration is a multi-faceted and ever-present issue for the United States, and hearing about it from the perspective of those left behind brings to light several factors that are often overlooked in the debate.

First of all, it is important to note that the Nicaraguan immigration phenomenon includes immigrants in the United States, Costa Rica, Mexico, and other Central American countries. In fact, 50% of Nicaraguan migrants go to Costa Rica. This phenomenon can be studied from the perspective of those leaving because they cannot find living wage jobs in Nicaragua, the perspective of youth leaving to find better opportunities, or the perspective of a gendered lens looking at the increasing numbers of women leaving their children behind, just to name a few. The feminine perspective is currently one of the most neglected viewpoints in the academic world, which is why Gomez and Yarris chose to make it the focus of their presentation. Additionally, gender is what makes Nicaraguan immigration different from other Latin American immigration, with single mothers looking for a way to support their children making up a majority of Nicaraguan immigrants.

Nicaraguan immigrants in Costa Rica face many of the same dangers and documentation struggles that Latin American immigrants in the U.S. encounter. Crossing the border itself is dangerous, and once in Costa Rica, immigrants can’t return to Nicaragua and are always facing the threat of deportation. One frequently overlooked aspect of the struggle is that while Nicaraguan immigrants in Costa Rica are paying into the tax system, they have no guarantee of receiving the benefits, such as healthcare in their old age. At the same time, though, the families they have left behind often don’t have someone in the workforce in Nicaragua, so they are missing out on benefits as well. Immigrants to the U.S. also slip through this crack.

Another major issue in the immigration debate are the remittances that immigrants send back to their home countries. The families in Yarris’ study receive an average of $100 a month from their migrated member, and most of these families state that this money is still not enough to live off of. In Nicaragua, remittances make up 7% of the GNP, and 8.1% of households receive them. Of these households, 73.7% are receiving remittances from family in the U.S., while 23.5% are receiving remittances from family in Costa Rica. But who else is “benefitting” economically from this phenomenon? Gomez and Yarris mentioned both Western Union, who charges quite a bit for money transfers, and cell phone companies (such as Claro and Movistar in Nicaragua, both part of larger multinational telecommunications networks), who allow families to keep in touch.

Yarris’ research focuses on the children left behind by migrant mothers and the grandmothers who often assume responsibility for them. She is looking at how families shift to care for these children and how these changes affect gender relations within the families. Often, children left behind do not show their mothers affection, despite the fact that they are well-aware of who their mothers are. Communities also look down on these women as having become too “liberal” or “loose” because of their immigration experience. These circumstances create a situation of double-denial or double-discrimination for the women. Additionally, an interesting factor to keep in mind when thinking about the grandmothers-turned-mothers is that they are often quite young - perhaps only 40 years old. Young enough to have the energy to care for children, but old enough that it is difficult to find work in Nicaragua. They are left behind, too, and their grandchildren fill the void left by their own daughters.

For more information, check out some of Jose Luis Rocha's work. Rocha is a leading researcher on immigration with Jesuit Migrant Services, and some of his articles can be found here.

Staff Retreat at the CCBN

A few weeks ago Greta and I participated in the CCBN's annual staff retreat, which consists of 2 1/2 days of evaluation, reflection, planning, and relaxation for the entire team. We started out the retreat with a presentation by the Center’s General Coordinator on the state of the impact of the Center’s work. We learned that the Center’s work has directly benefited almost 2500 people over the last year, including over 1000 students enrolled in courses, 113 scholarship students, and over 50 participants in the arts groups.

Beginning with last year's retreat, the CCBN has organized activities into strategic projects, including “Tools for Work with Dignity,” “Strengthening Adult Education,” “Breaking Down Barriers to Education and Enriching Children’s Learning,” “Promoting the Right to Arts and Culture,” “Promoting the Right to Live Free of Violence,” and “Institutional Strengthening.” For most of the weekend, we worked in these teams to evaluate the progress made on each project and to plan for the upcoming year. We also did a lot of work on the conceptualization of the values and ideals behind the projects, working to come to a consensus on exactly what our goals are and how we envision living out our mission.

I worked with both the “Tools for Work with Dignity” group and the “Promoting the Right to Live Free of Violence” group. As English teachers, Greta and I are part of the “Tools for Work with Dignity” project because several of our students want to strengthen their resumes and get jobs or get better jobs. Our group debated what we believe “work with dignity” actually is, whether it’s about the kind of job one has or the way in which one carries out one’s work. We also wrestled with the degree of responsibility the Center should feel in getting students jobs as they finish their courses, or if it’s more about giving students the tools to find jobs and empowering them to initiate the search. Perhaps we didn’t come to a clearly-defined consensus on these issues, but our discussions helped us create a vision for the project and helped me understand more about the philosophy behind the Center’s work. It isn’t about everyone thinking and believing the same thing, but rather about sharing our diverse perspectives and using that diversity to create a larger vision.

Greta and I, along with the CCBN’s Mennonite Central Committee volunteer Melissa, planned the evening activities for the weekend, with the goal of relaxing and having fun with our co-workers. The first night we walked a labyrinth and painted stones to represent the transformation we underwent on our walk, and the second night we washed each other’s feet as a way to remind ourselves of the service we are all so committed to at the Center. Having an artistic and reflective outlet helped break up the hard work we were doing and gave us a chance to goof off a little.

More Information on Honduras

Here are two more reports on Honduras. The first is from a forum in Brazil organized by the Fundação Armando Álvares Penteado, a university in Sao Paolo. The second is from the most recent Witness for Peace delegation in Honduras, led by a long-term volunteer in Nicaragua.

Political Situation in Honduras v3
WFP Honduras Report

Reports on Honduras

Here is an excellent article on the Latin American-U.S. connections behind the coup in Honduras.

And below is Amnesty International's Honduras report.

-Amanda

Amnesty International Report on Honduras

The Situation in Honduras

A few weeks ago I attended a talk at the Casa Ben Linder on the current situation in Honduras. Patty Adams and Sydney Frey, members of the Ecumenical Committee in Nicaragua, recently returned from a week-long delegation to Honduras to accompany the Honduran people, be in solidarity with them, and act as international observers during this time of repression and instability.  Now, Patty and Syd have returned to Honduras to act as delegation coordinators for an indefinite amount of time. This is a summary of their talk from a few weeks ago, which includes their observations of and perspective on the current situation and its significance.

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Syd and Patty began their talk by stressing the importance of knowing the facts in order to be able to counter the misinformation and misrepresentations of the coup in the media.  On June 25, a bill was introduced and approved in Honduran Congress which states that the Congress “disapproves” of democratically-elected President Manuel Zelaya’s conduct.  However, this bill gives no recourse for removal of the president, it simply states the Congress’ disapproval.  Later that night, the military informed President Zelaya that they would not give him the support he needed to complete the survey he had planned for June 28.  This survey, permitted under a citizen participation law that allows the president to conduct a non-binding survey to acquire information, seems to be at the heart of the matter.  The survey was set to inquire if the Honduran people want a fourth ballot box in the upcoming November election.  If so, these results would be brought to Congress for approval.  This fourth ballot box would be a referendum asking if the public wants to go forward with a constituent assembly to review the Honduran constitution (just a Wikipedia link, but a good place to start, the constitution has a controversial history) and contemplate a new one.  There was and is no chance of President Zelaya continuing his presidency after the next election because it would take until at least mid-2010 to convene the constituent assembly. So, as opposed to what the media has reported, this survey does not establish a new constitution, nor does it seek to keep President Zelaya in power.  Patty and Syd speculate that not only was the military ensuring that the survey did not take place, but they wanted to remind Hondurans and others who chooses the president - those with power, not the people as a whole.    

The people’s movement, the birthplace of the idea for a new constitution, is made up of several civil society organizations, including the Committee of Family Members of Those Disappeared and Detained (COFADEH), unions, especially the teachers’ union, and indigenous organizations, led by the Civic Council for Popular and Indigenous Organizations of Honduras (COPIHN).  Together, they founded the Frente Nacional de Resistencia Contra el Golpe (National Resistance to the Coup), known as the Frente, in response to June’s coup.  They are committed to non-violence and hold national weekly meetings dedicated to ending the repression and bringing President Zelaya back.  Despite the fact that they are non-violent, they have faced significant repression, including having their marches attacked by both the police and military.  These attacks have included baton beatings, sexual assault by baton, illegal pepper spray, and tear gas.  Some people have been killed and many are disappearing.  The U.S. media is reporting that no one has died, however, this is simply not the case.  This is the main reason the Honduran people’s movement has asked for international observers.  A major aspect of the international observers’ work is to listen to testimony from victims of repression.  One of the main reasons that the U.S. media is misrepresenting the situation is that journalists are being targeted in the repression.  Patty and Syd spoke with one journalist who has been beaten twice while attempting to report on the marches happening every day in Honduras.  They also heard testimony from teachers who suspect that the death lists are back.  Evidence for this includes the fact that coup-instated president Roberto Micheletti has appointed Billy Joya Améndola, previous head of the infamous 316 death squad during the 1980’s, as special security advisor.

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With Zelaya now back in the country, the repression has only escalated.  To follow what is happening and do some of your own research, here are some helpful links:

• The Quixote Center is a social justice organization working closely with the people of Honduras. Today's update "Tension in Tegucigalpa" was written by Patty, and it contains links to more information on the human rights violations occurring in the country. 
• Another good source of information is Amnesty International's reporting.  
• Here too is TeleSur, the local Honduran TV station that has audio and video feeds available online.  
• And finally, a link to the School of the Americas Watch video of Zelaya's return to Honduras. 

All of these links have suggestions for how U.S. citizens can stay informed on what is happening and what they can do help stop the repression.  Many are of the opinion that the U.S. should just stay out of other people's business, and I admit I often get frustrated with the way my government interacts with other countries.  However, I think the important question to ask when it comes to the coup in Honduras is at what point did the U.S. start meddling? With a little research, I think we'll find that the U.S.'s involvement in Honduras extends much further back than a few months ago.  Perhaps the more interesting question is what has the U.S. done in the past to contribute to the creation of a situation where human rights violations are occurring? 

Just this morning one of the teachers here at the Center told me how important she thinks it is to stop the repression in Honduras because that is exactly how the war here in Nicaragua began. Many Nicaraguans are concerned that if it can happen in Honduras, it can happen here, and really anywhere in Latin America.  The conclusion for Patty and Syd has been that this is a testing ground, and if these undemocratic and repressive practices are allowed here, there’s no telling where they might happen next.              

Dance Group Travels to Costa Rica

Last weekend I accompanied the CCBN’s dance group to Costa Rica for five days of travel, performance, and group bonding. This is the group’s second year visiting Ciudad Quesada and working with the Catholic archdiocese’s pastoral social (much like U.S. archdiocese’s social justice offices and ministries). The purpose of the trip is to present traditional Nicaraguan dances to Nicaraguan immigrants in Costa Rica, as well as to educate the general public about Nicaraguan culture. We had a wonderful time and learned something about the realities faced by Nicaraguans in Costa Rica.

The trip was fast-paced, with two full days of travel to get to and from Ciudad Quesada and a handful of dance performances in three days. The group performed at two elementary schools, an immigration event sponsored by Alianza Migrante (complete with a rally and march calling for immigrants’ rights) called “Dia del Migrante,” and a church. At each stop 14 dancers and two musicians performed six to eight dances, including La Negrita, La Húngara, La Madrugada, El Solar de Monimbo, and the famous Palo de Mayo from the Atlantic coast of Nicaragua. This year the group had a marimba and a marimba player along, which added a lot to the traditional flavor of the performances. Performances were packed, and audiences were enthralled by the dancers and the music. During the school performances, Patricia Ruiz, the group’s director, would bring children onstage to learn the basic pasos (steps). And after the performances at the “Dia del Migrante,” several immigrants chatted with me about how the dances carried them back to their childhoods. They also shared some of the struggles faced by Nicaraguan immigrants in Costa Rica. I was struck by the similarities between these stories and those that I’ve heard in my work with immigrants in the U.S. The struggle for the right to work, the right to an education, and the right to live free from discrimination were all mentioned at the “Dia del Migrante.”

From small children to grandparents, people were delighted with the performances, and their smiles made the group’s impact obvious. And watching the young people dance, I could see their passion for this art form and for their culture in their smiles and the way they moved their hips. It was a powerful experience for me as a foreigner in Nicaragua to observe how a group Nicaraguan young people experience being foreigners. One young dancer, Jorge, told me that last year he was moved to tears by the joy he felt at having the opportunity to travel outside his country and the pride he felt in representing the core of his identity as a Nicaraguan and as a young man through dance. When I’m in Nicaragua, I don’t think much about taking pride in being from the U.S. and sharing my culture with others, so these young people gave me much new insight into my role as a foreign volunteer.

New Friend's Blog

Check out our new friend Melissa's blog at http://www.maengle.blogspot.com.  We are excited to get to know Melissa, who just arrived in Managua to begin work with the CCBN through the one-year Mennonite SALT Program.  Her latest blog entry depicts the steps most people in the Batahola community take to do their laundry. 

Current Events in El Salvador

Here's an article written by Danny Burridge, VMM's Central American coordinator.  It offers an interesting perspective on Funes' position in El Salvador.

Play Empowers Communities to Confront Issues of Sex Trafficking

Vidas que se extinguen, or Extinguished Lives, a play written by the Center’s own Abril Georgina García Andrade, has been performed ten times in the last two months for 1500 students, teachers, and community members.  Born out of Nicaragua’s United National Development Programme funding designated for human rights education through theater, and further supported by funding from the Nicaraguan delegation of the European Union, the play presents the harsh realities of child sex trafficking poignantly.  The story of Erlinda and those who surround her throughout her journey into prostitution and her eventual death at the hands of a client leaves audiences speechless and tearful.  With child prostitution on the rise in Nicaragua, Jairo Denis Silva, Artistic Coordinator of the Center, says that “this work confronts reality directly.”  Instead of ending on a painful note, the play’s forum-debate format creates a space for participants and audience members alike to transform what they’ve witnessed into a vehicle for action through reflection, analysis, and discussion.  Abril says that she wants her play to be a wake-up call for those who see it, an event that says to them “look, open your eyes, this is what is happening, and you have a responsibility to do something about it.”  Indeed, she states that “what most gratifies me about this work is that it imparts responsibility to its audience.”  And this goal is being reached.  As one audience member stated after the July 16 performance of the play at the Center, “it’s important that we leave here and take responsibility, women as well as men.  Because sometimes we see things at home and we laugh, we don’t say anything.”  According to actress Daniella Miranda Rodriguez, her role as Doña Chica Maldonado, the owner of the brothel, has had a tremendous impact on her because “I don’t stay quiet anymore when I see situations of injustice.”  The play’s run has been extended thanks to further funding from the Dutch Embassy, strengthening the movement of conscientization against child sex trafficking and other forms of violence.      

Video from Youth Movement in Cuidad Sandino: Protecting Water Resources

Check out this video created by the Youth Movement of Cuidad Sandino to raise awareness in their community about the problems of trash dumping and the need to conserve water resources. The video will be used as a part of an educational campaign in local schools and community organizations.

Lender Fair, IHM Visit and Theater at the CCBN!

Dear Family and Friends,
Our time in Nicaragua is winding down, but there is still a lot going on at the CCBN! We are in the midst of making all the preparations for Greta and Amanda (they are arriving in 2 weeks!) and getting their orientation ready. We’re also busy wrapping up loose ends on our different projects. Here are a few highlights from the past weeks:

Micro-Lender Fair at the CCBN:
As one of my last projects in the area of Micro-business Development, I recently organized the first ever Lender Fair at the CCBN. On May 23 seven different micro-finance organizations came to the CCBN to give presentations about their financial products to CCBN students and graduates. Many students who participate in the Center’s Cooking, Beauty, Styling, Natural Medicine, Small Business Administration, Sewing and Handicrafts classes either have small, in-house, businesses or are interested in starting one. The Fair gave our students an opportunity to learn about their different financial options and a chance to compare and contrast different organizations. The Fair was very successful! About 100 students attended… passing from table to table picking up information on the different financers and talking to bank representatives. The Center hopes to host a similar event next year!

Visit from Immaculate Heart of Mary parish:
This past weekend, high school students and parents from Immaculate Heart of Mary parish in Cincinnati, Ohio arrived at the CCBN to meet our students, and experience first hand the work of the Center. Immaculate Heart of Mary has been a long-time supporter of the CCBN, funding the majority of the Center’s scholarship program. Each year, a group of IHM parishioners led by Friends of Batahola member Sue Keefe, come to visit the Center. This year, the group enjoyed and participated in many activities, including a Folkloric Dance class, hair-dos from the Beauty class, tours of the Center’s murals and classes, a dinner with all the CCBN’s staff, a puppet show (see picture!), a Field Day for all the Center’s scholarship students and a Mass where the Batahola chorus sung the “misa campesina”. The weekend was enjoyed by all as a time to form relationships - sharing our different cultures, histories, and reflections. Laura and I enjoyed working as translators and accompanying the group in their time with the Center.
One of the highlights for me occurred at the end of Mass on Sunday night. In May, when two of the CCBN’s staff visited IHM in Cincinnati, they were presented by a quilted wall hanging by IHM’s Elementary School, representing the work and people of their school and parish. Jennifer and Daisy brought the wall hanging back to Batahola, where it will be hung as a testament to the friendship between IHM and the CCBN. Here in Batahola, the women’s quilting group (which I’ve been accompanying for the past 2 years) and various painting students also worked on a wall hanging to present to the IHM delegation upon their arrival. After months of work on the project, the wall hanging was completed and the women’s quilting group was able to present it to IHM after the Mass. The wall hanging portrays the history and current work of the CCBN, as well as all CCBN staff. CCBN painting students painted 12 images representing the Center: Sr. Margarita (CCBN founder) with the first sewing class, Fr. Angel (CCBN founder) celebrating mass, books for the Basic Education class, folkloric dancers, the Batahola chorus, and more. As a border, each CCBN staff member personally embroidered their name making the wall hanging a truly communal effort. The members of the women’s quilting group and the painting students all did a wonderful job. The wall hangings give an excellent testament to the solidarity and friendship between the CCBN and IHM.

Batahola Playwright:
Recently the CCBN has had many reasons to be proud. One of the CCBN’s scholarship recipients, a 22 year-old university psychology student Abril García, has written a powerful play entitled “Extinguished Lives” or “Vidas que se Extinguen”. The play, extremely serious yet at times witty and humorous, tells the story of a poor Nicaraguan candy vendor, Erlinda. who is convinced to enter a prostitution house in order to help her family. Abril weaves the story of Erlinda, her neighbors who convince her to enter the house, her friend Sofia who accompanies her, the woman who operates the house, and Erlinda’s mother. The play ends tragically as Erlinda is murdered by one of her customers, leaving the audience with the harsh reality of the toll prostitution takes on individuals, families and society. The play has been shown numerous times at the CCBN to different groups of high school students from Managua. Verónica GuidoTraña, who taught theatre in the CCBN in years past, directs the play and leads discussion questions after the performance. The audience is given a chance to respond to the play, identify the themes presented, and discuss how the play speaks to their reality. The performers, many of them students of the CCBN, are also involved in the discussion sharing their feelings about performing their different roles and providing their own reflections on violence, especially sexual violence. Abril has aided the CCBN’s psychologist with many workshops for youth concerning self-esteem and violence prevention, and felt in writing the play that the topic of prostitution and the need for humane work is a very pertinent topic for today’s Nicaraguan youth. Congratulations to Abril and all the actors who have participated in the performances of “Extinguished Lives.”

In the coming weeks Laura and I will continue making preparations for the arrival of Amanda and Greta. In July we will be giving them trainings on Teaching English as a Foreign Language, Small Business Development, group formation techniques to use with the Youth Movement and Quilting Group, control of FOBV finances, and blogging… amongst many other things! Throughout the process, we’ll keep you updated!

Much love,

Christine

An Intro to Zen Meditation Techniques

The following is a guide to Zen sitting meditation. I hope you find it useful!

~Laura

zazeninst

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