School Visits

Perhaps the most-anticipated events heading into this trip were our visits to the kids´ schools. We all knew that the kids were in school, but actually seeing them in their uniforms sitting in class seemed like quite a rewarding experience.


Yesterday we visited all five schools and were not let down. One of the most powerful characteristics of life--redemption--was inescapably present. These were the kids who, when I met them, were dirty, window washers with no futures. Now, they have a chance to make something of themselves.

The first school we visited was by far the most encouraging. It´s a Catholic school called La Purisima and Ninoska, Carlos, Kevin, and Kimberly attend. We met with the director, Riccardo, and learned that all of them are doing well in school. Carlos, especially, has shown lots of potential. Riccardo told us he is thriving in English class. Riccardo did have a few minor concerns but, in total, this group of siblings were adjusting to school life nicely.

This visit was so memorable because, through talking with him, we could clearly tell how much Riccardo loves the kids in his school. He passionately told us about the work his school does to help needy kids and the community. We are so glad that some of our kids are under his care.

We then saw Jonathan and Joselin at their school, which ísn´t too far from La Purisima. It is a public school, and was not as nice as its Catholic counterpart. But, we were glad to see those two kids working hard in their classes. We talked with Joselin´s teacher and found out that she is doing well.

One piece of disturbing news did surface while we were at their school, though. We found out from a school administrator that Manuel, one of our kids, has not showed up since the first day of school. And now it´s too late for him to even start back up. We ran into Manuel playing soccer just outside the school on our way out and asked him why he has stopped going to school.


¨It´s boring,¨he resopnded.

Brad told him he would not be allowed to be part of VISEDAL and he didn´t seem too impacted. So, he´s our first dropout, but we´re not giving up on him yet. Maybe he´ll be back next year.

Side not: I wonder what Manuel´s soccer-playing friends thought when a white fan full of gringos pulled up, called Manuel over, and spoke sternly to him.

Our next stop was Winny´s school. Winny, Aura, and Evert all live with their great-grandmother in Tipitapa, which is almost an hour from Metrocentro, where they used to work. These kids are three of the most thoughtful, kind, and genuinely good kids. I think that their great-grandmother, Silvia, has been such a positive influence in their lives. Like her, they are all wonderful. Winny attends a small Catholic school. Her teacher told us that she is doing brilliantly. She might even be able to pass two grades this year.

(short break while the power goes out...)

After Winny´s school we drove over to Evert and Aura´s school. They both attend a large public school, which sharply contrasts with Winny´s. The Nicaraguan school system, to make up for a facility and teacher shortage, operates on a half-day schedule. Some students attend school in the mornings and some in the afternoons. We arrived around 12:30 so we missed seeing Aura in her class, but she accompanied us while we saw Evert´s class and met some of his friends. Both of them seem to be doing well in school, too, which is no surprise considering Silvia.

We finished at Aura and Evert´s school around 1 and asked if the two moms, Winny, Aura, and one other girl, Mussa, wanted to join us for lunch. Shockingly, they picked a fried chicken fast-food restaurant.

After lunch we drove back to Managua for our last school visit. We stopped by the school where Sonia, Leonardo, and Isaac study. We were able to see all of them in their classes since they study in the afternoon.

Their teachers say their grades are fine but their attendance has not been stellar. In fact, all three had missed Wed, Thurs, and Fri of last week. Brad asked their mom, who was there with us, about the absences. She responded that they missed Friday in order to come greet us. But, Brad reminded them, we told them we were coming on Saturday, and our encounter on Friday was a surprise for us both. Busted, she admitted she had lied on Friday when she told us there were no classes that day. This was a troubling development since, in addition to the fact that they missed school those days, we found them working the streets on Friday. Who knows if they were there Wed or Thurs.

The trust issue, among many other things, will be discussed today when we meet one last time. Brad and I have many points which we need to share with the moms. We are making some changes to the program.

The biggest one is we are increasing the food stipends for each child (instead of giving a stipend per family) under the conditions that they promise to keep their kids completely off the streets. They tell us that currently the kids only work on the weekends. But, our goal is to get and keep them off the streets, permanently. So, we need to increase the food money to compensate for their lost income. In addition, we will introduce two new children to the program. One, Glenda, was actually in the process of being registered in January before I left, but withdrew when she went to go live with her dad for a bit. Now she is back, and will join the program along with her sister, Katy.

I am excited about the future of VISEDAL. Seeing the kids in school reinforced the reality of the changes we--you--are making. It´s going to be a slow process, and a bumpy road, but we know that it´s worth it.

Today we are visiting at least one orphanage where Brad and I have spent time at during spring break trips. Then, we´re having some of the older kids on a tour of a local college where our friend, Esmir, attends. Afterwards we´ll meet at Campero one last time. It will be crazy.


Thanks for reading!

-dw