My Last Week in Nicaragua

Every time I look at the calendar and it says December I just can't believe it. It seems like just yesterday our group of new Program Directors (PDs) was arriving in Nicaragua, and now in just a few days my time here will end. As a five-month PD, I will be leaving December 15th, and new PDs will transition in in January. Needless to say, they are very lucky!

It was hard to have expectations of what my time in Nicaragua would be like, but any expectations that I did have were completely shattered. This experience has been the most challenging and also, by far, the most rewarding time of my life. Volunteering with Manna Project has taught me everything from Spanish to the importance of relationships when working in development. The 5 months here would have been nothing without the people I met along the way.

Each program I worked on allowed for a special bond, all in different ways:

• In Girls' Health, I was given the privilege of reminding some of the most amazing girls in Nicaragua how special they are, and how they have important rights to fight for every day.
• I was able to help extremely talented and creative women in Villa Guadalupe make a sustainable income for their families by selling their beautiful, handmade jewelry.
• Teaching English to people of all ages was always a highlight of the week, and I could not have asked for a more energetic or fun class.
• Finally, spending time with some of the cutest and happiest children in Villa Guadalupe each week not only brightened my week, but was a constant reminder of the challenges many Nicaraguans face, and how important the work of Manna Project really is.

I remember thinking when I first arrived how amazing it was that the old PDs were able to just hop out of our microbus at any spot in the community to go spend time with a family. Everyone knew everyone, and I wasn't really sure if I was ever going to be able to make relationships like that myself. Now, I can't imagine my life without them. I now am able to hop out of the micro and go visit multiple families that have become as dear to me as my own. They have cared for me like a real daughter, sister, and friend, and completely changed my perspective of Nicaragua for the better. I may have to leave, but I cannot wait to visit these people who will always hold the most special place in my heart.

Along with the community, I have made another family. Five months ago I showed up in the Miami airport and met total strangers. Now, in a few days, I will be in the Miami airport flying away from my family - or Mannamily, as we like to call it. I have been able to make the most amazing friends that are incredibly smart, caring, kind, giving, selfless, and so much more. Working alongside these 8 people has been an incredible blessing, and I wouldn't have wanted to have taken on the daily adventures of Nicaraguan life with anyone else.

As my time comes to an end, all I can feel is how lucky I am. I'm very sad to go, but I know that this experience will stay with me for a lifetime!

- Liz Rosenbaum

The Cup!!!

What’s up everybody?

The Lacrosse the Nations Cup was this Tuesday and it was a HUGE success. The Cup is a tournament that Lacrosse the Nations (LtN) holds annually as a competition and way to share and connect between our two programs at Chiquilistagua and Club Hope. It is also LtN’s biggest fundraiser of the year. This year we raised over $7,000 for LtN’s programs and the Cedro Galán Clinic. Additionally, some of our most generous contributors offered a matching donation if we reached our goal, so all the funds raised were doubled. Just as important we got every single kid playing in the tournament sponsored with at least $100. The LtN Cup, and the weeks of preparation we’ve put in were a total success, but enough money talk - let’s move on to the fun stuff.

The tournament this year was bigger than ever; we had 60 kids playing on ten teams in group stages, semifinals, and finally a championship between Chiqui and the Club. Also, a group of volunteers from US Box Lacrosse came down the week before the tournament and not only were a huge help in the final preparations and reffing the tournament—none of the coaches were unbiased enough to be trusted to call a fair game—but also brought down gloves for every player which was awesome for the kids and will be huge for our practices moving forward.

All the kids played super hard and everyone represented their schools proudly. But in the end there could be only one winner and Team Leon from Chiquilistagua came away with the trophy. In the end there was joy, there were tears, and more than a few cramps, but when the day was done the kids (and coaches) were falling asleep on the bus ride home. By any measure, the Cup was a huge success. Thank you everyone for your support!

Entonces,

Dan

PS The winning team gets to cut my hair on Monday, so wish me luck.

Inglés or English?

‘¿Quien quiere aprender inglés?’ The simple answer to that question is everyone in our English classes that are held four nights a week in El Farito. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the English program that is run through MPI Nicaragua, we teach five different levels where students are put into a certain level based on their English ability.

Coming down to Nicaragua, I knew that I would be teaching English as there were only 8 PDs and there were 10 spots that needed to be filled. Currently, I teach Level 3 alongside Kayla (another PD) every Monday and Wednesday night from 5:30 – 6:30. When we were first planning the schedule for the semester, I was a bit intimidated because Level 3 may be one of the hardest, if not the hardest level to teach as it has a strong focus on teaching many different tenses. Not only that, but we had to transition from teaching the class in Spanish with some English to only English. Now that was a challenge in itself. Our class had some difficulties with the transition, but after teaching only in English since the beginning of October, I am happy to say that it has really benefitted our students as they are able to listen to Kayla and I talk, and practice hearing the pronunciation of certain words.

Initially I thought that English was just going to be just another one of the programs that I worked with. Little did I know in August that English would become the program that I was most passionate about. Week after week, I would put hours into planning for our classes, ensuring that Kayla and I were using different methods of teaching the lessons. From exercises involving listening, speaking, writing, and reading, we were really able to reinforce so many of the topics that we were teaching. MPI Nicaragua has also created Friday tutoring sessions to assist those students in any level who may want some extra help. I think this has been a great resource for Level 3 as tutoring is almost always made up of 80% Level 3 students, so me going there every week has proved beneficial for both my students and me. Might I also add that Kayla has been an awesome co-teacher, and we have really worked well together to create the greatest success for all of our students.

Speaking of our students, I think they are the reason why English has become such a strong focus for me in terms of my programs. Since the beginning of our semester I have made it my mission to form relationships with my students because I wanted to come off more as a friend and an equal, instead of trying to make it seem like I was the teacher and that was it. I even started going into the community an hour earlier each Monday and Wednesday before class so that I could spend time with my students! Just making myself available and sitting around talking with my students has been a really positive experience, and has allowed me to create strong friendships. Because of this, I have done a lot of things with my students outside of class. I have traveled to the movies and market with a couple students. I have eaten dinner and had a community homestay with the family of some of my students. I have even received a haircut from one of the guys in my class. This weekend, Kayla and I are planning on going to the beach with a lot of students from our class and their families. Everyone is really excited, and it will be a great way to hang out and not worry about adverbs, adjectives, and tenses.

One thing that has come out of these relationships, and is something that I will always remember from my time in Nicaragua, was a surprise party for my birthday at Friday tutoring. My students planned all of it. Yes, they decided who was going to bring the ice cream and soda, and then made sure to invite everyone in our class. I was utterly shocked when I arrived to tutoring that Friday, and it was so gratifying to know that I had friends in Nicaragua who I had only known for two and a half months who cared about making sure that my birthday was celebrated right! What can I say, my students are the absolute best!

Long story short, I absolutely love the English program here. It has allowed me to make (and see) an impact, as well as form friendships that would not have been formed had it not been for Level 3. That being said, thank you Manna Project for doing so much to not only better the lives and opportunities of our students, but also every Program Director!

-Michael Graham

A Week in the Life: Home Stays!

When I first heard we were doing a homestay in Cedro Galan, I was excited, but definitely nervous. The first step we had to take was to find someone to ask to let us stay in his or her house for five nights. To me, this was a little crazy. How do you ask some person you’ve only met for a few months, in another language, to open their house to you for five nights?

So, after long thought, I choose Uermay, a friendly 15 year-old girl in my English class. This was a little risky because I had never met her family before and no one from Manna Project has ever stayed or even been to her family’s house before. I am very pleased to say it was a wonderful experience and that I finally have a Nica family down here!

On my first night, I went to Uermay (pronounced ‘where-am-I’)'s house just before lunch and met her family. This amazing family includes her 10 year-old brother Uerner, 18 year-old sister Mer, her mother Mayera, and father Uerni. They were the most welcoming family and even had a welcome note on the whiteboard saying “Bienvenidos a casa Jessica! Welcome to our home!” I was also introduced to their cat, Pelusa, and their four dogs.

They got me settled into my new room, which I had by myself, while the three siblings slept in the other room together. I was very thankful for them to give me my own room in only a three-bedroom house. I was a little embarrassed though when I had to ask directions on how to flush the toilet, which consisted of pouring a bucket of water into the toilet for it to flush.

That night, we went to English Level 1, since Uerner is starting to learn English, and to Levels 4 and 5 for Uermay. We were dropped off at their house, had dinner, chatted a little and went to bed early. The following day, I woke up and had my first ever Naca Tamale (recipe below). This is a very popular Nicaraguan dish consisting of a tamale with meat, rice, and veggies wrapped in large banana leaves. I can’t remember a time when I’ve eaten so much food for breakfast, but it was tasty.

After walking the kids to school, I went to work for the morning, but was able to make it to their high school soccer game at a private school about a 20-minute bus ride away. Both the girls' and boys' teams defeated the home teams. It was excellent to be able to spend time with all three kids of the house surrounded by their friends.

On the third day, I had breakfast with the family and had a typical dish for breakfast consisting of gallo pinto (a rice and bean mixture), an egg, and bread, with coffee. Although it’s common for people in the States to drink their coffee differently, here it’s mostly taken black or with milk, but sweetened with a lot of sugar. They were taken back when they found out I take my coffee without sugar and joked with me about it for the remainder of my stay.

Mayer walked with me to the road to wait for my ride to work and it was a great chance to talk with her alone. Although I had a lot of work to do that day, I was able to eat dinner at the house where they made me a special soup with chicken similar to chicken fritters, veggies including yucca, quequisque, and more. Once again, I was incredibly stuffed after dinner, but very content.

The following day, we left the house early to walk the family to school. After finishing work midday, I went back to the house to find Uermay and two other students working on their project for my English Level 5 class. I helped them create their own candles and perfume by hand and I was so impressed by their creative skills. I would never have thought to melt down a piece of crayon and a white candlestick to make a colored candle or mixing citrus, water, a dash of rubbing alcohol, and flower petals to make perfume. I dubbed them the most diligent students for going above and beyond on our English project.

We also walked to visit a family friend of theirs while talking and watching novelas with the other family. It was a great experience to meet other people within the community and I was thankful for them to be so welcoming to a complete stranger in their house. By the end of the night they were asking me when I could stay at their house next.

On Saturday, Manna Project’s Cedro Clinic had its annual health fair to celebrate the 2nd anniversary of the clinic. While I had work during the morning, I was able to spend time at the house for the rest of the evening. Uerner showed me all the plants they have in their yard, and - no joke - there must be 20 different plants and trees that grow fruit, vegetables, and spices, like avocado, plantain, oregano, and passion fruit.

As we were walking in the yard, we ran into a snake! Uerner went into the house to grab someone to kill it with a machete. As eventful as it was to see a snake hacked into pieces, it was nice when I was able to sit on the porch and talk with Mayera for a few hours. We talked about my life at home and hers here in Nicaragua. After we watched movies with the family and relaxed the remainder of the night.

Sunday was my last morning in homestay and the family made me an amazing Nicaraguan dish with a cabbage salad, boiled yucca, and chicharones. It was a great meal to end with an amazing family. Although I was sad to leave the house, I am thrilled that I will have another 10 months to spend time with them.

Until next time,
Jessica Whitney

USF Health Team Provides Specialized Medical Care for 250+ People

USF medical/public health students with team leaders Drs. Elimarys Perez-Colon, Brian Knox and Martín Griangreco pictured with the Cedro Clinic’s Dra. Wendy, nurse Selma, MPI country director Christina Palazzo and MPI program directors

In 2012, Manna Project International and USF Health established a partnership with the goal of providing crucial primary care and health education to the underserved community of Cedro Galán. Together, USF Health Nicaragua and MPI have jointly run the Cedro Galán Clinic since its opening in October 2013. Last week we welcomed a group of volunteers from USF Health for a week of specialty care, medical education and capacity building in the Cedro Galán Clinic! 

Dr. Brian Knox

Internal medicine-pediatrics attending physicians Dr. Elimarys Perez-Colon and Dr. Brian Knox worked with internal medicine attending Dr. Martín Griangreco to lead medical students and public health students from USF Health. This team joined the Cedro Clinic’s Dra. Wendy, nurse Selma and MPI program directors to provide five days of free healthcare services in the Cedro Galán Clinic. I had the honor of co-hosting the group alongside fourth year USF medical student and former MPI program director, Nicole Teal.

Dr. Elimarys Perez-Colon

We kicked the week off by meeting with our community advisory board to assess the community’s needs. The following afternoon, we arrived at Farito for our first day at clinic and found a line of patients already out the door! Thanks to a successful team effort by USF volunteers, Cedro Clinic staff, program directors and the community, we provided more than 250 patients with quality healthcare in a week! The community of Cedro Galán is especially thankful to Dr. Perez-Colon and Dr. Knox who provided over 100 children with well or acute care, and Dr. Giangreco who traveled throughout the community doing home visits for patients who were unable to travel to Farito. The week culminated with a record-breaking day of over 70 consultas.

While the sheer number of people who received general healthcare throughout the week is impressive, USF's main goal is to provide specialized, high quality care. Many individuals in Cedro Galán suffer from chronic conditions. These health conditions are difficult to manage due to lack of resources and education. For this reason, USF dedicated an entire clinic day to patients with complex and chronic conditions like hypertension and diabetes. On Thursday, each patient received care and education specific to their condition from one of USF’s three specialists.

70 community members were seen on the last day of the USF team's visit alone, 

The shortage of doctors in Nicaragua (1 doctor for every 2,700 people) makes consistent medical treatment hard to find. To ensure that community members continue the care given in the past week, the USF team assessed available resources and created treatment guidelines for each chronic condition prevalent in the community of Cedro Galán. According to these guidelines, program directors have started a new tracking system that includes patient reminders, and Dr. Wendy will continue to monitor the treatment of our chronic patients until USF returns in March. The healthcare team, including both medical students and our Nicaraguan healthcare professionals, received capacity building throughout the week, including joint Spanish-English lectures about other common diagnoses in the population we serve and appropriate treatments.

Thanks to our partnership with USF Health, Doña Pia receives reliable medical care and medication supply year round.

Outside of the clinic, USF immersed themselves in MPI's programs to gain a greater understanding of holistic development. USF volunteers competed in a game of charades in English class, taught public school health classes, performed hemoglobin testing for children in MPI's Child Sponsorship program, implemented a fun handwashing activity at Camp JAM, and got some exercise in with Lacrosse The Nations. Their hard work was also interspersed with awesome excursions to Volcán Masaya, Granada and Laguna de Apollo.

The USF Health Executive Board, USF attending physicians, Manna Project International leadership and Cedro Clinic staff wrapped up the week with a discussion of future plans to improve the quality and sustainability of healthcare at the Cedro Galán Clinic. We look forward to USF’s return next March and to our continued partnership taking strides forward, together, for global health.

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The USF Health Executive Board

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