Latin American Trip Part I - Nicaragua

[image: dianiv]

I have to tell you about the most amazing Vice-Mod trip that I have had to date. I traveled to three countries in Latin America in a nine-day span. It began auspiciously on Tuesday January 12 as I headed to the Raleigh-Durham airport to fly to Managua, Nicaragua only to find that I did not have a plane reservation at the Continental ticket counter. Nevertheless it was all straightened out and I met up with Stan DeVoogd, PCUSA area coordinator for Central America and Mexico; Leila Abdul-Karim, member of the Presbyterian Women National Churchwide Coordinating Team; and Bethany Furkin, reporter for the Presbyterian News Service. We were met at the Augusto Sandino airport (picture above) by Tracey King-Ortega, regional liaison for Central America. We were taken to CEPAD Nehemiah center where we were to lodge for the next three days. I was in Nicaragua last year with the Enough for Everyone/Equal Exchange trip and we lived at CEPAD. I was looking forward to that experience again.

Dr. Gustavo Parajon

The next morning we met with the staff of CEPAD to hear about their history as an institution and a short history of Nicaragua. Included in this meeting was Damaris Albuquerque, the Executive Director and the founding president of the organization, Dr. Gustavo Parajon. He is definitely the "man" and highly respected. He told of the situation following the 1971 earthquake that led to its founding and the political ramifications. It was a very moving and informative talk. Afterward we drove to see three projects at the  CEPAD office in Jinotepe, Nicaragua, where we were joined by new PCUSA mission workers Carl Agsten and Leslie Clay. They had only been in Nicaragua for a short time and are loving it! The first project was in the small community of El Ingenio where we talked to a pastor and leaders who built a well with funds and training by CEPAD. The second community in Canas Blancas, a young woman who has two children showed us a conservation project where she grew banana trees, beans, squash, melons, cucumbers, oranges, lemons and flowers. At the third community, La Pita, we heard from community leaders where they began a farming project and a psychosocial program where they give training to families going through abuse and domestic violence. All three projects were very much needed and I learned a lot. You can also read Bethany's news article here for more information.

The next day we traveled the Martin Luther King, Jr. Evangelical University in Managua to visit the Interchurch Center for Theological and Social Studies (CIEETS). We spoke with the Dean of the Center and program staff who were responsible for theological studies and community development projects related to agriculture. We had a great time talking with them and what struck me is how they made the connection between theology, community work and conserving the land. Everything was based around biblical premises! Later on that day we visited a community project in the town of Mateare to look at a agro-enviornmental project. We saw wells where water was drawn by a horse and farms where there were a diversity of animals and crops. All this helps to sustain the farmers and the surrounding communities. You can also read Bethany's article here.

The final day we visited two cooperatives, Nueva Vida and Esperanza en Accion. Nueva Vida is a women's co-op that makes Sweat Free T-shirts and Esperanza sells crafts and handiwork that are made by Nicaraguan artists. I visited both of these places last year and it was great to see everyone again. Bethany has a nice write-up on Nueva Vida here.

Later on that day we left Nicaragua for Colombia. Stay tuned for that report!