The future is our children’s hands. But how are we teaching them to create a brighter tomorrow?
Countless teenage boys admit, “The first time I picked up a mop was at CANTERA.” Or, “I never cooked until I saw other guys cooking at CANTERA.” Something as commonplace as household chores exemplifies great disadvantages for women.
Unfortunately, gender norms prioritize boys’ schooling and health needs over girls’, men’s salaries over women’s, and men’s dominance in household decisions. CANTERA supports bridging the gap between access to education, employment, and health by promoting equal rights and responsibilities for all people.
Gender equality needs to be practiced on many levels. Below, CANTERA Youth Leaders reflect on the importance of education at home.
Equality Begins in Early Education
Wilton Mendoza
From our birth, the society in which we live assigns gender roles to men and women. According to our society, men provide for the home and have the right to feel tired after their day at work because they provide for their family’s needs. Meanwhile, society teaches that women are born to be housewives who have and raise children. Women do not have the right to feel tired because they spend all day at home. Their work is not viewed as real labor, according to the prevailing masculine mentality.
One alternative to this oppressive mentality is to promote gender equity starting with young children. From a young age, children—both female and male—must be taught that the responsibilities in the home should be equally shared.
This image was taken in a place in the Municipality of Mateare where a mother assigns all her children, regardless of gender, chores in an equal manner.
Everyone is Capable
Kevin Doña
This is an example of the involvement of women an men in the equal distribution of roles within the home. Everyone can do his or her part to better the unequal relationship between the sexes. Everyone is capable of realizing the same functions and chores; women and men have the same capacities. No longer do we have to raise our children to be helpless princesses and violent conquerors!
Blog compiled by Rose Costello Enos, Communications Coordinator for the CANTERA Development Office.
Hiking and enjoying the beautiful landscape of La Garnacha.
A couple months ago, I had the opportunity to travel to visit La Garnacha, a rural community with impressive artistry, beautiful nature, delicious food, and, most importantly, incredible people. I travelled with four youth leaders from CANTERA in Barrio Dimitrov (one of the more marginalized neighborhoods in Nicaragua’s capital city). Accompanying us was a group of high school students from Louisiana, USA, on a one-week Immersion Trip with CANTERA.
Before going into detail about our day, I will explain who I am and why I am with Cantera. My name is Brian, I will be starting my senior year at Siena College, in Albany, NY this fall. This trip to La Garnacha ended the fifth week of my six-week service trip in Nicaragua. Every afternoon, my friend and classmate, Nicole, and I spent time at CANTERA in Barrio Dimitrov, forming relationships with the chavalos (Nicaraguan slang for youth) and helping CANTERA’s Youth Center in Dimitrov in any capacity needed.
This weekend, I was lucky to be able to strengthen my relationship with the chavalos and to get to know the girls from Louisiana as we hiked and experienced the natural beauty of La Garnacha, spent time learning about rock sculptures in the area, ate traditional food from the region, and learned about ecological farming practices. The day was a perfect mix of education and fun, and it was clear that all the young people had a good time and took a lot away from the experience.
A Nica-Louisiana group photo by world-famous stone carvings.
One important focus of CANTERA’s mission is sharing–everyone coming together to learn in community and to grow in culture, leadership, knowledge and confidence. Our trip to La Garnacha was just that: a trip where everyonebroadened their horizon and learned about different cultures and ways of life. We experienced the rich culture and traditions of the community at La Garnacha; we learned about everything from their successes in organic farming and ecotourism to their difficulties in accessing education.
This was not the only learning and sharing that took place. While in the Nicaraguan countryside, I enjoyed helping facilitate the cultural exchange between the Louisiana students and the chavalos from CANTERA. During the bus rides, lunch, and throughout the whole day, we were sharing music, playing card games, discussing what school is like where we live, and the Louisiana students improved their Spanish while the Nicaraguan chavalos practiced English. It was impressive to watch the inventive ways of communication that arise when people speak different languages, and it is powerful to see how successfully people can communicate, despite not speaking fluently in the same language.
What an amazing view! And what an amazing experience!
An essential part of growth is experiencing cultures and ways of life that are different from our own. Through understanding other perspectives, working together, and embracing our differences, we can grow closer to one another and consider new ideas that we never realized exist. We also grow in confidence and self-esteem as we see that other people care about us, take interest in us and love us for who we are. What I admire most about CANTERA is that this exact type of growth is facilitated daily, helping youth to recognize their potential, and creating an environment where those youth can work together, guiding and encouraging one another to reach their full potential.
Blog written by Brian Talbot. Brian volunteered in CANTERA- Dimitrov as part of his medical studies with the “Siena College/ Albany Medical College Program in Science, Humanities and Medicine.”
“I’ll never forget the moment I had to show myself on the street, dressed up as a woman. All my friends, neighbors, even my parents were there, staring at me. The first thing I noticed was that someone in the crowd shouted, cochón (an offensive word for gay people) at me. My body froze. I felt like I wouldn’t be able to act and I told my theatre teacher so. Eventually, she convinced me to take the stage. When I started to act, the whole crowd remained silent, no offensive words were even whispered. The applause afterwards was enormous. I think it changed my life.” Kevin begins to laugh, remembering this. At 21, he has become a strong leader in his community after growing up in CANTERA. “I never wanted to act as a woman, but when I finally did, I could understand how women must feel, what kind of violence they’re facing here, in our community, every day. I’m very grateful for this experience.”
Kevin describes a play called “Los nacatamales de Doña Dora,” a work of street theatre developed some years ago by Ciudad Sandino’s theatre group. Street Theatre, contrary to theatre most are used to, creates theatre skits based on the experiences of the young actors participating in the theatre group.
“The sketches go through a long process, until they are ready to be presented,” says Susana, a former theatre teacher. “First, the group discusses the play’s topic: Violence? The environment? School? Sexual health? As long as it has to do something with their lives, anything is possible. When we‘ve finally chosen the topic, everyone tries to think about experiences they have had that have to do with this subject. Each and every person has been affected by topics like these at least once or twice in their lives. Afterwards, to gain a better idea of what we are going to do, we do some research. With this information we start to improvise different sketches, just things that come up to our heads. In the end, we unite these little sketches and form a bigger play with a beginning and an end.”
Improvisation is the first step to writing a street theatre script
Recently, the Ciudad Sandino theatre troupe had the opportunity to act out one of their sketches, No todo es gris (Not Everything Is Grey), in front of a youth group on the Island of Ometepe, as part of a cultural exchange experience between the two young theatre groups. This sketch is about sexual health, especially the issue of HIV/AIDS, how it is transmitted, and the treatment process for the disease.
“This one is my favorite sketches”, a young actor, Johan, tells me. ¨I’ve always been quite passionate about this topic because I’ve always known that there are sexually transmitted diseases but no one ever talked about it. I feel like it is a taboo and it was interesting to work on this topic through the skit, talking openly about it and spreading the knowledge we’ve gained. Theatre is one of my favorite things to do in CANTERA and I think it’s a fun way to spread awareness about topics like STDs.”
No todo es gris ends with a red ribbon, a symbol of solidarity with people living with HIV/AIDS
The presentation in front of the other group went really well and ended in an interesting conversation about gender equity. The Ometepe Theatre Troupe will come to visit Ciudad Sandino to present their theatre play called the ¨Güegüense,“ a traditional Nicaraguan work of theater and dance that developed during the colonial period as an expression of protest against colonial rule.
¨Seeing how another group works very differently on theatre was quite interesting for us; but, the thing that‘ll probably stick with me forever is the way they live in this rural area,” Ariana shares. ¨Most of the youth on Ometepe work every morning on the fields until noon, afterwards they go to school and at night they come to practice dance and theatre. They deserve my respect.”
For me, it was a great experience to share these moments with the youth of CANTERA and Ometepe, to see how they interact with each other and how the group has grown closer because of this trip. I really think street theatre is a great way to share experiences to contribute a little bit toward greater social change.
Ciudad Sandino and Ometepe Island theatre troups pose for the camera
Blog written by Maike Hilger, an enthusiastic, young German volunteer in CANTERA-Ciudad Sandino.
“If it weren’t for CANTERA, we would be forced into a typical routine: work, study, die,” expresses Julia, an 18-year-old who has participated in CANTERA since she was in her mother’s womb. With a Beca Scholarship, this teenager can study English and volunteer in her community teaching children about their rights; she grows personally and professionally, constantly giving back to her community.
In Spanish, beca means scholarship. However, CANTERA’s Beca Scholarships mean so much more. Just going to school daily or getting a high school diploma does not ensure a brighter future for students or their community. Even children who receive a formal education lack confidence and leadership skills. Gangs attract children with low self-esteem and unstable families. Teenagers without clear future goals are vulnerable to early pregnancies. Immigration takes leaders from their communities by promising economic stability. Abuse at home and violence on the streets continues when victims do not have safe spaces where they can ask for help and begin healing.
CANTERA’s Beca Scholarship Program combines formal schooling with personal growth and leadership development. Throughout their commitment to the program, Beca Scholars study formally, attend personal growth workshops, and give back to their community by working for social change.
Beca Scholars learn to set academic, professional, and personal goals in Leadership Workshops.
Beca Scholars are selected based on their academic potential, economic challenges, and dedication to working to improve the quality of life in their community—studying Medicine and empowering children and girls as karate athletes; studying Biology and sharing their passion for personal expression through dance; studying Graphic Design and creating Community Documentaries about social problems. Surrounded by poverty, violence, gender discrimination, and unemployment, Beca Scholars are implementing real change in their communities.
An actress and Beca Scholar presents an original play to high school students, encouraging them to care for the environment and critically analyze their social context.
Did you have help making your dream a reality? This is your chance to do the same. Today begins our Beca Scholarships Campaign. By September 30, 2017, we aim to assure 37 Beca Scholars with personal and professional development for the upcoming year.
$30 per month—just $1 per day—ensures a High School Beca and $50 per month ensures a University Beca. By making a recurring donation you guarantee a student´s education for one year! Consider joining with a few friends to cover a scholarship together!
Blog written by the Friends of Cantera Donor Relations, Marketing, and Communications Committee. Friends of Cantera is an all-volunteer organization that works in solidarity with Nicaragua and CANTERA.
A recent Biology graduate, I have always been very passionate about climate change and how it is affecting the world. It pains me to see the damage we are doing to our beautiful planet. But it doesn’t stop there. In addition to harming sensitive ecosystems, we are putting the food security of millions of people worldwide in danger. Today over 525 million people are still dedicated to farming and 85 % of them are smallholder households. The climate is altering drastically; this has devastating effects on crop yields, making the most marginalized populations even more vulnerable.
When I was offered the chance to do an internship with CANTERA’s Rural Development Team in the context of my postgraduate program ‘North-South International Cooperation’, I was very excited. This was a unique chance to go beyond reading and hearing about these vulnerable populations. I would get to get to know them personally, to give them a face and a name. For six months, I interned accompanying the Rural Development Team to the poor farming communities in the tropic dry region of Nicaragua where CANTERA promotes agroecology as an alternative for conventional farming methods.
These farming families face harsh climatological and economic conditions, but they are the warmest and most welcoming people you will ever meet. One of these people is Samuel, a well-spoken man in his early forties, a local, volunteer Community Leader for CANTERA. Samuel was born and grew up in a rural community outside of Nicaragua’s capital in the 1980’s. On and off he lived in Managua, the capital city, seeking a stable income, but he returned to his village in 2010 to dedicate himself to farming with his family. He kindly invited me over to his home to talk about the reality in his village. While he’s pouring me some delicious fresh juice made from his own garden, I ask him my first question.
Dorien: One of the things you immediately notice about your community is the peace and tranquillity in the community and the beauty of the woods. Can you tell me something more about life here?
Samuel: This is a small rural community of about 300 people living in approximately 115 houses. We are located about 40 km from Managua. It’s a very nice and safe place to live. At some point in time some chickens may have been stolen, but nothing more dangerous ever happens. The majority of the inhabitants are dedicated to small scale farming activities. Most of them grow the basis crops mays, kidney beans and sorghum. A few families also have cattle or chickens for milk, eggs and meat. There are even people who have some bee hives to produce honey.
Beekeeping is an environmentally-friendly livlihood which supports family and community economic stability. Men and women participate equally.
Dorien: You say that the farmers in the community produce food on a small scale. Do they produce enough to sell their products or is the yield destined for self-consumption?
Samuel: There are about five families in the community that I know of that produce enough to crops to sell a little of their yield. The rest of the families can’t. In first place, they don’t own great quantities of land to produce enough food. Additionally, they don’t have the economic resources to pay for a day labourer or a plough. Sometimes they don’t have enough money to buy seeds to sow. So they sow small amounts to feed themselves, but they never produce enough survive for the entire dry season, only for part of it, and for the rest, well, the frequently go hungry. Not all of them have beans in their family, not all of them have corn. They can buy it or stop eating the crop till the next season. They stop eating tortillas, stop eating beans. Families live in poverty. It’s an enormous problem in the community.
Dorien: What do people to make sure they get enough food on the table?
Samuel: Men and women go to Managua in search of a stable income. There they work as security guards or house assistants. Some of them make this journey daily, others find a house in the city where they can live during the week. My wife lives in Managua during the week with our six-year-old son. I see them every one to two weeks when they come over for the weekend. The emigration rate in our community is low, but the main reason people migrate is to flee from poverty on the countryside. Other people sell firewood and charcoal in Managua a few times a month, which earns them 1000 – 1500 pesos (35 -50 dollar) every time.
Dorien: Some of them make this journey daily? That’s not an obvious thing to do since you live quite far from the main road to the city and no one owns a car in the community.
Samuel: We don’t have public transport in our community. If we want to take a bus, we take it in in the neighbouring communities. It’s a 45-minute to an hour walk to the bus, and then it takes about an hour to get to city. Mothers and fathers leave the house very early and come home late at night. A few years ago, you couldn’t reach the community at all, but thanks to God, the government has invested infrastructure improvements. In that sense, we are lucky.
Going to the market is an adventure as well. People only go once every one to two weeks and buy everything they need at once. Also, there’s the cost of transporting your purchasing. That’s why people don’t go often. They have to pay a cart or car to get the goods to the house.
The inaccessibility of the community is the second reason why people move closer to the city.
Dorien: Another big problem people in this region are facing are the effects of climate change. How do you experience these effects in your community?
Samuel: First of all, what has changed drastically is the rain. It doesn’t rain like it did before. We experience some serious droughts. The rivers close to the community lowered in level. Most families have their own wells to obtain water for cooking, cleaning and to use in the family garden, some families use a communal well, but the water tables of the wells are lowering as well, so a lot of them are dry.
Another effect of the drought is that we are able to harvest less and less. Bean yields, for example, have dropped drastically. It doesn’t rain for weeks or it downpours all at once. That’s very harmful for a sensitive crop like beans. We are also harvesting less corn and sorghum. Normally we have two productive cycles in the rainy season. Due to climate change, seasons are changing, and we are losing the first productive cycle. Two years ago, we weren’t able to harvest anything during all of the rainy season. Last year the season was a little better. Not the best, but at least we harvested a little.
Dorien: You are losing a complete cycle during the rainy season and are harvesting hardly anything. How does this affect the motivation of the farmers?
Samuel: People are afraid to plant. It’s true that people aren’t sowing the first productive cycle. They wait wait for the second cycle. Farmers frequently lose all of their first harvest. People don’t want to invest time and money in a lost cause. They are losing motivation. They to plant only during the second cycle. But the negative thing about the second cycle is that sometimes there’s an excess in rain. With too much rain, you can’t cultivate. The climate isn’t stable. It’s our biggest enemy.
Dorien: You say that water tables are lowering and people are hardly able to produce enough. This brings food security seriously in danger.
Samuel: Food security isn’t how it should be in our community. We want to improve it and we are working hard on that. In that sense, CANTERA has been a strong pillar in our community. They came here to encourage and support us in achieving food security. Local government hasn’t given us the support we need. CANTERA played a major role in helping us by reaching out and offering us workshops, training and support with our family gardens and community Seed Banks. So, thanks to CANTERA we are moving forward. People are more conscious about the fact that they have to start using new methods to be able to live better in these difficult times.
Creating resilience to climate change in rural communities. Seed Banks are one of the most successful developments in sustainable agriculture for communities CANTERA accompanies.
Dorien: How long has CANTERA been working with the people in your community?
Samuel: Indirectly they have been supporting us for a long time now. Before we supported along with another community but we became independent about two years ago. Since then CANTERA has worked directly with us.
All voices are heard in community meetings and workshops.
Dorien: You are a local Community Leader for CANTERA. What does this mean? How do you inspire other people?
Samuel: I stimulate the use of the practices CANTERA promotes: in their family gardens and farm parcels. I try to support and help the people where I can. I invite them to workshops. The most important thing however is to show them that yes, they can. That with good will and great enthusiasm they can create better conditions for themselves and their families.
As a Rural Community Leader, I took a leadership course with CANTERA that has strengthened me in my leadership capacities. I’m more patient, listen more to the people and don’t take decisions under pressure. This has helped me not only as a Community Leader but also as an active citizen who takes part in local politics.
I inspire other people to be responsible, not with what I say, but with what I do. For example, I volunteer in the local political party. When the government grants a program to support the people, four people and I get to choose the families who are in need. So far, my family has never taken a program ourselves. Also, I try to implement the practices promoted by CANTERA as well as I can. People see it works and are inspired to use them themselves. Deeds say more than a thousand words. I try to make people conscious about the fact that with or without the government, we have to work. With or without CANTERA, we have to work. With or without other organizations, we have to work. We are the ones living in our community. We are the ones in charge of making change.
Community members of all ages tend family gardens.
With these inspiring words, we drink the last bit of our delicious juice. Samuel is excited to show me his beautiful garden where he grows a large variety of fruits, vegetables and herbs. The passion with which this man works his land is clear. Even though these people are often struggling to get by, they don’t lose their hope. This intern experience has taught me an awful lot about the parallel realities we are living in. I couldn’t be more grateful.
Written by Dorien Cools, a Belgian Biologist who served as a Rural Development Intern as part of her postgraduate program in North-South International Cooperation.
In Nicaragua it is common for women to work in their house, cooking, cleaning, and caring for children while men work earning money outside of the home. Women’s work is undervalued, though they rarely rest and it often includes physical exertion.
Who dictates that women care for the home and children while men earn money in the public sphere? Below you will find photographs and reflections from teenagers involved in CANTERA who challenge traditional gender roles.
‘Manly’ Jobs
Walter Guerrero, Mateare
In a soldering workshop a single mother works to provide her children with a brighter future. Her male coworkers support her and believe in her abilities. Nonetheless, she is criticized for working there… Socially, women are seen as taking care of the home. This image demonstrates that a woman can be part of an effort to contribute to social change, part of the struggle for women’s acceptance in society. As women participate in this struggle, people will slowly begin to recognize the role they play in the development and growth of the country when they see more and more women doing ‘manly’ jobs with the same quality and effort men produce.
We Are All Equally Capable
Mayquel Gerardo Sánchez Castillo, Jorge Dimitrov
In Jorge Dimitrov, a neighborhood in Managua, there is a family sewing workshop which has been around for approximately 30 years… With the exception of this young man, primarily women work in the workshop. He has broken society’s stereotypes about this job. It is assumed that men should not do this kind of work; however, he shows us that all people have equal capabilities. Because of the entrepreneurial spirit he displays daily, this young man has been successful in the workshop alongside his female co-workers.
A Respectable Job
Darwin Martinez Mairena, San Judas
Moises, 30, lives in the neighborhood of San Judas, Managua. He lives with his mom and two children of four and six years. Moises wakes up very early to get his children ready for the day to, take them to school, and to then go grind corn. By making tortillas, this father ears a living to support his family.
He is recognized by his neighbors as hardworking and entrepreneurial, a man who works so his children will have a brighter future. He demonstrates that not only women can do this type of work, that this is a respectable job for all people…
We must break stereotypes that society imposes, educating more people who motivate and inspire others to create an equitable world.
We Decide To Live Without Limits
Michelle Penélope Escobar Rios, San Judas
Marling and David… each play a different role in their family carpentry business, regardless of their sex or gender… For social or cultural reasons, we as women have been limited to reveal our capacities in different work spaces. However, when we decide to live without limits, our lives as women make sense.
Free Woman
Wilton Mendoza, Mateare
This photo was taken in a sign board workshop of sign boards in the Municipality of Mateare. For me, this image represents the equal participation of men and women in the workspace. It was awesome to see a woman carry out this kind of work, as it is normally believed and stereotyped to be a job only for men…
Also, I wanted to reflect how a man gives space to a woman to be free, to do the job she wants to do. Doing so reflects that he recognizes her abilities and the support that she gives him in the workshop. Situations and examples such as these must be promoted so that women are given more opportunities to have strong leadership roles.
Reflections translated by Rose Costello Enos, Communications Coordinator for the CANTERA Development Office.
Young adults plant trees with their younger community members, exemplifying the importance of caring for all life and one’s community.
Today, the last Friday of June, Nicaraguans commemorate Arbor Day. Below, a young adult from CANTERA-Ciudad Sandino shares a reflection about deforestation, to remind us of our interconnectedness with trees and all life.
Magnificent Green Gods
Jennifer Paola Marenco
Trees are a synonym for life. When I see a tree, I give thanks. I know that if that tree were not there I would not be able to breathe the pure air it provides. Sadly, not all people on this planet see trees in this way. It should not be like this; it should be obligatory for all people to consider trees important.
It is disappointing to see how the magnificent green gods of the planet are destroyed, without a second thought, by humans. Without trees, our planet would be a desert. If we want to live, we must take care of trees. Let´s stop cutting down forests and destroy animals. Let´s reforest what we have already destroyed. Let´s plant seeds in our yards and gardens so they become healthy. Let´s help the planet survive so we can continue living here.
“Magnificent Green Gods:” A photo taken by Jennifer which accompanies her reflection. This photo was one of the top 15 finalists in CANTERA’s 7th Annual Photo Contest for Social Change.
Nicaragua has some of the most expansive Central American rainforests, including the Bosawas Reserve which is referred to as the “lungs of Central America.” However, forests have been and continue to be cleared and damaged due to agriculture, cattle grazing, commercial logging, mining, and forest fires.
Deforestation in Nicaragua from 1983 to 2011
CANTERA hosts reforestation days in the communities it accompanies and teaches sustainable agricultural practices such as “Energy Forests.” Energy Forests are quick-growing tree parcels whose branches are cut for firewood and allowed to regrow, a sustainable alternative to cutting the whole tree.
Children in Ciudad Sandino dig holes to reforest their community.
What will you do you protect our forests? How will you care for the planet and its people? Comment and share you commitment to the environment!
Ecological brigades reforest in rural Mateare.
Blog by Rose Costello Enos, Communications Coordinator for the CANTERA Development Office.
What is Popular Education? To get a sense of it, take a look at the images of CANTERA workshops below!
As a workshop begins, participants express the expectations and facilitators document them.Facilitators lead participants in activities for people to get to know each other, present themselves to the group, laugh, express their feelings, and get relaxed, creating a harmonious learning environment.Facilitators give a formal welcome to the workshop, present themselves to the group, and initiate the first conversation: What previous knowledge do we have of the subject? Facilitators synthesize this knowledge and explain what new things will be learned today.Facilitators document “Golden Rules” that participants want to use during the workshop so they can participate freely and feel respected.Hands-on activities inspire participants to reflect about the theme of the workshop.Participants reflect, sharing their personal experience of the subject with the group.Facilitators divide the large group into small groups for continued reflection and group work.Small groups share their reflection and work in the big group for others to learn and comment. Creatively, group work can also be shared through skits, poetry, music, human statues, or artistic illustrations.Lead by skilled facilitators, the group participates in a critical analysis of the subject and suggests new lifestyles and habits that can mitigate problems analyzed.Groups can practice their new ideas through skits and theatre or hands-on examples.Each participant makes a personal commitment to their way of life so as to make a positive impact in their family and community.The facilitators lead an evaluation as the workshop comes to a close: Were your expectations fulfilled? What did you learn? What suggestions do you have for the next workshop?A spiritual meditation or ritual dance closes the space, connecting all the participants to themselves, each other, their communities, their commitment, and the nature that surrounds them.Participants take their new knowledge into their communities, putting it into practice in their own lives and sharing it with others in workshops and daily informal interactions. As they practice their new behaviors and ways of life, they analyze if they are successful and bring these reflections to the next workshop they participate in. And, so, they cycle of education repeats.
Blog written by Rose Costello Enos, Communications Coordinator for the CANTERA Development Office. Photos by Rose Costello Enos, Anibal Ruiz, and Marcelino Guzman.
The CANTERA Center in San Judas has been full of life and movement recently! Mural painting expresses their dreams for their communities and personal development workshops guide them as they define the steps to transform themselves, their families, and their communities. Dance, theatre, art, and English classes are safe spaces for young people to discover their talents and learn to express themselves in a safe space. Amidst high levels of drug use, gang violence, and violence against women in their neighborhood, they are committed to creating a better future for themsevles and future generations.
English students take a break from their studies to smile for the camera
A woman from Louisiana, Jeanette Mills, had the opportunity to visit San Judas through CANTERA’s Immersion Program. She describes her experience as full of transformation and hope; below is her testimony.
“The depth of transformation experienced at CANTERA first struck me during our visit to visit the San Judas youth. A young boy with dark curly hair had the courage to share how CANTERA transformed his life. Prior to CANTERA, he described himself as “arrogant.” He shared a video he created that depicted his former self. The video showed him as someone who drank heavily, got in fights, was rude to others, aggressive, and ultimately alone. Another youth offered him compassion and understanding and a different way of life through CANTERA. After joining CANTERA, he explained that he was no longer “arrogant” and the other youth became his family. I have thought about this young boy often since my return. And as I reflect today, I am struck profoundly with the hope that this young boy gives me. He has experienced transformation and found a new way to be. We can too.
“Another youth at San Judas performed a beautiful dance for us and spoke of her involvement with the dance program at CANTERA. Afterwards, she spoke eloquently about the pending laws regarding violence against women and children. As she spoke, her passion for social justice issues was apparent. She was a natural and gifted advocate. I could not help but dream about her future while she spoke… Perhaps one day she will be an attorney or a social worker and work to cultivate further change in her community regarding social justice issues.
“All of the San Judas youth were eager to share with us, not just the two youth mentioned above. There was an openness and honesty about the youth that was dramatically different from what I experience in the US. I canʼt help but wonder if we too are searching for what these youth have found in one another through CANTERA: Acceptance and openness; a place to take off our masks and just be.”
Teenagers from San Judas celebrate after painting the CANTERA San Judas Center. Working together creates community and builds their identity as CANTERA youth making a change in their community.
Blog published by Rose Costello Enos, Communications Coordinator for the CANTERA Development Office
Nicaragua has contributed hardly anything to the worldwide crisis of climate change. Nevertheless, Nicaragua is facing the worst environmental conditions in its history.
Nicaragua is home to international water and air supplies: Central America’s largest lake, Lake Nicaragua, and largest rainforest, Bosawas; as well as the Tisma Lake System which recharges the subterranean aquifer. Water sources are contaminated and dry up. Cattle ranching, mono-cropping, and industrial and small-scale metal mining contribute to rapid deforestation.
During 11 of the last 15 years Nicaragua has suffered from heat stress and inadequate rainfalls. Breaking historically record temperatures has become the norm. Temperatures have consistently increased.
In contrast, rainfall has annually decreased. Since 2013 Nicaragua’s rainy season has fallen below the historical range, reaching deficits of 50% nationwide.
It is increasingly difficult for farmers to produce, Increasingly expensive for people to purchase food, and increasingly challenging to have access to water, all which makes it unhealthy to live in this environment, especially for children and the elderly.
The reflection and photo below from a CANTERA Youth Leader calls us not only to recognize the environmental degradation inflicted by climate change, but to also ask ourselves: What are we doing to leave the planet in a healthy state for future generations?
A Different Perspective
Bryan López, Ciudad Sandino
I believe that potable water should be used in a rational way, to water plants, for example. In a not-so-far-away future the tree or plant we water can give us many benefits: fruit, the energy that it produces through photosynthesis, shade, and the habitat of many animals.
We should raise people’s awareness about the importance of water conservation. As Confucius said, “If you are planning for a year, plant a seed; for ten years, plant a tree; but if you are planning for one hundred years, educate the children.”
Sources: Envío
Environmental analysis summarized by Rose Costello Enos, Communications Coordinator for the CANTERA Development Office. For further reading visit these Envío or FAO articles.
Friends of Cantera 