Arsenic News & Thoughts on Doing Good Well

A few years ago the ministry of health discovered that wells in some rural villages near where we work had high levels of arsenic. 

Drinking water with high levels of arsenic over a number of years can lead to serious illnesses like skin cancer and kidney disease.  There is a good background article on arsenic on the NE website.

Nuevas Esperanzas was asked to help find a solution because of our history in the area and our co-worker Andrew's specialization in hydogeology.  He's posted two news articles giving updates about the work: an article about discovering that a large area is affected by this problem and an article about the health study done with the villagers who've been drinking the contaminated water.

Not having a background in chemistry, geology or dermatology, reading the articles reminded how fortunate we are to have the help of specialists like Andrew and Dr. Gomez, especially in situations where the stakes are high and those most affected are the poor.  Our friend Scott from Food for the Hungry in Nicaragua makes a similar point, but more memorably that I could, in his blog post about Christian compassion and professionalism.  

The Importance of Yamil

We believe that if a project is going to work in the long-term, the community must own it.  This means, in part, that the community contributes to the project as it’s able.  Most often the community contributes its labor:  mixing cement, hauling materials, cooking meals, digging holes, planting trees, etc.  Yamil is the one on the Nuevas Esperanzas team who organizes the work groups. 

That may sound trivial, but work groups are actually where much of community transformation happens.  Work groups are where people decide to cooperate for the common good, or don’t.  They are where people buy into the project, or don’t.  Work groups are where we find out what people are willing to share.  Work groups are where we find out what kind of change people really want. 

Yamil’s job is not just having people count off and telling them what day to show up.  He’s a mediator, negotiator and motivational speaker.  He needs to be able to read people and have a knack for building relationships, which is why Yamil being Nicaraguan is such an important asset.

My job is to manage projects, monitor results and report to donors.  I orchestrate opportunities for Yamil to work.  Yamil, in some ways, is more of an artist.  He creates opportunities for change.

In the rain

Photo captions:

1 - 2. The boys join the throngs of bubble lovers.  

3.  Unfortunately, after this incident, we ran out and their stubborn mama refuses to to buy more as she does not know much about the ethics of bubble manufacturers and vows to make her own.

4.  Family photo.

5.  The anonymous tropical storm begins - we received rain for more than week.

6.  We are cold.  Some of us are not accustomed to wearing much clothing.  Smile.

7.  The rain has caused to be creative in thinking of other things to do.

8.  Augusto.  Note: he has grown more accustomed to long-sleeves.

9.  A Nicaragaun bird-feeder.

Children of Corn

In August I wrote a work update about the bean harvest.  Our friend Rachel just wrote a good blog post about the importance of corn in Nicaragua in honor of World Food Day.  Corn is the other main staple grown by the farmers we work with, and the corn harvest is one of the most important events of the year for a poor subsistence farmer.  For many of us from the Midwest, corn on the cob is a seasonal tradition.  In Nicaragua most people eat corn in some form almost every day.  It has deep roots in their food culture and a vocabulary all of its own.  We really enjoy that Nicaraguans have such an intimate relationship with their food, and that it is celebrated as the gift that it is.

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