Friday, July 18, 2008
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Tales from a non-profit...
Nica News
From Program Director Neal Daniels
I realized today that the kids that attend our programs in El Farito on a regular basis love it! The children are extremely well behaved, compared to how some of them act in their actual schools. They show us respect and appreciation, most of the time. I have also been blown away by the willingness to learn, and the many attempts to get better at what they already know. Children, who have less and are raised with less, expect less and are thankful for less. It is a beautiful thing to witness, and it is impossible not to appreciate.
Strolling through the grocery store with 48 large bags of oatmeal usually puts up a red flag. I always want to let everyone in the store know that this food is not for us; the food is actually going to end up in the stomachs of the children who live in La Chureca (children in our child sponsorship program). Maybe some of the shoppers put 2 and 2 together: A few Americans + 48 bags of oatmeal = Volunteers/Missionaries. However, the reality is that some don’t understand what is happening with their supply of Quakers. In the end the good of the cause is enough to not let this process bother me. I feel it is hard not to display the American stereotype, while purchasing so many groceries; though it is completely necessary to maintain our project. We have to feed a ton of mouth at any given time of a normal day in the Manna House.
Summer 08’has brought a number of challenges, unpredictable weather, and some wonderful progress in the world of Manna. The Literacy Library program has taking on a major change in location and available resources. The location for library time is now in the new and improved library on the grounds of the August family. Each Friday a couple of Program Directors spend an hour and a half with the children from Cedro Galan. A majority of the time is spent reading books from the brand new selection of books. The last part of library is designated for games, puzzles, etc. Some of the kids even work on homework or book reports that are given out in one of our Literacy groups. I haven’t gotten to the best part about the new location of Literacy Library. We have been blessed with the wonderful invention and awesomeness of air conditioning. Also, the children get out of Cedro Galan for a while during their week, and we all know how nice it can be to take a field trip to “The Land” (August’s land). Most importantly the kids have a whole new selection of books to choose from.
Pen Pal letters have been introduced to our Literacy groups throughout the month of June in Cedro Galan. The ability to receive and send letters and photos electronically will speed up the process of the kids reading and writing letters to their new friends in a foreign country. A former Manna Project summer volunteer is teaching a Spanish class in Louisiana and contacted us in Managua about the possibility of starting a pen pal system. We of course accepted and took the necessary steps to get this process under way. I personally asked for control of this activity, because I had contacted possible teachers in the United States in prior months but decided to hold out. After responding to the letters the kids draw pictures and leave room for a photo to personalize the pen pal note.
Outside help from volunteers has proven to be beneficial to the development of the Manna Project Programs. Welcoming newcomers is the start of a new chapter during a Program Director’s year in Nicaragua. I have found that fresh new ideas make lesson planning much easier and our time together feels much less like work. We are able to expand and give our classes more versatility, while keeping the children engaged. I have also noticed that the kids are completely welcoming to new faces. After months of one teacher, a new and exciting energy is released and teaching becomes fun again. I feel that our programs become much more successful with our wonderful volunteers.
As we prepare for the 2008/09 Program Directors to arrive later this week, we all want to send our love to where ever this updates finds you. Manna Project International-Nicaragua is moving along and learning new ways to better our community.
From Program Director Neal Daniels
I realized today that the kids that attend our programs in El Farito on a regular basis love it! The children are extremely well behaved, compared to how some of them act in their actual schools. They show us respect and appreciation, most of the time. I have also been blown away by the willingness to learn, and the many attempts to get better at what they already know. Children, who have less and are raised with less, expect less and are thankful for less. It is a beautiful thing to witness, and it is impossible not to appreciate.
Strolling through the grocery store with 48 large bags of oatmeal usually puts up a red flag. I always want to let everyone in the store know that this food is not for us; the food is actually going to end up in the stomachs of the children who live in La Chureca (children in our child sponsorship program). Maybe some of the shoppers put 2 and 2 together: A few Americans + 48 bags of oatmeal = Volunteers/Missionaries. However, the reality is that some don’t understand what is happening with their supply of Quakers. In the end the good of the cause is enough to not let this process bother me. I feel it is hard not to display the American stereotype, while purchasing so many groceries; though it is completely necessary to maintain our project. We have to feed a ton of mouth at any given time of a normal day in the Manna House.
Summer 08’has brought a number of challenges, unpredictable weather, and some wonderful progress in the world of Manna. The Literacy Library program has taking on a major change in location and available resources. The location for library time is now in the new and improved library on the grounds of the August family. Each Friday a couple of Program Directors spend an hour and a half with the children from Cedro Galan. A majority of the time is spent reading books from the brand new selection of books. The last part of library is designated for games, puzzles, etc. Some of the kids even work on homework or book reports that are given out in one of our Literacy groups. I haven’t gotten to the best part about the new location of Literacy Library. We have been blessed with the wonderful invention and awesomeness of air conditioning. Also, the children get out of Cedro Galan for a while during their week, and we all know how nice it can be to take a field trip to “The Land” (August’s land). Most importantly the kids have a whole new selection of books to choose from.
Pen Pal letters have been introduced to our Literacy groups throughout the month of June in Cedro Galan. The ability to receive and send letters and photos electronically will speed up the process of the kids reading and writing letters to their new friends in a foreign country. A former Manna Project summer volunteer is teaching a Spanish class in Louisiana and contacted us in Managua about the possibility of starting a pen pal system. We of course accepted and took the necessary steps to get this process under way. I personally asked for control of this activity, because I had contacted possible teachers in the United States in prior months but decided to hold out. After responding to the letters the kids draw pictures and leave room for a photo to personalize the pen pal note.
Outside help from volunteers has proven to be beneficial to the development of the Manna Project Programs. Welcoming newcomers is the start of a new chapter during a Program Director’s year in Nicaragua. I have found that fresh new ideas make lesson planning much easier and our time together feels much less like work. We are able to expand and give our classes more versatility, while keeping the children engaged. I have also noticed that the kids are completely welcoming to new faces. After months of one teacher, a new and exciting energy is released and teaching becomes fun again. I feel that our programs become much more successful with our wonderful volunteers.
As we prepare for the 2008/09 Program Directors to arrive later this week, we all want to send our love to where ever this updates finds you. Manna Project International-Nicaragua is moving along and learning new ways to better our community.
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