Transforming Lives -> Healthy Living

Perhaps there are no two places in Nicaragua that are as different as La Chureca (the Managua dump) and Chacocente. La Chureca is death row without bars. It's a foul-smelling, smoky square-mile steeped in physical danger and mental anguish. Little girls have severed fingers on metal and glass as they looked for scraps to eat. One-third of the children who live there have lead in their blood, and those who aren't careful are crushed under the tires of the garbage trucks, which speed in and out as if the drivers are holding their breath. These people work in a pressure cooker, heat rising from the smoldering garbage and pouring down over them from the blistering sun. Vultures lurk nearby, and bony dogs compete for the meager rations. As the people shuffle methodically from one disappointing pile to the next, they look only vaguely human as they rake through the rubble. Wrapped head-to-toe in rags to keep their skin from burning, their deep, dark eyes stare listlessly into nothingness.

Chacocente is 40 acres of flat, fertile farmland in the highlands of Masaya. On the hottest day, a cool breeze rustles the leaves of the spreading trees and white fluffy clouds glide past overhead. The air is clean, and corn, beans, yuca and papaya cover the land in neat rows. The families look healthier these days, the result of regular meals, parasite treatments and preventive health classes. We teach the adults about family planning, and the children about finishing their education before getting married and having babies . When someone gets sick, they go to either the State-run health center or private clinic, depending on the seriousness of their case. The project pays for the visit and medication, and ensures they take the right dose at the right time. The children are taught in school about nutrition and personal hygiene; and each day, they take vitamins, brush their teeth and get exercise. Our health plan also includes laughter and hope.

People don't come from La Chureca without emotional and behavioral issues. Where necessary, we work with a psychologist to mitigate these problems. We've also conducted interventions in domestic abuse cases and parent-child conflicts.