In addition to abounding energy, we enjoy having summer interns in Nicaragua because they can add unique and varied skill sets and knowledge to our work here. Whether it is someone gifted in education that can take the time to sit down with one of our students who has been struggling in class or medical students that bring a wealth of knowledge and passion to our health programs, we are thankful for their generosity.
This session one of our interns, Dana, became a part of our efforts in women's empowerment by teaching self defense class during our Women's Exercise program. With the help of fellow interns and a few PDs, Dana led an hour-long session covering basic defense strategies from different attack scenarios. The class also included a discussion about the prevalence of violence against women and the importance of creating a public discourse for this often ignored problem. A recent WHO study reported that over 1-in-3 women will be the victim of physical/sexual assault during their lifetime, which gives us quite the perspective shift since that means approximately three of the ten women in class will experience abuse during their lifetime.
