University of Detroit Mercy Athletic Director Keri Gaither is currently in Nicaragua as part of the Ignatian Colleagues Program (ICP). The ICP is designed to give existing and emerging leaders a deeper understanding of the Ignatian values and Jesuit history that underlie contemporary Jesuit Catholic Education. The ICP is a collaborative venture of 24 Jesuit colleges and university and sponsoring provinces and operates in collaboration with the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities (AJCU). Gaither will also provide DetroitTitans.com with daily blogs on her experience with the program and its mission to Nicaragua.
Ignatian Colleagues Program Website
Photo Gallery (New photo's will be uploaded daily)
Friday, June 12, 2010
Today we visited a local Jesuit run school named after Roberto Clemente, the famous Costa Rican baseball player who died in a plane crash while bringing aid to Nicaragua after the 1972 earthquake leveled much of downtown Managua.
The school, which has over 1,400 students, has a cheerful atmosphere and the children were quite happy with our tour as a momentary distraction from their studies. It is a great hardship on families to send their children to this school, which does not charge tuition, but most families still can’t afford to purchase the required uniforms. If the children are fortunate enough to get through this school, which has pre-school through high school plus a trades school, they may be prepared well enough to get a job. However, there are very very few jobs available. It is sad because the Nicaraguan people want to work and provide a life of dignity for their families.
Later in the day, we met with a Jesuit priest, Fr. Fernado Cardenal SJ, the former Minister of Education of the Sandinista Revolution who is currently the Director of Fe y Alegria, the organization that sets up and runs these Jesuit schools all over Latin America. Fr. Cardenal is the only Jesuit priest to be stripped of his priesthood and later to have it reinstated. The reason for this is because Fr. Cardenal was a major figure in the organization of the Sandinista Front and the Revolution of the Somoza Dictatorship. Because of his involvement the Pope ordered his Jesuit status to be revoked, but 12 years later, Fr. Kolvebach, Superior General of the Jesuits, reinstated Fr. Cardenal after ruling that his actions, on behalf of the people's Revolution, was justified as a conscientious objector of the brutal Somoza dictatorship. Fr. Cardenal has since left the Sandinista movement citing vast corruption and deviation from its original intentions which sparked the revolution. He has dedicated his life to serving the poorest of the poor and lives an extremely modest life as do most of the Nicaraguan people.
Today, we also met with another priest with a very different lifestyle. Fr. Miguel D'Escoto MM, is the former Foreign Minister of Nicaragua, the past President of the UN General Assembly and is currently a high level advisor to President Daniel Ortega and the Sandinista party. We met at the palatial home of Fr. D'Escoto, which is located in an extremely upscale area. The house looks more like an art museum and we were fascinated by the abundance of paintings, sculptures and lavish furnishings. Although we asked Fr. D'Escoto if this was "his" house, he acted as if he did not hear it. There is much speculation that the house actually belongs to the State and President Ortega has allowed Fr. D'Escoto to live there. We met in the beautiful gardens of the house on a patio covered with a large thatched roof which is located near the swimming pool. We were served delicious hot lemongrass tea with honey and cinnamon by one of the many staff members of the house.
We were warmly welcomed by Fr. D'Escoto and he shared his background with us. During our meeting, we also asked Fr. D'Escoto about his role in advising President Ortega and about allegations of corruption in this government, charges that President Ortega is bypassing the Nicaraguan Constitution by running for office when he is not eligible to do so and about the Sandinista’s involvement in a tainted election process. These questions were met with a great deal of hostility and he was greatly agitated. His answer turned into a lengthy lecture on the US's repeated interference with Nicaragua and the way the US media has been hypnotized into reporting that the US is a democratic nation. Many of the statements he made about the US were the same things we had heard about the corruption of the Ortega administration. After the blistering lecture, Fr. D'Escoto returned to his charming and jovial self.
As our time in Nicaragua is coming to an end, it was another day of conflicting information and deep passion which leaves you with more questions than answers, but also with a profound commitment to want to project social justice for all people.
Thursday, June 11, 2010
We visited a Co-Op outside of Leon in the countryside which is run by a group of women - some from the "Basque country" which borders France and Spain on the coast.
This women's collective has focused on strategic process to gain social justice for women and children.
We heard from several women that, before they became part of this group as a collective, they had no idea that they had basic human rights. They were regularly beaten by their partners and were not allowed to have any opinions or make any decisions regarding their families or their way of life.
They also had no idea about how their bodies worked or even the names of the parts of their bodies, which is of major concern when you talk about women's health and reproduction concerns. Many women and young girls in this area of the country would not have died of cancer and other curable illnesses had they had access to health information and care.
To become members of this Co-Op, which gives them the opportunity to learn how to plant and tend a garden or to be given a farm animal which in turn can generate income for their families; certain requirements need to be met. These include general educational classes, gender classes, health and welfare classes and serving on governmental type boards in their communities. In addition, they are also required to put in time at the Co-Op leading workshops or working in other areas such as the butcher, tannery or to teach and lead workshops. It is also expected that they will share their knowledge with other members of their community who may or may not be part of the Co-Op.
During our time there, we also visited the farm of one of the women who was now also a leader in her community. Before this, she and her family had nothing, but through her work at the Co-Op, she was able to purchase land in her own name and has prospered. She started with one animal and now she has several cows, sheep and chickens. Her involvement with the organization was initially met with resistance by her husband and family because they did not want her away from the home and neglecting her duties, but since becoming economically successful, her husband and children have become more supportive. They have even taken on several household responsibilities traditionally only completed by women such as taking out the garbage, doing laundry and even making tortillas.
Additionally, domestic violence which is a huge problem here and is a widely accepted practice with abuse of women and children has also been greatly reduced in this community. When it does occur, now other members of the organized community are called upon to assist and counsel the family.
These processes are long-term strategies of social projection, intended to build economic dependence for these people hand in hand with educating the rural community.
After we heard the heartbreaking yet inspiring stories of these women, we had lunch at the Co-Op. The meal consisted of roasted sheep (which the women had butchered the previous day in their slaughter house) along with french fries, rice and beans (of course) and homemade corn tortillas. It was a huge treat when they asked if we'd like a bottle (glass) of soda as well.
The only questionable part of the day was when I found out the water cooler I had used to fill my water bottle with was not actually "bottled" water, but local filtered water with a bit of chlorination.
All afternoon this mistake ran through the back of my mind as I waited to see what might happen, however, no adverse symptoms developed! Thankfully and hopefully, my typhoid, hepatitis A&B along with tetanus shots will serve me well along with the malaria medication I will be required to take for the next couple weeks.
Wednesday, June 10, 2010
Well we finished our day's excursion. It was very interesting to hear about the incubation program that the UCA (University of Central America - the Jesuit College) is utilizing in building a sustainable economy. It was even more interesting to me because we got stats on how little of the GNP the government spends on education and health services (You know - since I was an economics major).
Anyway, we had lunch at the "center" which is the main office here for the Center for Global Education - the group who organizes these trips. We were told we could eat anything we wanted there - including the fruits and veggies because they have a water purification system. So I loaded on the tomatoes and avocados! Amazing! The beans and rice were also good which seems to be the staple here.
We had a pretty good history lesson today too and I was not surprised to hear how much the US government is involved in the elections down here. We also talked about the Iran/Contra scandal and how the US funded the Contras during the war with the Sandinistas. Crazy stuff! It is just like in the movies.
After lunch, we went to another city, Masaya, to tour two different artisans’ shops and stores. It was a direct result of the UCA's work through one of their institutes. One was a woodworking shop where the artist takes recycled wood and makes it into beautiful jewelry and other items. The other was a pottery and we learned about how the clay is gathered and then used to make wonderful pottery decorated with traditional artwork with a focus on nature.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
I just got through watching a Nicaraguan national television show about a person, Carlos Fernando Chomorro, who we met with this morning! He is one of the most trusted journalists by the people of Nicaragua. Maybe that is because his father - who ran the major newspaper during the Samoza's dictatorship - was assassinated for his fair and honest beliefs. Or maybe it's because his mother (Violeta) was the president of Nicaragua from 1990-96, even though his siblings all belong to different political parties. Yet, his media coverage has been fair and critical of them all. Nothing is sacred and he has put journalistic integrity above all else - and his professional approach remains intact. He is an amazing man a true champion of the people!
Just another day in the life of the Nicaraguan people and we all see the importance of them discussing politics on a daily basis. It is not only a way of life but in so many ways, it is their entire life.
I hope you will take an interest about Nicaragua and its’ people! Seeing a smile on these children’s' faces is priceless!
Monday, June 7, 2010
Today we went to visit the Jubilee House - a community of Christian men and women who moved to Nicaragua 13 years ago from the US. They live in a small city outside Managua and have become the driving force behind many initiatives that this extremely poor community has asked for. They are very deliberate in the work they do as the community is proud and does not want handouts, but guidance and expertise to move the people forward.
One such initiative is a new spinning cooperative for which Jubilee House helped secure a small loan for a group of women who are single mothers without jobs. These women have spent the last three years constructing a building themselves - seriously making cement beams and bending steel rods, pouring a cement floor and climbing on top of the structure to bolt the tin roof on - which will soon house a spinning factory to spin the cotton they grow here into thread to make clothes.
During these three years, the women have worked without any salary and will only make money once the factory is up and running. It is a project of big sacrifice and personal investment since they can't really work any other jobs at this time except for making and selling tortillas and fruit juice. They are hoping that their factory will be a success soon as they are finished with the building and are just waiting for their equipment to arrive so they can begin their spinning work.
They are very proud of their building especially because before now, only men did this kind of work. They are also very excited to learn how to run a business and are taking lessons on how to use computers, negotiate business deals and they are also learning English so that they can travel and meet new people who might help them sell their products. These are women who previously had very little formal education, but are learning every aspect of a business.
All the women who have worked on the building and the planning are owners in the business. They hope other women will join them too and become part owners so that they can provide for their families and help improve their communities. They were recently featured on television for their work and the response from the community has been extremely positive. Men and women have stopped them in the streets and have told them they are an inspiration to the people of Nicaragua. I think they should be an amazing inspiration to all of us!
Sunday, June 6, 2010
We spent the morning at a volcano in Masaya - hiking to the peak. It was the best exercise I've had here yet. The volcano is active so there was sulfur steam coming out of it and the lava rock was quite interesting. From there, we went to the artists market in the center of Masaya then on to the city of Granada for lunch in a fantastic restaurant, known for its’ steak. It was delicious and was as tender as butter, a real treat from the regular rice and bean (lol).
This country is so strange. You are either poor beyond poor and live in thrown together houses made of sticks and scrap metal and sheets of plastic or you are in beautiful homes with huge walls around them. Only 20% of the population lives above the poverty level. It is very sad to see so many poor children!
