I remember meeting Professor Moody during my interview last spring. We talked about my passion for global health and how health in general has a strong impact on every aspect of life: education, economic status, personal and social well-being, etc.   I remember talking about how certain development projects aim to fix health problems, and how I felt these goals were important to pursue in order to begin to address several other global issues (as everything is so interconnected).  I told him that I wanted to go on this trip in order to be a part of this goal.

When I got into the CCESP I was incredibly excited to have the opportunity to go to Nicaragua and see firsthand how our work would affect the people living there.  But the trip itself was not the only attraction of the program.  I was also very enthusiastic about the class and being able to learn more about Nicaragua and how the country has dealt with development.  As the term progressed, I found that the class provided a great platform to explore the issues that come with development.  It has been really great to engage in this class and learn about these issues before going abroad on the service program. It has made me think about issues that can arise from development projects, which is something that I otherwise might not have thought about. Further, doing both the individual research project and the final project has allowed me to really learn about Nicaragua. I feel more knowledgeable about the country, which makes the work I am going to do on the CCESP more rewarding. I know I am not an expert, but it is still great to be informed.

I am excited to have the opportunity to go down to Nicaragua this December and get to learn more about what I have been exposed to in this class.

On top of the educational aspect of this experience, I am also excited to get to know my classmates better. I have already created strong friendships from this class, and I am anticipating that this trip will make those friendships grow stronger.

Overall, this class has been great and I know the trip is going to be an incredible experience.

As a side note, I was looking up “service-learning” online and the three words below came up as the goals of the National Youth Leadership Council.  I think they perfectly describe my experience in this class and what is to come on the CCESP.

I was very impressed with my classmates’ final presentations.  I thought everyone presented thoughtful, well-developed projects that covered a wide variety of topics and areas of interest. I loved learning about Zika, maternal health, microloans, malnutrition, and the political history of the country to name a few.

In particular, I was interested by Michaela, Louise and Clement’s project on Bridges to Community’s chicken project.   Looking at the chicken project was very relevant, especially for those going on the trip.  I think chickens are a great investment for the Nicaraguan people as they are both a nutritional and economic resource.  In regards to the chicken feed it seems  logical to make homemade feed because two of the essential ingredients are already grown in Nicaragua (beans and corn) and the process is less expensive than buying ready-made feed.   I also thought the emphasis on developing sustainable farming methods was incredibly important.  Being that the economy is largely agriculture based, sustainability is very important.  This group went beyond  just researching the topic by creating an information sheet, which I especially loved.  The information sheet took into account illiteracy by providing pictures, which made it accessible to anyone.  All in all, I thought this project was well thought out and provided good insights into the chicken project.

I also found David, Asha, and Marcus’ presentation on nutrition in Nicaragua very compelling.  What stood out to me about their project was their informative, well-laid out plan for how to make sweet potatoes a more common crop in Nicaragua. Their research seemed the most feasible to implement, and their project seemed to have the most promise in terms of positive returns.  Nutritionally, the sweet potato is a good source of vitamins, fiber, healthy fats and carbohydrates.  The introduction of this crop would help vary the diet of the Nicaraguans, and therefore, would improve health and nutrition.  It also is very easy to plant and maintain because it grows underground and does not require the use of pesticides.  Introducing sweet potatoes will start the conversation about the importance of diet and will help educate the people about nutrition.  This group has an exciting plan and one that could really take off!

Overall, my classmates all presented great information that allowed me to learn even more about Nicaragua and its people.  I really enjoyed learning about the variety of topics and appreciated my classmates’ passion and dedication to their research.

A couple summers ago I spent four weeks in Costa Rica with a group of students.  We traveled from place to place and stayed with a homestay for some time.  It was an incredible learning experience (although I probably learned more about myself than the Costa Rican culture).  This trip was unique for me because it was my first experience as more than “just a tourist.”  I had traveled all over the world, done incredible things, seen beautiful sites, but had never labeled myself anything but a tourist.  Yet suddenly, I was living among the people, learning the language, and trying my hardest to not come across as too foreign.  I was excited to be in a place for more than a few days and to really learn about a new culture.

When I got there, I learned quickly that this was not going to be any different from my previous experiences abroad.  The only reason my trip to Costa Rica was not like my other vacations was that we did not stay in beautiful hotels.  It was like we were purposely living in hostels in homestays to make the trip seem more authentic, when in all reality we were hanging out on beaches and taking surfing lessons and doing very little service.  More than half of the students on the trip did not even speak Spanish. I was disappointed to say the least especially because the trip sells itself as “service-learning.” Recently, I was on their website and this is how they highlight the trip:

Needless to say, this was not a very productive service trip.

After this experience, I was curious to hear what Michael Boudreau, Director of Compas de Nicaragua, had to say about his time in Nicaragua.  He started his lecture by discussing his first trip to Nicaragua.  What he remembers most about his first trip was the dichotomy between Nicaraguan culture and his own.  He reflected on the fact that the people there materially have less, but they do not complain about being poor. By contrast, as a kid growing up in a working class family, Michael constantly wanted what they other kids had.  He saw how Nicaraguans lived such happy simple lives and wondered why they could be so happy in a materially poor place.  He soon realized that it was due to their strong sense of togetherness.  The Nicaraguan people value having family and community and do not rely on material wealth to bring them happiness.  Michael remarked that the Nicaraguans ended up teaching him more than he taught them.  I thought this was really incredible to think about and very humbling.

Michael now works for Compas de Nicaragua, an organization that “promote[s] cultural exchange and improves lives through service learning trips and sustainable community development.”

This Mission Statement is already so much more powerful than the mission of my Costa Rica trip.  Compas has done great work addressing the needs of the community by building community centers, supporting the local people, providing healthcare, creating educational services, and supporting Women in Action.  The work they do has real impact on the people they serve.  People like Michael have the power to change lives for the better.

One aspect that I think makes Compas so successful is the way in which they involve the community.  The community is engaged in the work Compas does.  It is not just the volunteers.  Further, Compas is constantly trying to come up with ways to benefit the community.  They are constantly developing new ideas and goals for their projects. This makes the work ever-engaging and more beneficial to the people.

I admire Michael’s passion for the project and the people he serves.  It was really great to hear what he had to say and learn about the true impact he has made.

Another organization like Compas is Bridges to Community.  By actively engaging the community members in the projects they pursue, Bridges gets results that truly matter.

Learning about organizations that have real impact has dramatically improved my respect for service organizations.  It has also made me aware that understanding the goal of the organization is very important when choosing how to lend your help. It is always good to have a critical eye when thinking about service-learning.  There are many organizations that do powerful things, you just have to find them.

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The following are some photos from my Costa Rica service trip:

Nicaragua faces several countrywide health issues, but one of the most pressing is maternal mortality.  In 2007, maternal health related issues were the top cause of admission to hospitals.  Seeing this as a clear risk to the overall health of women living in Nicaragua, the Ministry of Health has declared maternal mortality as its top priority.

Maternal mortality is highest in rural, indigenous, and poor populations. Fifty-five percent of women in rural areas give birth at home, which makes them more susceptible to health complications.  Adolescents also make up a high proportion (approximately a third) of maternal deaths. This might reflect the fact that Nicaragua has one of the highest adolescent fertility rates in the world. Approximately half of Nicaraguan women give birth before age of 20.  Level of education is positively associated with the age women first engage in sexual intercourse (the higher the level of education, the older women are when they first have sex).  This is interesting because  women with poor schooling make up a large proportion of maternal deaths. This proves that education and health are very linked, and both issues must be improved to provide substantial change.

The positive news is that maternal mortality has been steadily decreasing (as shown in the graph below).  Yet, even with the decreasing numbers, the mortality rate is still very high and needs to continue to improve.

Interestingly, this is not necessarily an access-to-healthcare issue.  In fact, women are more likely to access healthcare than men.  So then what is causing this problem?

My guess is a combination of factors: there is no formal sex education in school, abortion is illegal, and poverty is wide spread (48% of people live below poverty line).  This is a complex problem with no simple solution.

Certain organizations, like CARE, have been pooling resources to try and tackle this issue. Watch the video below for more information:

Overall, Nicaragua needs to continue to tackle maternal health related issues and improve access to healthcare.  Hopefully, overtime maternal health issues will continue to decline with the implementation of things like Casa Maternas, government action, and maternal health NGOs.

Nicaragua is known for its lakes and robust bodies of water, in fact has the most water in all of Central America. That being said, it is suffering from water shortages across the country. The problem arose from a combination of factors- climate change, deforestation, and erosion- and is not going away. It is a nation wide problem that threatens all 6.1 million inhabitants, especially those in rural environments who rely on water for their agricultural practices. The shortage is so bad, that some people have to travel long distances to access water, which imposes a huge strain on the families and communities.

Along with the shortage of water, there is also an issue with sanitation. Two million people currently do not have access to adequate sanitation; 800,000 people do not have access to clean water; and over 100 children die every year from water-borne illnesses. This is a major problem, and one that should be addressed with as much force as possible.

Organizations like Water Aid have taken part in supplying clean water to local Nicaraguan communities. They do so by installing and maintaining rope pumps, building eco-toilets, drilling manual borehole wells, cleaning and disinfecting existing hand-dug wells, and installing rainwater catchment systems. This past year they were able to provide 2,000 people with clean water sources and improve the sanitation of 1,000 people. While this is a start, there is much more work to be done.

One main challenge for combating poor sanitation is climate change.  Climate change has created water shortages, hindering access to already limited sources of clean water.  Essentially this mean that it is going to take a lot more than a few water pumps to solve this issue, and shows that like most things, multiple factors are at play.

Ethnocentrism is the “belief in the inherent superiority of one’s own ethnic group or culture.” A lot of people have certain pre-existing notions about different cultures that can create certain biases.  This is a huge issue for travelers, tourists, volunteer groups, and ethnographers alike, yet with the right tools, people can overcome ethnocentric ideas.

Many ethnographers spend long periods of time (months to years) in a foreign place studying the people and their practices. The hope is to gain insight into the people’s culture and lifestyles. Ethnographers try to blend in and live flawlessly among the people in order to gain the most from their experience. Unfortunately, this can be a particularly difficult task, especially when ethnocentrism blocks their view.  That being said, ethnographers are trained to be able to participate in and observe new cultures by eliminating cultural comparisons. Their time and effort studying people yields information that would otherwise not be available to us.

So while it is difficult to be a “perfect” ethnographer, we must try in order to really understand and appreciate new and different cultures.

I myself have never conducted ethnography, but think it is an interesting area of study (regardless of its challenges). Learning about other people and cultures is important in an every globalizing world. As humans we are all the same species, but we are vastly different. Every one of us is unique, and every culture has its own identity. It is fascinating to learn more about human differences through the work of ethnography.

It is particularly important to practice ethnography before going and living among foreign people for a period of time. There may be certain customs and rules you are unaware of and these things are important to know before venturing into a new place. It is like when you enter a friend’s house for the fist time and you see that the family all takes their shoes off before entering the home.  As a result, you take off your shoes too. The concept is largely the same when going to a foreign country for the first time.  If it is part of the cultural practice to take off your shoes or eat without utensils, then so be it. Ethnography teaches us how to be respectful towards other cultures, by teaching us to forget about our own cultural norms. It is about understanding a new people and culture by fully respecting what it is instead of how it compares to our culture.  This is increasingly important in the world we live in today.

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Here are a few pictures of my family trying to “understand” Moroccan culture: