The Barrio

Last Wednesday, June 28 was an exciting day for us. First, even though this isn't really related to our trip, I must share that I am an aunt! My sister-in-law, Stephanie, gave birth to my new niece early Wednesday morning. Addison Leigh Shipley was born weighing only 5 lbs. 14 oz. and measuring 19 inches. She is precious and so tiny. I can't wait to meet her but already love her. And, my brother, Josh, and Stephanie are really enjoying her as well. I have posted a few pictures here so you too can see how cute she is.

The other thing that happened Wednesday is that we officially started working. We had been around the office familiarizing ourselves with things a few times and had also slept there, but we weren't officially introduced to the program until Wednesday. Anielka, the Nicaraguan Program Director, took us into the barrio to show us around that morning. We met several of the kids and basically just got a feel for why we are here. It was a very humbling experience.

The barrio is basically one long dirt road on the outskirts of Granada. There is no reason to go there unless you call the place home, especially because the road is often difficult to travel. Large puddles of water cover entire sections of the road in places, and where there is not water, there are huge ruts and trash. The houses that line the long dirt road are made from all sorts of scrap materials - anything from scrap metal to old wood, usually with dirt floors. It is a miracle that these structures stand at all. Many of them look like they would collapse if a strong wind blew by or someone leaned too hard on one of the walls. Most of them are about the size of the bedrooms we are used to in the States, and some of them are even smaller than the large bathrooms many people are fortunate enough to have back home. What is even more amazing than the size of the houses is that often times, they hold families as large as ten. It is difficult to imagine, as we walk by the houses, how ten people could have enough room to lay down side by side inside of them.

In addition to the houses, most families have an open courtyard or "lawn" area enclosed by a rickety fence, often times made from barbed wire. The courtyards are just large dirt areas as well. The families seem to spend most of their time in this space. This is where they cook, eat, sit, study, shower, and go to the bathroom. Some houses have outhouses while others merely have holes in the ground to capture their waste water. While the bathroom and shower are separated from the cooking area, many families share their courtyard with pigs, chickens, hens, dogs, and the occasional cat.

The worst part about the barrio, in my opinion, is the clothing factory that is only a few hundred yards from the center of the barrio. The factory employs people from many of the families in the barrio and is basically a sweatshop. The people who work their work at all hours of the day, usually for 12 hours per day, 6 days per week. And, these people get paid only about $360 per year, according to Anielka, which by my rough math averages to a little more than $.10/hour. Kathy, the Executive Director of EI, tells me that she has also heard that the factory fires people to avoid paying benefits and possibly pregnant woman as well. While all of this is just rumors, this is not the worst part about the place. The factory in addition to everything else, is polluting the barrio. It lets its runoff run right through a ditch through the middle of the barrio. The stench is horrible. Anielka said it often makes the children sick, and one time the ditch got so full that it completely flooded two of the houses in the barrio. Patrick and I are working to figure out who runs this factory and for what company they make clothing. We will keep you updated on anything we find out.

But, now, I want to tell you about the kids in the barrio. The children run around from house to house and play together in the streets with whatever they can find. We saw a couple of boys having a great time trying to keep the outer part of a bike tire rolling down the road in a straight line. Most of the kids run around without shoes on, and some of them pass their time in even fewer clothes - often times missing pants, a shirt, or both. If the children do have clothes, they are usually full of holes and covered in dirt and mud, as are most of the kids. Amidst all this poverty, the kids all seem happy even if they are busy doing chores (washing clothes, cooking lunch, or sweeping the courtyard). They smile and often wave as we pass by them. Some hide behind their mother's legs. A few of the older kids pass by on their way to work - pushing carts of fruits and vegetables to sell at the market or driving horse-drawn trailers with their fathers. But, all seem to have smiles on their faces.

Empowerment International began working with the families in the barrio because many of the parents did not understand the value of an education. Most of them dropped out of school at a very young age; so, very few of them can read, and most work manual labor jobs or sale things they grow or make. They figure that they have done okay without school; so, they see no reason to send their children. Yet, they struggle through life in the barrio, scraping by on next to nothing. Life their seems to age people much more quickly than anywhere else I have been. Anielka introduced us to one woman who can't be more than 35 but is missing all but two teeth. We met another woman in her 20s who more like she is in her 40s. It is very evident that these women have worked hard every day of their lives caring for their families. I can't imagine the type of trials and tribulations they have experienced.

Yet, the barrio seems in some ways doomed to repeat this cycle. EI definitely has its hands full. Change, like everything else in Nicaragua, happens slow in the barrio. Anielka tells us that the program has a difficult time keeping the older girls in school. Many of them drop out at age 14, 15, or 16 because they fall in love or become pregnant. These young couples end up setting up a house of their own in the barrio or moving in with their parents to get by. The girls rely on their boyfriends to provide for them. It is difficult to understand why these girls are so willing to give up the amazing opportunity to attend school and eventually college free of charge through Empowerment International (EI). It makes me wonder if they doubt their ability to succeed at anything greater, or maybe they are just content with life in the barrio. All of this is difficult to swallow.

I guess part of what makes it so difficult is that the Nicaraguan government offers free birth control to all of its citizens (which is a bit strange, as abortions, even in cases where the mother's life is in danger, are illegal here. But that is a subject for another day). Yet, the women refuse to take the birth control. I am not yet sure why this is, but I don't think it is because they want to have lots of kids. Anielka told us she often has to coach the mothers in caring for their children. She tells them to pick them up, hold them, and hug them. This is not something that comes naturally for a lot of these women.

As we continued on our tour, we met one young girl who is about 14. She lives with her stepfather and has had to take on the role of caretaker for her five younger siblings even while attending school, as her mother is in jail. Apparently, two years ago, the child's mother was having an affair with another man. One night after the stepfather went to work around midnight, the other man snuck into the house and raped the little girl - who was then only 12. He left immediately and has not been caught, but the mother went to jail because it is not clear whether she knew what was happening with her boyfriend and daughter. Stories like this do not appear rare for these families.

Despite all the sadness and poverty we see, there is hope. Empowerment International works with more than 200 children in the barrio. Two of the kids from the program graduated from high school last year and are now interning with the program so that they can attend college free of charge. Margarita and Lizbeth are both very sweet, intelligent, driven girls. Also, during our first tour, we met a girl who couldn't be more than 14 who took second place in the math olympics this past year for all of the children in Granada, and soon, she will compete in the Spanish-language olympics. She is very intelligent but also works very hard. Every time we see her, she flashes us a huge smile, made brighter by her two silver-capped front teeth. There is hope, and we are happy to be a part of the hope and the change for this community. I just pray that we can actually do something to help and make a difference for these children in the short time that we are down here.

Sorry for the lack of pictures of the barrio. We haven't yet taken a camera with us, as we want to get to know the families a bit better before we start snapping photos of them. But, we will post some soon.

Melissa