Last Day

I can´t decide if our trip went quickly or slowly. It feels like we just arrived, but when I consider the vast amount of activities we were part of, it seems like we´ve been here for a while.

Yesterday we had the morning off from VISEDAL activities, so we first went to El Canyon, an orphanage where I´ve been during my spring break trips. Brad knows many of the kids there, and had some pictures for them that he promised them the last time he was there.

I haven´t been to El Canyon in over a year, and I was surprised to see how many improvements have been made since my last visit. There is a new fence around one part of the grounds, some painting has been done, and they are currently building a new, paved road at the entrance. We spent about an hour there and at the kids´ school. The kids were quite excited to see Brad.

We then stopped at a coffee shop for lunch. Brad knows the owner, Javier, who is an eclectically interesting guy. He owns a coffee mill, runs the coffee shop, fixes and sells luxury cars, and is a singer/songwriter. We enjoyed talking with him and learning about some other organizations that help here in Nicaragua which Javier supports in a big way.

Our next stop was La Chureca--The Dump. Brad worked in the school there for a time while he was living here, so we stopped by and visited his kids. Some changes have been made to the dump school, too. There is a new wall and the inside is painted. Like at El Canyon, the kids loved seeing Brad again.

We came back to the hotel for a few minutes before meeting the kids for a tour of UCA (University of Central America), a highly-regarded college which our friend Esmir attends. Esmir took the older kids (seven of them) on a tour around campus. Our goal was to give the older kids tangible motivation to work hard in school. Sure, they know that education is good for their future, but if their reasons for taking their studies seriously stay in the abstract they will not succeed. Now that they´ve seen where they could quite possibly be studying one day we hope they can have dreams based in that very realistic idea.

Esmir is the perfect guy to show the kids his college since he is a success story himself. He grew up in the Casa Bernabe orphanage, where we stayed during our spring break trips. He showed promise and an American sponsor agreed to pay for his college education. Esmir also works on the weekends, speaks English, and is about to graduate. Then he wants to use his agricultural sciences degree to help Nicaraguan farmers. He is proof that systems like ours can work. At one point he sat the kids down and told them his story. They obviously respect him and I just hope they could see themselves in him.

While we were walking around UCA we also ran into Brad´s friend Andrea, who we met on Sunday at their church. She is extremely kind and speaks good English. She immediately starting loving on the kids and agreed to come to our party that night. The girls adore her.

Following the tour we headed for Pollo Campero for our grand finale with all of the kids and their families. The kids arrived in waves, and before we knew it, we had 28 kids in attendance. In total, 45 people were at our party. Not surprisingly, it was ridiculously chaotic. Take the usual (high) level of madness present in our Pollo Campero parties and mutiply it by two or three.

Everyone was having fun until Alex, a child who is not in the program, fell while trying to jump off a chair and landed on his arm. It was visibly broken, and the commotion ensuing from his hysterics, frantic moms, and the arriving ambulance brought the intensity level of the party to, say, 11. Alex will be fine, the EMTs said, although it was sad to see how upset he was.

After the kids calmed down a bit we started to steer them back to our outside play area. But, our waitress Claudia informed us that another group reserved the area for a party starting at 7:00. It was 7:15 then, so we had to go.

We rounded up all of the kids (no small task) and had them stand outside, since I needed to talk with the moms about the changes we are making to the program. I anticipated our talk lasting aroud 5 minutes. 15 minutes later the manager offered to give each child a free soda if we would bring them back inside and have them sit at tables in the inside area. I guess the broken arm, plus the undoubtedly great commotion they were causing outside led to this offer. We took her up on it, and the kids had fun drawing pictures and making lots of noise inside while we finished with the moms.

The real heroes of last night--and this whole trip--are Brad, my mom, and Emily. They selflessly entertained/disciplined the kids while I talked with the moms and worked on the business side of things with Carlos, our local coordinator. I´m so lucky to have such great people who clearly love the kids so much here with me. Without them, this trip would have absolutely been impossible.

I don´t have space to write about all of the changes here, but check our website (www.geocities.com/dylweed17/visedalindex.html) soon and I´ll detail them. The most drastic was that we reached an agreement so that the kids will not work on the streets at all anymore.

All that was left following our meeting was saying goodbye. After only five days, I felt the same way I did following my departure after 3.5 months in January. I don´t plan on returning until December, which is a long time.

I think we made tremendous progress during this trip. The program is much stronger now. Unfortunately we lost one kid, Manuel, but we also gained two, Glenda and Katy (check the website for their profiles soon). We also established ways to check on the kids´ attendance, and we found a way to keep the kids off the street. Most importantly, we were able to show the kids how much we love them and care about them by returning, treating them to special events, and demonstrating how special they are.

In the car on the way home we were fairly quiet. I think we were all feeling a sense of gratitude and wonder concerning the last five days. There´s no way that we could have pulled off this trip by ourselves, and we are so thankful to God for the relationships we´ve been able to form and the fond memories we now have. We´re so excited for the future of VISEDAL and these kids. Big things are in store.

Ok, time to pack, shower, and enjoy one last Nica breakfast. Thanks so much for reading this past week. It´s been an honor to share what we´ve been doing with you.

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

The Fun House

We attended Brad´s church yesterday morning and quickly discovered why he likes it so much. Upon our entrance we were greeted and welcomed by several people, many of whom spoke English and a brave few who didn´t. The service was modern and quite similar to a service at home--as far as I could tell--since my understanding was very limited. But, we sang songs accompanied by an electric guitar and followed the lyrics on a projection on the wall, much like we do at home. A girl gave her testimony and the pastor spoke. The church is quite close to my old apartment and I regret not finding it while I was living here.

The big activity of the day was our party at the Fun House. The Fun House is virtually Nicaragúa´s Chuck-E-Cheese, although the only Nicaraguan aspect is the location. All of the games and tickets are in English. Emily remarked that we´re not sure how the kids know how to follow the instructions since they arrive in the form of a computer voice speaking English to them. I guess that´s more incentive to keep studying English in school!

We gave each child a card for an hour of unlimited play. Predictably, we did not see them much until their cards ran out. I especially enjoyed watching Emily as she took a little boy, David, around and played games with him. I´m going to guess David is around 2 years old, and he must have a vivid imagination because his version of playing games consisted of hitting all of the buttons without even swiping a card. He wasn´t interested in winning games or tickets. He was more than content with pushing buttons and watching the demo screen.

After they were sufficiently overstimulated we sat them down (no small task) and passed out letters that children from The Big Top had written to our Nica kids. Let me tell you, the letters were a big hit. The Nica kids were captivated by the letters, repeatedly reading them and taking immense efforts to write them back. I think it was brilliant for The Big Top to connect our kids with kids in the US who are around the same ages but live vastly different lives. I am sure the Nica kids felt quite special and encouraged in their studies to receive supportive letters from their peers.

Cake was the next big attraction. We had significant trouble lighting the candles (who knew it was hard to do so while positioned underneath a fan?) but once everything was squared away everything went well.

We left and all started walking towards the car to retrieve the kids´presents. On the way, we passed a clown/deejay who was promoting some baby formula by having impromptu dance contests in the middle of the mall. Good marketing. If our kids had money I´m sure they would buy it, since they stole the show for about 30 minutes. VISEDAL kids ended up winning the contest, and pairs of our kids also finished in second and third. Dynasty.

Once we finally tore the kids away from the clown we had them sit just inside the mall near the entrance to the parking garage while Brad and Emily went to get the car with their gifts. Once they came back and we passed out the bags full of school supplies, clothes, toys, and stuffed animals (all donations!) we realized 3 boys were still without bags. Due to the random kids who emerge from I´m not sure where each time we spend time together, we were prepared with unexpected gifts. But we had already passed these gifts out. And these three boys were not new kids, but some of the original ones.

It turns out we had been played by the hotel maid. She had reorganized pretty much everything in our room (for example, Brad´s toothbrush ended up in my shaving kit) and had moved a suitcase of the kids´gifts to the other side of the room. (Oh, and the other suitcases with the gifts ended up in the bathroom closet). So the three boys, Brad, and Emily went back to the hotel, which is very close, to get the gifts. I think the car ride made our mistake up to them.

Although we only spent five hours together it felt like a whole day. Sure, some of that sentiment comes from my depleted energy level following the party, but most of it is derived from the copious amount of memories we created in that short time. Maybe because communication is so difficult, but I get the sense that each interaction with the kids is so rich in meaning. No one can say these kids lack personality, heart, and passion. They are something else.

Ok, time for breakfast. Today we´re visiting the kids in their schools. They asked us to get dressed up, since we will be meeting their new friends.

-dw

From Saturday 5/24

What a fun day!  I thought yesterday was a return to the action of my time down here, but today was even more so. 
 

The day started when we enjoyed a delicious breakfast here in our hotel.  As always, the Nicaraguan coffee and Gallo Pinto were excellent.  We spent the rest of the morning getting stuff ready for the day's festivities and talking about the vision of VISEDAL.  

 

I get overwhelmed sometimes by the complications of this whole endeavor, and it's such a privilege to have such talented and caring people here to talk issues through with.  My mom, Brad, and Emily have so many awesome and creative ideas. I´ve heard that the best way to run an organization is to surround yourself with people smarter than yourself, and I must say that this strategy seems to be working out quite well.

 

We then went back to my old stomping grounds, Pollo Campero, for lunch with the kids and their families.  My mom and Brad went ahead and set up these wonderful make-your-own photo albums that Crystal and Scott from the Big Top donated.  We gave each kid 8-12 pictures of themselves from my previous time here, and they each made their own scrapbook to take home.  The albums were a big hit.  The kids loved them.  I'm not sure if I've seen them sit still for that long before.  I'm positive that the kids will treasure them forever.  More on the power of photos later...

 

What followed, of course, was the fried chicken.  We ordered 60 pieces, since some kids we'd never met before showed up, swelling our total to almost 30 with the moms.  Our old friend, Claudia, was there to serve us, just like she did every day during my time here last fall and winter.  

Claudia treats the kids with dignity, and I appreciate her for that.  So many people treat these kids poorly throughout the day, and Claudia, even though I'm sure she knows who the kids are, does not.  She serves us like she was working at a five-star restaurant, pouring drinks, picking up trash from the floor, and bringing the kids their to-go boxes.  Today she even brought out a paper crown for each kid.  

 

We, by taking the kids out for a fun meal, try to make the kids feel special.  But, without the treatment we receive from Claudia, lunches could easily be yet another occasion for the kids to feel like second-class citizens.

 

So, we spent a few hours in Pollo Campero eating chicken, making photo albums, and having a good time.  I really felt like no time had passed since I left in January.  The kids even acted up for old times sake when they decided to pelt two girls not from our group with the play area balls.

 

After lunch we went to visit the house of one of the families.  I´d been to the house before but Brad, Emily, and my mom had not.  On the way there we made countless turns in this neighborhood and, having been off the main road for quite some time, were discussing how we would never be able to return on our own.

 

This house is made of cinder block and technically consists of four rooms, although calling it one big room divided into four smaller ones paints a more accurate picture.  Five kids and two parents live there, and everyone besides the baby shares a bed.  There was no food in the kitchen, and the bathroom was a small area with a hole sectioned off by a sheet.  It also doubled as the shower area.  We all gained a much greater appreciation for the efforts the kids and their parents make to get so clean before we spend time together.  Their process is much harder than my 5 minute shower.

 

I was most impacted by the clear and powerful presence of photographs of the kids, my family, and my good friend Nefret in their house.  They have one large poster in their main room but I can´t tell you what the poster of.  Taped to the front were around 20 pictures that we had taken and given to the kids from our time together.  On top of the tv was a framed picture of one of the girls, Ninoska, and Nefret that Nefret has sent previously sent down.  Ninoska proudly showed me the picture while repeating Nefret´s name in a tone formed by her huge smile. 

 

We spent about two more hours at their house, shooting some video interviews of the kids and talking.  At one point Emily had to leave in an effort to stop the kids from going through their house looking for thing to give her.  She ended up with several small but clearly very valuable presents.  In addition, the families gave my mother some Mother´s Day presents, which elicited many tears of humbled joy.  I can´t help but think of the Bible story of the poor widow´s offering.  Like her, these people gave us out of what they don´t have, which makes the gifts immeasurably more valuable.

 

We visited one more home before taking a family back downtown.  Thankfully they got us out of the neighborhood.  I think we´d still be driving around lost. 

 

Tonight we had a late dinner with Abdhie, Keren, Esmir, and some of their friends.  I enjoyed reconnecting with my best friends from my time living here.

 

Ok, it´s late and I need to sleep.  More tomorrow. 

 

Be prepared.  We´re throwing a birthday party for all 13 kids (plus 7 more who have been showing up) tomorrow at the Fun House (the Nicaraguan Chuck-E-Cheese).  It will be intense.

 

-dw

Back in Action

We arrived today around 11:45 local time (2 hours behind EST) and, stepping out of the airport, were greeted with the familiar sensation of wicked humidity and the smell of burning trash.  I could have been blindfolded and would have easily known I was in Nicaragua.

We rented a mini-van for this trip and had surprisingly little trouble getting it from Budget.  I am shocked that I actually made a reservation online from the states that worked, a month later, in Nicaragua.  With logic clearly experiencing some technical difficulties I feel like I should go bet on the Orioles to make the playoffs or something.  

Our first stop was our hotel, the lovely Casa Naranja.  We dropped our bags off and went right back out to grab some water and to buy some minutes for our cell phones.  We figured it would be about a 15 minute trip.

That was almost over almost 3 hours ago.

We drove by the street corner where the kids sometimes work and saw a couple of them hanging around.  We decided to buy the water and then go say hi.  

Even before we could check out at the gas station the kids surrounded us, showering us with hugs, kisses, and lots of very rapid Spanish words.  I am pretty sure that they have some sort of Gringo sensor, as we were just about out of site from their street corner, and were in the store for less than 2 minutes.  

We spent a few hours playing, talking, and, mostly, hugging.  Most of the VISEDAL kids were there along with their moms and a grandmother.  What a treat it was to see them again.  It felt like no time had passed since I left in January.  We shared the same jokes, piggy-back ride routines, and craziness as my 3.5 months with them.  

The kids LOVE playing with Emily, and a few of the girls thought she needed a new hairstyle.  Sadly Emily's new 'do escaped my camera.  

My mom, of course, is wonderful with the kids, too.  I admire the way she doesn't let the language barrier deter her from truly making the kids feel loved.  As a wannabe writer, I have heard the "show, not tell" rule for most of my academic life.  My mom's relationships with the kids are excellent examples of how to fulfill that.  

Brad was great with them as well.  He is so kindhearted and selfless.  (As you can see, I haven't mastered the "show not tell" rule yet)  He's serving as our driver/translator as well, so he has his hands full.  

We are going to head out for dinner in a little bit.  I believe that we are going to try this organic restaurant nearby.  I went there with Emily and some of our friends when I lived here and loved it.  It should be fun.  After dinner I think we'll probably get ready for bed, since we woke up around 3:30am EST time this morning.

Thanks for reading.  We are so excited for this trip.  We can't wait to show you the differences being made in the lives of these kids.  Thanks for your love and support!

-dw

May 23-28 Trip

Hello! Check back for updates on our May 23-28 trip to Nicaragua. We'll be updating as often as possibly, hopefully every day.

Also, check out our NEW website: http://www.geocities.com/dylweed17/visedalindex.html

VISEDAL Info.

VISEDAL Partnership Child Sponsorship Program

“Clothe Me, Educate Me, and Feed Me”

Picture yourself standing on a busy downtown street corner, washing car windshields and begging for a few coins. Your mom sells trinkets on the side of the road and your siblings work alongside you. Now imagine doing this all day, every day, in Nicaragua, the Western Hemisphere’s second-poorest country. This nightmare won’t end as you grow older, as you’ve had to drop out of school for financial reasons and therefore have no hope of finding a better job. The cycle continues, one depressing day at a time.

This theoretical situation describes the reality in which many Nicaraguan kids, deprived of their childhoods, are forced to live. In the midst of this tragedy, however, hope exists.

VISEDAL Partnership is pleased to introduce its Child Sponsorship Program. Through this program, you have the opportunity to give some of the world’s most underprivileged children a chance to recapture their childhood while gaining tools to help them escape the cycle of poverty.

The program connects sponsors in the US with street children in Managua. Through your support, each child can leave the streets and return to school. Your support covers tuition, uniforms, and school supplies, and provides each family with a monthly food allowance to cover the income lost from their kids leaving their work on the streets. Periodically you will receive updates and pictures from your sponsored child, provided by VISEDAL’s staff worker in Nicaragua.

VISEDAL is currently in the process of establishing itself as a legal not-for-profit organization, a move we hope to complete by this summer or fall. In the interim, unfortunately, we cannot offer tax write-offs.

To sponsor a child please contact VISEDAL founder and president Dylan Waugh via email (dylanwaugh@gmail.com) or telephone (410) 800-8555. Also, please do not hesitate to contact him directly with any questions.

Program Details

Cost per Child: $25 per month

Payment Methods: Currently, only Cash/Check made out to ‘Dylan Waugh’

VISEDAL Contact Info:

Dylan Waugh

410-800-8555

dylanwaugh@gmail.com