We Are Proud to Announce Our Next 2 Volunteers!

After a long process of selecting our next two volunteers from a pool of amazing applicants, we are proud to introduce you all to Greta Tom and Amanda Otero!!!

Below are their introductions. They will arrive in Batahola in July, 2009 to being work at the Centro Cultural Batahola Norte for 2 years. The community is excited for them to begin!! Greta has already been working at the CCBN for 7 months as a Mennonite Central Committee Volunteer, and Amanda Otero is graduating this spring from Carlton College. She lived briefly in Batahola while studying at the Center for Global Education in 2007.


Greta Tom:
Hola a todos y todas! Me llamo Greta Tom y me alegre mucho de ser una de las nuevas Voluntarios de Amigos de Batahola. Realmente, ya he pasado mas que seis meses trabajando en CCBN por medio de la Comité Central Menonita. Inicialmente, me iba a quedar en Nicaragua sólo once meses. Ahora estoy muy contenta que no tengo que irme del Centro y de mis nuevas amistades tan pronto.

Estudié en West Virginia University y salí en 2006 con licenciatura en Estudios Internacionales. Tambien estudiaba Música. Despues, trabajé un año en Amsterdam, Holanda, como voluntaria en un albergue juvenil cristiano. Siempre sabía que existió la desigualdad social, y aun participé en actividades para concientizarme acerca de asuntos de la opresión y pobreza del mundo. Pero ésto no me afectó mucho hasta que fui a Amsterdam y conocí a algunos refugiados de Africa y el Medio Oriente. Escuchar a sus historias me hizo desear ser voluntaria por un ONG o algo que promueva la justicia y la paz. Tambien no sabía que hacer con la vida y deseaba tener otra aventura internacional. Encontré a la Comité Central Menonita, y aquí estoy!

Hasta ahora, mis actividades en el Centro han incluido hacer tutoría y a veces dar clases de inglés, escribir para el boletín informativo, participar en las algunas actividades musicales, y facilitar una clase de conversación de inglés. Mi gran proyecto en los meses que vienen es ser intermediara entre estudiantes becados por el Centro y sus patrocinadores en los EE.UU. He aprendido mucho en todo ésto y espero los desafíos de mis nuevas responsibilidades en el futuro.

Hello everyone! My name is Greta Tom and I am very happy to become one of the new Friends of Batahola volunteers. Actually, I have already spent more than six months working in CCBN through the Mennonite Central Committee. Initially, I was only going to stay in Nicaragua for eleven months. Now, I am glad that I don’t have to leave the Center and my new friends so soon.

I studied in West Viriginia University and left in 2006 with a bachelor’s in International Studies and a minor in Music. After college I worked for a year in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, as a volunteer in a Christian hostel for backpackers. I always knew that social inequality existed, and even participated in events to raise awareness about issues concerning oppression and world poverty. But this didn’t affect me much until I went to Amsterdam and met some refugees from Africa and Afghanistan. Listening to their stories made me want to volunteer with an NGO or something that worked to promote justice and peace. Also, I still didn’t know what to do with my life and wanted to have another international adventure. I found the Mennonite Central Committee, and here I am!

So far, my activities in the Center have included tutoring and sometimes teaching English, participating in the choir and small music ensembles, writing newsletter articles, and facilitating an English conversation class. My main project in the coming months is to be the intermediary between scholarship students at the Center and their sponsors in the United States. I have learned a lot from these projects and look forward to the challenges of my new responsibilities in the future.

Amanda Otero:

Mi nombre es Amanda Otero, y estoy en mi último año en Carleton College en Northfield, MN. Estudio religión y estudios latino americanos. En Junio me voy a graduar, y estoy emocionada en llegar a Batahola y conocer a la comunidad en Managua y la comunidad internacional de Amigos de Batahola. He pasado tiempo viajando y estudiando en México y Centroamérica, y el semestre que pasé con el Centro para la educación mundial en Guatemala, El Salvador, y Nicaragua me motivó a regresar para vivir en solidaridad con la gente de Nicaragua. Me interesan todos tipos de asuntos de diversidad e igualdad, anti-racismo y anti-sexismo, inmigración, educación, fe, y jóvenes. Los dos últimos veranos he trabajado con comunidades católicas de latinos sobre asuntos de inmigración, y quiero aprender más sobre la organización comunitaria con Batahola.

Nací el 30 de marzo de 1987, y mientras he pasado la mayoría de mi vida en Fargo, ND, siempre he tenido una influencia latino americana en mi vida porque mi papá es de México y mi mamá es de Nicaragua. Todavía tengo familia en México y Nicaragua, y espero poder pasar más tiempo con ellos en el futuro. También tengo un hermano menor que es uno de mis mejores amigos y que se está preparando para empezar la universidad este otoño. Me crié en la iglesia católica, pero me gusta identificarme como una católica de la gente, no de la jerarquía. En los últimos ocho años la mayoría de mis experiencias religiosas han sido ecuménicas y de varias religiones, entonces estas experiencias de diversidad han sido importantes para mi espiritualidad. Cuando no estoy estudiando o trabajando me gusta leer, pasar tiempo con mis amigos, hacer ejercicio, cocinar, cantar, baliar, y escuchar música.

My name is Amanda Otero, and I am currently a senior at Carleton College in Northfield, MN, where I study religion and Latin American studies. I will be graduating and moving to Batahola in June, and I am very excited to get to know the community in Managua as well as the international Friends of Batahola community. I have spent time traveling and studying in Mexico and Central America, and my semester abroad with Center for Global Education in Guatemala, El Salvador, and Nicaragua sparked my interest in returning to live in solidarity with the Nicaraguan people. I am passionate about all kinds of issues of diversity and equality, anti-racism and anti-sexism, immigration, education, faith, and youth. I have spent the last two summers organizing with Latino Catholic church communities facing various immigration-related challenges, and I am interested in continuing to build my organizing skills with the community of Batahola.

I was born on March 30, 1987, and while I have grown up mostly in Fargo, ND, I have always had a Latin American influence in my life as my father is from Mexico and my mother is from Nicaragua. I have family in both Mexico and Nicaragua, and I am looking forward to spending more time with them over the next two years. I also have a younger brother who I am very close with and who is looking forward to starting college this fall. I was raised in the Catholic Church and now like to identify myself as an organic Catholic, which I’ve defined as “of the people, not the hierarchy.” However, in the last eight years most of my faith-related experiences have been ecumenical and interfaith, and I rely on this diversity to sustain me spiritually. When I’m not studying or working I love to read, spend time with friends, work out, cook, sing, dance, and listen to music.

Updates from Laura and Christine

Laura: Gathered around the table the other night, ten members of the newly-formed youth movement sat with ears alert as they listened to Mary Luz describe the rural community of Waslala they would be visiting in a few short weeks. “This is not just a field trip,” she said, “this is an opportunity to learn about the reality of our brothers and sisters living in extreme poverty.” During Holy Week, I will be accompanying the youth movement and Mary Luz, to Waslala, an isolated community located within a natural reserve in the center of the country. Mary Luz, a doctor from Batahola and longtime friend of the Center, first got to know the Waslala through her work in public health. Moved by the hope and initiative of local people to improve their standards of living, she proposed the idea for a trip with the youth group as a way to promote solidarity among Nicaraguan youth. The youth movement, composed of the Center’s scholarship students and others from the local community, is excited to put into action the formation they received from the Center in group leadership, violence prevention, and the values of “sharing all that we are and all that we have” with others.

I am excited for this adventure with the youth movement. It is an opportunity to focus on values of solidarity and simple living, of connecting with other young people across cultural boundaries and sharing hopes for the future!

Christine:
As the date of my parents’ arrival to Managua got closer and closer, I wasn’t the only one getting excited. My mother, who is an excellent quilter, had agreed to give the CCBN’s Quilting Group a two-day workshop in the art of quilting round edges and appliqué work, much to the excitement of everyone. For the past year and a half I’ve enjoyed accompanying the Quilting Group in their process of group formation and trust building, in market research, and in the development of accounting procedures. Throughout the past year the women have made quilts, table runner, bags, cosmetic cases, and many other products that they have designed themselves. One of the group’s goals has been to incorporate Nicaraguan culture into their quilting, by the use of color and design. The workshop given by my mom, Barbara, helped the women investigate different color combinations and demonstrated how to quilt butterflies, birds, flowers, etc. Twelve women took part in the workshop, three of whom were new members to the group, who for the past weeks have been learning the basics of quilting from the group’s senior members. I was able to translate for my mom, and the workshop was a huge success. One member, Rosalina Herrera reflected on the workshop, “I loved learning the new techniques. My favorite things to make are bags, so I’m excited to incorporate what we learned into my bags. Learning how to quilt curves and make our own designs increases what we are able to quilt.” By the end of the two days the Quilting Group (and my mom and I!) felt very accomplished and with a new sense of energy to bring to our work.
Aside from working with the Quilting group, Laura and I have been working hard on the English Program, which has now begun its second year at the CCBN. We have 15 incredible students who arrive to class at 9 in the morning with energy, great senses of humor and a real desire to learn. It is our second year teaching, so the both of us feel even more comfortable, confident, and able to enjoy the class. Our students are very diverse, anywhere from 16 years old to in their late 60s. Most of them hope that English will help in their ability to find good employment. We are looking forward to sharing the following months with them!

Micro-Business Start-up and Administration: Equipping Women with Tools for Self-Improvement

By Laura Hopps

The Micro-Business Start-up and Administration course is taught by Laydia Bermúdez, who has six years of experience training people in how to manage their small businesses. In addition to teaching administrative skills and planning techniques, Laydia incorporates lessons on self-esteem and violence prevention into each class. “Many women live violent home lives because they depend on their husband for income completely and have very low self-esteem,” she said. “When women become independent financially, they are more able to leave abusive relationships and reclaim their human rights.” Laydia recognizes that aiding people to improve their economic situation can help them to be healthier emotionally and psychologically.

Small businesses are often run out of people’s houses in the community, and can be helpful especially for those who are home raising children or are interesting in providing services to their local community. Joseline Rojas, 26, has studied International Cooking, Pastry-making, and Cake Decorating for 3 years at the Center. She has found the Micro-Business class useful so far because “it teaches you to plan, to figure out how much you will need to invest and how much your profit will be. Laydia also helps us with self-esteem, to know that we have rights and should be treated with dignity.” She hopes to start her small business selling cakes and other gods from her home.

Most women in the Micro-Business and Administration class have taken courses previously at the Center such as: Cooking, Cake Decorating, Pastry-making, Natural Medicine, and Sewing. The women all noted that they are learning practical skills they will use to start their own small business, and that the formation part of the class—discussions about self-esteem, violence, and human rights—is crucial for their personal growth.

Project Education: Scholarships that Transform Lives

By Laura Hopps

Mennonite Central Committee Volunteer Greta Tom has been busy interviewing the over 200 scholarships students of the Center to match their profiles with supporters from the Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Cincinnati. In addition to scholarships are for internal courses, there are 150 external scholarships to help young people attend primary and secondary school, as well as university. The following is an interview with Greta in which she reflects on the stories of scholarship students:

“I have really enjoyed being involved in Project Education because it has given me the opportunity to get to know people in the community and to hear their stories,” she said. “Courses at the Center provide people with skills to help them earn income on their own. Women sell cakes from their homes or set up a natural medicine clinic, which helps to supplement their income.”

“Among external scholarship students,” she said, “I have seen how investing in education, in giving young people opportunities and promoting their self-esteem can help prevent them from following in their parents footsteps.” The parents of many scholarship students never had the chance to study and now work selling bread and other goods in the street or other low-paying, “informal sector,” jobs. Investing in the scholarship students’ education opens opportunities for them to have more secure futures, to reach their dreams of becoming teachers, doctors, artists, psychologists, anthropologists, and other professions.

“Equally important as the practical skills they gain,” noted Greta, “ is the therapeutic nature of many of the courses. Many people (adults as well as children) have difficult home lives, and to have a few hours a week to learn painting or handicrafts helps them to release stress and express themselves creatively in a positive environment.”

The Center recognizes that education must be integral—that students come not only to learn practical skills, but to explore their own abilities and creativity, to increase their self-esteem, to share with others in a positive environment and discover their human rights.

March Oxfam International Youth Partnership Newsletter (Check our Laura's article)

Check out these updates from youth activists from around the world!

Voice March

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Powerpoint about Psychoballet and the TEACCH for working with children with disabilities

EL METODOingles

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"Where Love and Acceptance Triumph"

Last week I had the opportunity to hear a friend, Patricia Lopez, speak about her work with Psicoballet, a methodology that combines ballet and therapy for children with disabilities such as autism, Down Syndrome, and severe physical and mental disabilities. "I used the word 'disabled,' she says, "because the children are held back by their differences— they are cut off from the world. They need help to realize and cultivate their special abilities so that they have self-esteem, hope, and can reintegrate into society."

According to Patricia, 12% of the population of Nicaragua lives with disabilities. In addition to those born with disabilities, the figure also includes people wounded in accidents or during the Contra War of the 80s. The government provides little support for people with disabilities. The one government hospital that provides rehabilitation for the wounded does not provide ongoing care. Most people seek help through local non-profit organizations, their churches, or beg for money on the street. It is not uncommon in Managua to drive past a man wheeling his brother with cerebral palsy up and down the lines of cars at a red light asking for spare change all day in temperatures of over 100 degrees.

Because of the lack of government support, high rates of poverty, and societal rejection the disabled children in Nicaragua are especially vulnerable. As in the U.S., many families in Nicaragua regard having disabled children as a disgrace and a great burden. With so much poverty, all members of the family are expected to contribute economically, and children that will never be able to live on their own or work are considered "good for nothing." In the majority of families with disabled children, the fathers end up leaving, not wanting to handle the disgrace or the extra financial burden. Mothers are left alone to struggle to support all of their children. Households headed by single mothers represent over 40% of homes in Nicaragua, with rates much higher among families with disabled children.

Even in households where both parents are present, the reality of disabled children often does not improve. They suffer high rates of physical and sexual abuse. Some, locked away in back rooms, never leave their households. Some (perhaps the luckier ones) are abandoned at one of the two homes for disabled children in Nicaragua, Pajarito Azul, where Patricia works.

The children that come to Patricia's psicoballet classes then, suffer not only from severe mental and physical disabilities, but from the deeply-rooted trauma suffered by abandonment, rejection, and physical and sexual abuse. Psicoballet allows children an opportunity to transform their suffering. For the first time, they learn to interact in a group of friends that loves and accepts them. For children who spend all of their time alone in a bed or wheel chair, to be able to roll on the floor and move their bodies around the room allows them a chance not only work on motor skills and strengthen muscles, but allows them a freedom of movement and creative expression that is liberating.

I am grateful for Patricia's example. She is a woman who, like Jesus, reaches out to and loves those society says are worthless. She is an example of someone who lives out her passion not in order make money or become famous, but to aid in the transformation of injustice through art. I am grateful to live in a community with people like Patricia, Nineth, and Gerardo—all artists who use their skills in dance, music, and painting to give hope to young people and transform situations of violence and discrimination.

Patricia, originally born in Columbia, was trained in modern dance and ballet. She was recently received training in psicoballet in Cuba, where the methodology was first developed. The title the first performance of psicoballet Patricia directed while working with a group of children at a group home in Cuba was called "Fantasy Fair: Where Love and Acceptance Triumph." After months of group work, the students in brightly-colored costumes, performed ballet on stage at the Astral Theater of Havana in March, 2007 in front of 1,500 people.
___
With only six months left in Nicaragua, I hope to take the opportunity to learn as much as I can here through friendships with people in the community like Patricia. I am looking forward to being home the first week in August to share with family and friends what my experience here has been like.

This week Christine and I started our second English class with a group of 16 adults ranging from university students, single moms, and a 70-year-old man. From the first day we had them greeting each other-- "it's nice to meet you!" --and spelling their names. Christine and I look forward to teaching the class and also learning about each of our students along the way. We are also in the final stages of selecting two more volunteers to come to Nicaragua to accompany the Centro Cultural Batahola Norte for another 2 years!

Laura

Shared Hope International Fellowship for "those with a deep commitment to the protection of women and children"

For those interested:

International Hope Fellowship Program
The International Hope Fellowship Program allows individuals with a deep commitment to the protection of women and children to make a significant difference in the world. International Hope Fellows are usually graduate students or professionals who demonstrate an understanding of human rights and work in fields related to law, public policy, marketing and media, or academia. However, all fields of expertise are welcome. Special exceptions can be made for motivated undergraduate students. Fellowships usually last from three months to one year.

The International Hope Fellowship Program is research intensive. The scope and nature of projects are determined on an individual basis, based on the talents and interests of the candidate and the needs of SHI.

Check out the link at: https://www.sharedhope.org/involved/fellowships.asp

Manual de Liderazgo para Mujeres (en español)

Haz "clic" donde dice "more" y luego "save document" para guardarlo en formato PDF en su computadora o "print" para imprimirlo.

Manual de Liderazgo

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Reflective Peacebuilding: A Planning and Monitoring Toolkit

This toolkit was emailed to me by the Oxfam International Youth Partnership Program, and I thought some of you might find it interesting and useful. Check it out!

Click: http://kroc.nd.edu/sites/default/files/reflective_peacebuilding.pdf

The toolkit centers on the belief that reflection and learning, knowledge and theory are key to the peace-building process. Its goal is to improve peacebuilders’ ability to be reflective practitioners; this involves enhancing peacebuilders’ capacity to design and impact transformative change, and track and improve upon those changes over time, in unpredictable conflict contexts. In particular it gives tools for reflection, learning in communities, conflict transformation and evaluating and monitoring change.

Solidadrity with Gaza

We've been very disturbed here lately to hear of the situation in Gaza, the killing of over 1,100 people and injuring over 5,000, the vast majority of whom are civilians. Yesterday while UN personnel were on the phone with the Israeli military, pleading to be kept safe, Israeli bombs dropped on their center, where hundred of Gazans refugees were living and where food and medical aid were being stored. There are reports that Israel is using experimental new weapons created by the US military called DIME bombs that are ripping through the limbs of people. Those lucky enough to survive with amputations are at risk for cancer in the long term because of the kind of particles left in their bodies by the bombs. White phosphorus is being dropped on people, which is illegal according to international law. White phosphorus burns through the skin of people and cannot be put out with water or fire extinguishers. Many of the Israeli targets are school, mosques, hospitals and other civilian targets. Israel is not allowing food aid and medicine into Gaza. They are not allowing journalists and aid workers either.

I encourage you all to stay current on the situation on Democracy Now or other non-mainstream news sources. The picture to the right is a photograph of Ali and Ahmed, whose father was killed, with their mother from Free Gaza. Below left is the bombing of the UN in Gaza, and the funeral of a 2-year old child.













This slaughter is reminiscent for many of massacres of civilians by US-backed troops that have happened in Nicaragua and throughout Latin America, especially in the 80s to root out "communism."The real underlying motivations at that time were protecting US economic interests, such as securing open markets in Central America. Despite lofty US rhetoric, the motivations behind military intervention were economic. Nicaraguans remember the Contra War of the 80s and US bombs dropping on their homes.

Today "communism" has been replaced by "terrorism" as an excuse to persecute and wipe out civilian populations in order to bring them "democracy" and "freedom." Since the fighting has begun, 13 Israelis have died. 4 of them were killed by "friendly fire" (meaning that their own Israeli troops accidentally killed them). Over 1,100 Gazans have been killed, 5,000 wounded.

One lesson we must learn from Nicaragua is that President Reagan wanted to launch a full U.S. invasion of Nicaragua in the 80s to overthrow the Sandinistas. What stopped him? He didn't have the support of the American people. Americans who came to work in solidarity with Nicaragua and those who came on short-term trips through Witness for Peace and other organizations went back to the US and lobbied for a change in U.S. foreign policy. They spoke out in their schools, churches, local communities, and in the media and increased the awareness about the reality of Nicaragua--the reality that was not printed newspapers.

According to an interview on Democracy Now with Avi Shlaim, who once served in the Israeli military and who is one of the world's leading experts on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, half of Gaza's 1.5 million inhabitants are refugees. Gaza is the most crowded piece of land on earth and some term it the "world's largest prison." In 2006 there were 8,000 Jewish settlers living in Gaza, yet they controlled 25% of arable land and the largest share of the scarce water resources. According to the UN, Gaza has the world's highest unemployment rate at 45%. Right now the basic needs of most Gazans are not being meet--most have no food, water, electricity, medical supplies, and nowhere safe to seek shelter.

For the Americans reading this, we must remember that our tax dollars are financing this genocide. Israel is the #1 recipient of US foreign aid-- over $2 billion each year. As Americans we must demand an end to this unjust military aid. Jews of conscience must speak out to demand a change in Israel's policies. Victims of one of history's most horrific genocides should not be perpetuating such violence.

We must remind others that speaking out against US foreign policy doesn't make us "un-American," nor does criticizing the state of Israel make one "anti-semitic." For those of us who are American, Israeli, or Jews of conscience it is our obligation to demand higher ethical standards from our leaders and peaceful solutions to this crisis.













I wanted to share with you a message sent my Muhammed Abed Rabbo, a Palestinian friend and also member of the Oxfam Youth Partnership Program:

"We, as Palestinians, don't need other countries to fight with us against the brutal Israeli attacks, the only thing we need is that they don't support the Israeli organized terrorism and bring our cause to the international level so that everybody knows the truth far from the completely biased western propaganda. Let the whole world see the heart breaking pictures of young children being burnt by the white phosphorous bombs, it's very difficult to watch the news, but if every person imagines that those children were his children, he/she will understand our pain."

You can sign a petition to call for an end to the violence at:

Amnesty International Petition

2008 Chronic Poverty Report: Nicaragua

Prs Wiggins Nicaragua

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