Alumni Update: Julie Hoying
Current Work / Volunteer position: I am currently working in Barrio El Recreo, Managua, Nicaragua as a Jesuit Volunteer. Within this barrio that struggles with problems of poverty, drugs, gangs and machismo is a beautiful little community project called Proyecto Generando Vida. The Project is run by local people and has many different programs that work to improve the realities of the barrio. I work with a team of educators in a school program called Nivelacion. The program invites children who are not able to attend public school because of financial or family situations as well as students who have troubles with homework to come for academic support. We work not only with the children but are also encouraged to do regular home visits. This allows us to get know the situation of each individual student to be able to best plan lessons and activities for the kids. I have enjoyed all the challenges and joys of my first year of service and complete my term December of 2005. From a recent (August 2004) email: On the 19th of July Nicaraguans celebrated the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Samoza dictatorship and the rise of the Sandinista government. The festivities in the downtown Plaza were enormous. Buses loaded with people from all over the country poured in and everything was covered in Sandinista black and red. Standing smooshed in the middle of the huge happy crowd listening to the music and speeches, it was easy to picture what the Plaza must have been like in on the day of the victory in 1979. It was an experience of being part of history that I will never forget. Work with the kids is always an adventure. It is a fine line between control and chaos and everyday I wake up wondering how the day will play itself out. For the few success stories we like hear about, there are hundreds of forgotten kids whose tragic lives are not ending up so happily. I struggle with these kids and try my best not to get frustrated. They leave me wondering how someone this young could already have such bitter violent attitudes and seemingly utter lack of conscience for their actions. Stick all these children with different needs in a class together and you can understand why everyday holds its new challenges and joys. We recently started a ¨cup of milk¨ program for the students. The milk is sent in powder and takes a good bit of cooking a stirring to prepare a big barrel of it every morning. There have been some organizational problems around its preparation but the kids are always excited to drink it. Whenever a new milk related challenge comes up I just keep reminding myself that it is all done in the hopes that one of these days I can get a hug from a healthy solid child instead of ones whose skinny little arms and ribs dig into my waist. There are three new classrooms being build at the Project and are due to be inaugurated during the Nicaraguan Independence Day celebrations mid September. All the banging and sawing and hammering will all be worthwhile. Moving from the communal shelter house to an enclosed class will provide a better and safer educational setting with fewer distractions from wandering animals, fighting drunks, rain and street vendors. The school program has been held outside for the last 20 years but I think this will be a positive change for all the students and the teachers. A few months ago some kind person sent me a pack of Mammoth Sunflower Seeds. After a few failed attempts to produce a small sprout much less anything mammoth in my garden, I gifted them to a woman who lives across from the Project. She planted one outside her house along a grey cement wall and for the last 6 weeks the thing has been growing bigger and bigger amid the dust and drought. This week the huge yellow flower opened and drew the attention of the whole barrio. It has been the talk of the town and at first everyone lamented that although it was pretty it was destined to be broken off and robbed by the gangs which has been the fate of so many of the trees planted around the basketball court. By the end of the week, head still intact, people commented on its beauty with a sense of pride at the respect it has been given. While teaching class I have enjoyed watching people pause, look up and contemplate its flower before continuing on their way. It is amazing how one spot of live brightness can lift spirits. Thank you for your prayers and thoughts. Take good care. Love, Julie |
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