Yet another one of the many benefits to living in Nicaragua....a fabulous location to host our Spring Retreat 

@ Laguna de Apoyo

The More, the Merrier!

Nearly everyone in the Manna house did some traveling during Semana Santa—some PDs left Nicaragua to travel to the US and Guatemala, while others explored Rio San Juan and Leon. Lucky for us, the fun and excitement of our week of vacation continued upon our return to the Manna House. In addition to the visiting parents of three PDs, three old PDs from 2009-2010 and 2010-2011 stayed in the Manna House!

Many community members were extremely excited to visit with Hemby, Carly, and Steph, who attended classes, did homestays, and attended a wedding during their time here in Cedro Galan. Steph will be with us for another week, although we won’t see in her the house quite as much as we’d like, in light of her decision to spend as many nights as possible in community homestays. It’s great to have old PDs here and to hear their feedback on the evolution of programs and the community. Not to mention how helpful Steph and Carly were during my recent battle with head lice (now completely gone thanks to Steph’s masterful nit-picking skills!).

Although we are sad to say goodbye to Hemby, Carly, and Steph, this summer we will be graced by more special visits from last year’s PDs, including Megan, Luke, and Katie. We’re also getting excited to share the Manna experience with our summer interns, who will begin to arrive on May 12^th. We anticipate re-energizing our sports programs and English classes with summer volunteers’ fresh perspective and experience. Hopefully their arrival will coincide with the onset of the rainy season, so we can get some relief from the winter heat!

2009-2010 PD Andrew with Holly

Check out the new video filmed in La Chureca.

Empower. Love. Inspire. International Women's Day

Martha Ney is the mother of 2 amazing sons, David and Alejandro, who participate in MPI’s Baseball, Math, Literacy and English Programs. MPI programs work to empower young women like Martha to be agents of social change by providing health, education and livelihoods programming for women in the communities we serve. Martha participates in our English, Nutrition and Exercise Programs – her passion motivates all of us to be stronger teachers. Martha's selfless and compassionate personality and commitment to learning and providing opportunities for her family are constant inspirations.

Spring Break Begins!

This week, MPI Nicaragua is excited to host our first two groups of spring break volunteers, from Vanderbilt and UNC Chapel Hill. Our Vandy group will be working closely with our math and literacy program, and have brought books and other supplies that will greatly benefit the class. Meanwhile, UNC Chapel Hill will be helping with our women’s health and nutrition initiative by funding and hosting a inaugural hands-on cooking lesson in El Farito for our new women’s nutrition class. Later on this spring we will also host groups from UGA and Worcester State. Stay tuned for daily updates from our spring break volunteers themselves—you can find each university’s postings on the appropriate tabs above. Enjoy!

Baseball and a special visit

Pictured: Lori and Modesta 

Hello, hello! While I was caught up in the excitement of our new women’s sexual heath class, I neglected to mention two recent and noteworthy happenings here in Nicaragua. Shortly after our return to the Manna house in January, we had a visit from MPI Executive Director Lori Scharffenberg, US Director Joel Griffith, and Financial Manager Greg Welch. Many families in Cedro Galan had been anxiously awaiting Lori’s visit for months, and were extremely excited to spend time with a dear friend and original program director! Lori was able to watch the evolution of old programs and the development of new ones, and also meet Modesta, the child whom she sponsors in La Chureca. The trip was equally exciting for Joel and Greg, who had never before visited the MPI Nicaragua site. We were happy to share a bit of our daily lives and enable them both to better understand exactly how we positively affect and are affected by community members throughout Cedro Galan and Chiquilistagua.

In other news, Davis and Jesse have recently restarted Boys’ Baseball, holding weekly practices and attending league games at El Salero. Although the Manna team is often the underdog in terms of age and size, on Saturday they won their first victory with a score of 3-0. Although Davis and Jesse have little experience coaching baseball, they are able to manage the team thanks largely to the help of David, a student in Manna English classes who loves baseball and has a strong relationship with many of the team members.

Girl Power!

Hello, everyone! It's been quite a while! Last week, you met Lindsay, the newest member of the MPI Nicaragua team. We're lucky to have her here with us--her enthusiasm and smile have already proved contagious! In other news, with the new year we've decided to add a new class to our current programs at el Farito.

During our time here, Christin and I have become increasingly aware of gender inequality and an overall need for a safe space in which women can discuss their lives and obtain basic sexual and reproductive health education that often goes untaught in Nicaraguan schools. Over winter break, we began brainstorming, and put together a curriculum based on an adapted version of a health education manual by the Boston Women's Health Collective. Upon our return, we asked girls and young women ages 11 and up if they would be interested in a women's health class, and after receiving a positive response, we held our first class in mid-January. By polling the class and urging them to submit anonymous questions, we found that our students were interested in a wide range of topics. Thus far, we have had three classes, in which we have addressed a variety of subjects, including menstruation, body image, and healthy relationships. Attendance is slowly growing as more community members become aware of the class, and Christin and I are now contemplating holding class once a week as opposed to twice-monthly. We anticipate increased attendance and a potential partnership with a local health clinic in the near future, and will keep you posted as we move forward!