This past weekend our Country Director, Amira Tahir, ran her first half marathon ever!

Amira raised just over $1500 for Manna Project International and has definitely inspired some of us PD's to start training for a half marathon ourselves. Not only did Amira meet her own personal goal of never walking during the whole 21km (13.1 miles), but she also completed in under 3 hours!

CONGRATULATIONS AMIRA!

and

THANK YOU TO ALL WHO DONATED!

the other night

at the Manna House

we had a

PAPER MACHE PARTY!!!

here are some pics

meet the new Program Directors

and

our lovely Country Director!

Amira Tahir: Country Director

likes: babies, lip gloss, jogging, spanglish, and hazelnut chocolate

dislikes: rude drivers, drying dishes (washing is ok though), and nancites

Steph Barnett: Program Director

likes: sunrises, chikys,

little kids (especially when they speak spanish),

big-colorful-plastic-sunglasses, hiking, and safari animals

dislikes: cold weather and huge spiders (the small ones are al'right though)

Luke Harris: Program Director

likes: Jesus, basketball, teaching, Nicaraguan pizza, ground beef, salami, and hats

dislikes: snakes

Katie Hathaway: Program Director

likes: books, rain (when she is indoors), chocolate,

Catchphrase, Chacos, and the Texas Longhorns

dislikes: too much danish filling in a danish and

when people put wet dishes on dry dishes

Will "Guillermo" Howard: Program Director

likes: The Beatles, baseball, making various funny faces,

New Orleans Saints, FIFA, and Halo 3, salami

dislikes: spiders, dislikes, squirrels (there's nothing cute about rabies)

Zac Gordon from Boston: Program Director

likes: the Red Sox

skiiing, dogs, Nicaragua, Cháman, salami, tulips, and

the philosophy of Ayn Rand

dislikes: copy machines, talking during movies,

blue-cheese, and people who answer the phone while at the dinner table

Megan Aberley: Program Director

likes: surfing, making art, and bicycles

dislikes: stepping in dog doo and food budgets

Hope Shines Through

I was first made aware of La Chureca a little over two years ago on an alternative spring break trip through the Nicaraguan Orphan Fund at James Madison University. Over 200 college students from four universities in Virginia joined Brad Corrigan, former drummer of the band Dispatch, for el Dia de Luz (Day of Light). We journeyed into the trash to help salvage recyclables, flew kites, attempted to compete with the kids in soccer matches, gave endless amounts of piggyback rides, danced to the music performed by Braddigan, and ultimately dedicated the day to loving this special community. El Dia de Luz (http://dayoflightmovie.com/trailer/) was captured on film and turned into a documentary which was released earlier this year.

After watching the documentary, I was reminded of how crazy life can be in La Chureca. Back in the United States, from the comfort of a cushioned couch in an air conditioned room, it’s easy to not recognize the struggles that 2,000 people are challenged with daily. While I may sometimes complain about cooking, I always have ample amounts of food available. While I may get frustrated about not finding the perfect outfit to wear out, I have clothes. While I may dread studying for exams, I have the opportunity to receive an education. These are all things I tend to take for granted living in the United States. The documentary conjured my passion to serve those in La Chureca, and I applied to be a summer volunteer with Manna Project.

One of Manna's sponsored children swims at Laguna Xiloa

During my first week serving with Manna, we hosted a field trip to a laguna for the families participating in the Child Sponsorship program in La Chureca. As the families boarded the bus to leave for the laguna, I remember one of the program directors commenting that she almost didn’t recognize one of the children. When I asked why, she said because he was dressed so nicely. My next question was what does he usually wear? She said he usually wears nothing.

As I began making home visits with the Child Sponsorship team, there was more than one moment where I had to take a step back to myself after witnessing the reality of this unfathomable poverty. We walked by a house with a small child maybe around two years old playing with Garcia, the tie died bear beanie baby. His Garcia had a torn off leg and the once bright colors were beyond faded and coated with mud. I once owned the same Garcia bear plus probably 4 dozen more of Garcia’s beanie baby friends.

Spending time in La Chureca, I’ve come to realize that there is also an overwhelming hope and joy which shines through the darkness and poverty. I remember when the children came to the clinic to receive their vitamins, oatmeal and milk for the month from the Child Sponsorship program. A recently enrolled child ran around my feet with the biggest smile playing peek-a-boo while he waited his turn to be weighed and measured. I remember a child leaping for joy as he won a game of “chebolas” (marbles). I also remember the smile that greeted me from one of the parents who recognized me from the laguna field trip weeks prior. I’ve learned despite the fact that the families have next to nothing, they do own some of the most heartfelt smiles I’ve ever seen.

My time in Nicaragua is (too) quickly coming to an end. I’ve spent the past month stretching my comfort zone, and now I am packing to return to my familiar life in Virginia. I am continuing to process my experiences and am challenged to share a new perspective as I return to the States. Each Nica smile has truly left an imprint on my heart.

Joanna Lang

Summer Volunteer '10

The Land of Sandino and Darío

There are two figures so important to Nicaragua's history that their birthplaces are now their namesakes. The first is Augusto Sandino, the nationalist and anti-imperialist who succeeded in toppling a U.S. backed government in the 1930s and whose name the Sandinistas took on to inspire a nation. Sandino represents one aspect of Nicaragua's history, it's tumultuous cycle of foreign influence and revolution. Rubén Darío represents the other, a vibrant and inspiring culture.

Rubén Darío

Darío, a poet and statesman, began the Spanish-American poetic movement known as modernismo, or "modernism," and is still considered one of the greatest writers of the Spanish language. Reflecting on the nature of his country he once wrote,

A través de las páginas fatales de la historia,

Nuestra tierra está hecha de vigor y de gloria,

Nuestra tierra está hecha para la humanidad.

//

"Through the fatal pages of history,

Our land is made of vigor and glory,

Our land is made for humanity."

A Little History

To attempt development work prior to understanding its historical context could be equated to lifeguarding before learning to swim. Here's to swimming lessons!


"In no country is it possible to trace the cycle of rebellion and American-sponsored reaction as clearly as it is in Nicaragua. After the United States deposed President Zelaya, patriots rose up in arms against the new regime. The regime defeated them with the help of U.S. Marines. That intervention stirred the conscience of Augusto César Sandino, who launched another revolt and fought the Marines to a standstill in the 1920s and 30s. Sandino was assassinated at the orders of General Anastasio Somoza García, whose family ruled the country with unstinting American support for the next forty years. Its repression sparked the revolution that brought the Sandinistas to power in 1979. Their embrace of Marxism set off the next American intervention, the contra war of the 1980s. That war tore the country apart so completely that voters, given an unexpected chance to express their will, threw the Sandinistas out of office in 1990.

"This reversal gave the United States a chance to redeem itself in Nicaragua by helping pro-American leaders rebuild their shattered country. Instead, the United States turned its back on the country where it had sowed so much pain. This shortsightedness led to a result that shocked many people in Washington and beyond: the decision of voters in 2006 to give the Sandinista leader, Daniel Ortega, another chance at power.

"[Nicaraguans] agree that their country did not suffer because its leaders were passionately committed to hostile ideologies, as it seemed at the time. The war, they now say, was an old-fashioned Nicaraguan power rivalry that had spun horribly out of control after it was swept up into the Soviet-American conflict."


Blood of Brothers is the most accessible and expansive book on Nicaraguan history and culture that I have seen printed in the English language. It is authored by former New York Times bureau chief Stephen Kinzer. It comes with strong recommendations to anyone curious to better understand Nicaragua and its people.

Board Announces MPI Guatemala

It's official! After many months of planning, publicizing, exploring, and re-planning, Manna Project is officially launching a third site in Guatemala! We are thrilled and we hope you will be a part of this endeavor. Below is an update from our Board of Directors:

The Manna Project International (MPI) Board of Directors is excited to officially announce the founding of MPI’s third international site, to be located in Chaquijyá, Guatemala. This expansion will begin this summer, in July of 2010, when Co-Site Directors Dana Zichlin and Kat Mueller, and an inaugural team of Program Directors, land in Guatemala to formally launch the site and begin programming.

The decision to approve the Guatemala site comes on the heels of an eight-week feasibility trip conducted by Dana, Maddie Jalandoni (Nica Program Director alum 08-09), and Chris Taylor (MPI Expansion Coordinator). During this exploratory phase, the team identified the site location, established promising partnerships with local leaders and laid the groundwork for MPI programming. Based on this preparatory work, we believe that we have found the right community, partners and team to start a successful new MPI site.

Click to continue reading the Board of Directors update.

MPI's Guatemala site will focus on the 6,000 person community of Chaquijyá

Not far from Chaquijyá are the volcanoes Santa Maria (left) and Santiagito (erupting, right)