Preparation

We loaded onto the bus early this morning to make our way out to Granada Christian Education Center for our next volunteer site orientation.  I really didn't know what the day would hold.  I knew we were headed into a very poor area on the outskirts of the city, a place called Pantanal.  The name means swamp.  It is a neighborhood that is literally built on a swamp. The government of Nicaragua started giving plots of land to the poor to help alleviate the housing problem in the city. As the tourism grew in the city, housing became less affordable and inaccessible for many so they moved to Pantanal.  Over the past 10 years, 10,000 people have moved there. Many live in homes they built with whatever they could scavenge-wood, plastic, sheets of metal. Some built homes with cinder blocks through the help of aid agencies.  The average home is 150 square feet with up to 10 family members living in the cramped space. Many have electricity and some have running water. The area is characterized by poverty and with poverty comes a whole other set of problems. The unemployment rate is very high (I can't remember the exact percentage).  Eight out of ten men struggle with substance abuse. Many adults and children are addicted to sniffing glue to stave off the pangs of hunger. The rates of teenage pregnancy and incest are also very high. Many women are left to support their families alone. Gangs have formed as a common part of the community.

In the middle of this, is an incredibly beautiful school that was started three years ago with the help of many volunteers. Some Christian missionaries working with those struggling with addiction had a vision to break the cycle through education. They started with only six students the first year. Now they have around 60 pre-school, kindergarten, and first grade students. The hope is to add a new grade each year for the next 10 years. The children come from the neighborhoods surrounding the property. Parents must pay $1.80 a month for the private schooling.  This may not seem like much, but with an average salary of $2 a day, it is a sacrifice.  There are a few public schools in the area, but they are far and the conditions are very poor. Class sizes average 50 students to one teacher.  Schools have very limited resources.  Few are able to achieve much under those conditions.  At GCEC, the classes are limited to 25.  The students receive instruction in both Spanish and English.  They are taught in ways that are not common in the Nicaraguan public schools.

Why charge when the families struggle so much to make ends meet?  The school staff described how the payment is a way to have the parents "buy in".  The school is based on the "hand up" philosophy rather than the "hand out".  They are committing to their child's education as an investment in the family.  Young people are expected to help support their families. This is truly an investment into the future of the entire family.  With the bilingual education, the children will have greater opportunities for earning power.  They can earn much more money as translators or workers in bilingual companies.  As a result, families will choose one of their children to send to the school.  They cannot afford to send more than one.  The actual cost is around $45 a month, but it is paid through donations.  In addition, the  school provides jobs to family members as they are able to. They have a sports ministry for older boys as a prevention program to keep the boys out of the gangs and away from the cycle of addiction.

For 4 hours a day, the little ones come to learn in this oasis in the swamp.  They are loved and cared for.  Their families are supported on many levels as well.  In fact, our role as educators is to provide workshops for the families so they can learn how to support their child's learning at home.  With no books in the homes and many parents with limited to no literacy skills, we will be starting at the pre-literacy stage.  We plan to teach parents how to have conversations leading to storytelling in their everyday situations.  Math instruction will include basic number sense games using objects from their homes like beans or rice.  

As an educator, I am struck by the obstacles teachers and students face here.  Training and resources are very limited. Even at this beautiful, new school they don't have electricity. The school has to be protected by a security guard to insure the safety of the students and teachers.  Yet, once again, there is hope.  The net of possibilities is cast far beyond the walls of the classrooms.  The future vision includes adult literacy, job training, and small business production.

All of this can be done through partnerships with a variety of groups. Graduate students at the University of Virginia Schools of Engineering and Architecture designed the blueprint for the school after weeks of intense onsite study of the environmental conditions.  Church groups came to build alongside of construction workers. Sponsors send donations from all over to fund the work of the missionaries and teachers. Non-profit groups in the area work together to pool resources for common goals.

At the core of it all is faith. Faith in God and faith in humanity.  Faith in the common good.  One brick at a time, one child at a time, one family at a time, the world is becoming a better place. 

I am so humbled to be able to be a part of it.  Not only do I have the privilege of working with parents, but I was able to bring money from my students and staff to help supply some of the physical needs here.

Thankful heart once again. #FFTFellow