This past week visitors from Nicaragua came to visit us in our class. Most of these visitors were part of a Dance group called Los hijos de Maiz which is a traditional folk dance group.  Along with them was the executive director of an organization called Compas de Nicaragua, Michael Boudreau. This organization focuses on doing community development work in Nicaragua and a project they have been working on since the beginning is their Women In Action (WIA) program. This program consist of 40 women who organize health and education projects in La Primavera, Nicargua. One of these women, Ana Narvaez, was also in attendance.

I was very excited to have actual Nicaraguans visit our class in order to give us some perspective on the Nicaraguan lifestyle. We had been reading about the problems and difficulties that they faced, but hearing a first-hand account is a completely different experience. What first fascinated me was Michael’s story. I was completely astounded by how from coming from NH, he became involved with Compas and completely devoted his life to this organization and its mission. He now lives in Nicaragua full-time and his story gave me hope in humanity because there are people that care and that are willing to sacrifice themselves to make a positive difference. I see Michael as a role model and hope to someday follow in his footsteps.

I enjoyed hearing about the WIA initiative that exists in La Primavera. Ana described how the program was begun and it really inspired me. 40 poor women in this very poor neighborhood decided to get together and change the position that they were in. They didn’t wait for their government to bail them out or wait for someone to dole out money, rather took initiative. Through their constant struggle they have been able to accomplish marvelous tasks such as a soy food program in which nutritious and inexpensive food is made available to them. Another great program that Ana mentioned is their micro-lending program. One of the dancers commented on how those loans really help families in need and are the difference between economic stability and complete poverty. In her case, her mother was given a loan to purchase a vending cart which allowed her to sell fruit and other food on the street in order to make money for her family. Thus, these women do not wait for help but rather help themselves through contribution and problem solving and they have developed an excellent model that should be imitated.

The part of the class that really touched my soul was the reflections of our visitors. One of the dancers commented on how she was almost brought to tears by how much food is thrown out here at Dartmouth. She commented that people struggle in Nicaragua to get three meals a day and even recounted a story of her being hungry when she was a little child in school and not having anything to eat because the only food that was available in her household was given to her male brother. This really touched me because here we are in a developed country throwing away food or complaining about the quality of it, while little children in Nicaragua would do anything for a bowl of rice. I am definitely guilty of throwing away food or being gluttonous and her anecdote has given me something to ponder about when I am eating. In addition, what really shocked me was how the visitors responded after someone had asked if they would live in the U.S. They all adamantly responded that they would not. They explained that despite their poverty, they enjoy life and love each other. They don’t care about material things and are simply happy to be alive. Whereas in the U.S. people are obsessed with material possessions, but are filled with a gaping hole within them. Ana also recounted the story of a young boy who was so elated that he was going to have a substantial meal. This young boy ran to Ana to let her know the good news and even offered to share his measly piece of fish with her despite the fact that he was so hungry. All these stories just proved to me that happiness can exist in poverty. I learned so much from these guests and I hope to follow in their footsteps and not only help others, but also have the same love for life that they have.