On Sunday, April 27, 2008, two days after the last visit to an SOS Village and already into a new Country I approached the historic city of Leon, Nicaragua.

Víctor Trujillo, the director, came to meet me on the road and escorted me with his van into the center of the city where I could appreciate the architecture of Latin America's largest cathedral and the famous Sandinista murals, icons of the region and witnesses of its revolutionary past.

Upon reaching the village I was surrounded by a whirlwind of boys and girls who had rushed over Maira with an intensity not seen before. Everyone wanted to climb on the bike, touching every little thing that I had on it and be part of the moment. Little by little I went to the recreational sector where I could take refuge in part to tell the kids the stories of the trip. It was a village of mostly young kids whose average age was around 9 years old.

I was surprised to see that they recognized my nationality without having to give many explanations on the matter, as I had done on other occasions. They knew I was an Argentine. Everything became clear when I asked them if they had any questions about the trip. Almost in unison all asked me if I knew "Ugly Duckling". My bewilderment was total. "What?" "And do you know Antonella?" My expression of confusion was more than evident, until finally I got out of my predicament when an SOS mother's explained that it was an Argentine children’s soap opera and for which all the kids were obsessed. Every day at 5 pm there was none outside as they all went into their houses and sat in front of the television to see a new chapter of the show. Obviously, I had to watch the DVD with songs and learn all the characters to be able to exchange two words with the kids, because everything revolved around that.

Again Hurricane “Mitch”

Leon is in one the provinces that were severely affected hurricane Mitch en 1998. en 1998. As part of an SOS Emergency Program for victims of the disaster, temporary accommodations were established in Leon. A study conducted in 2002 by SOS Children's Villages made it clear that the region urgently needed a system of foster care for orphaned and abandoned children. The west area of the country was an area where the population had undergone drastic changes in the economy of family and corporate businesses: corporative by the failure of the cotton crops and familiar because that constituted the major source of income. The countryside population moved to the city forming new structures of redistribution with the new families. These changes brought more poverty, overcrowding, malnutrition, need for employment, urbanization plans and the creation of organizations that would serve the needs of children, such as neglected, orphans, child violence victims, and so on.. As a result, the construction of the SOS Children's Village León begun, opening its doors on August 20, 2004.

The village consists of 12 family houses in which they give shelter to 108 children, the home of the director of the village, a guesthouse, a multipurpose room, administrative buildings and a playground within its grounds.  

There is also a nursery within the SOS Social Center, which benefit mostly single women and low-income and poor families of the surrounding neighborhood, plus a program of community homes that the center organizes together with families from the neighborhood. In both cases, children receive food, pre-school education and basic medical care. The SOS Social Center also offers pediatric and dental care as well as medical advice. Parents can take courses in activities that allow them to make money (dressmaking, cosmetics, confectionery, horticulture, etc.) as well as workshops focused on training of personality.

SOS Children’s Village in Nicaragua

SOS Children's Villages began its work in Nicaragua in 1972, after a devastating earthquake almost completely shattered its capital, Managua. The first SOS Children's Village opened its doors in April 1973 in Esteli, northwest of the country, welcoming in first instance the children who were orphaned during this catastrophe.

In 1978 the civil war started in Nicaragua, where many people died. The high unemployment, with the consequent social and economic poverty of families pushed for the construction of more SOS Children's Villages and other care institutions to the west of Nicaragua. In order to support both single mothers and large families with the care for their children during working hours, SOS Social Centers were set up in which infants and children up to six years can spend the day. Today, this form of care is an essential part of the work of SOS Children's Villages in Nicaragua.

The years of civil war left behind a precarious economic situation. Since only a few cities have enough schools and many families were unable to finance the schooling of their children, SOS Children's Villages also built primary and secondary schools. Since then, both types of schools have become recognized institutions and enjoy an excellent reputation.

In October 1998 occurred a new natural disaster: Hurricane Mitch, which destroyed much of Nicaragua. To help as quickly as possible the affected population, it was launched in early November an SOS Emergency Program, which distributed medicines to hospitals and food for 11,500 people. In Leon, an emergency shelter was set up, where mothers and children were housed temporarily. The SOS Strengthening Families Program started in 2005, making sure that children who are at risk of losing the attention of their family can grow up in a familiar atmosphere. Nicaragua currently has six SOS Children's Villages (Estela, Matagalpa, Leon, Juigalpa, Managua and the newly created SOS Village Rivas), four SOS Youth Facilities, two SOS Hermann Gmeiner Schools, one SOS Vocational Training Center, as well as 20 SOS Social Centers.

The Village of “mate”

The heat of recent days, the intensity of the lived experience, the persistent head winds and the persistence of the kids were reasons for me to stay for another day in the Village while recovering a bit of energy. And what better way to do this than taking a few mates? Sure, the typical Argentine drink similar (but not quite) to have some tea by sharing it with others was a novelty for the kids and aunts and a big uproar was heard about that extravagant thing that I carried around. Of course most did not know how to appreciate its bitter taste and although that was evident in their expressions that they did not like it, they insisted on drinking more of it! There was no age difference and from the youngest kids up to the mothers and aunts, everyone had their chance.

Given the initial disappointment of many I chose to sweeten up some rounds with sugar and then I decided to prepare the cold version, the tereré, using lemonade instead of hot water. That was resounding success and my yerba mate reserves dropped considerably, but for a noble cause: to introduce a new generation of children to the virtues of a good mate round!

So that’s how we spent day, between mates and ever present, perfectly choreographed, dances from the "Ugly Duckling" series that they repeated until they were dead tired to my delight.

 

 

 

Would you help us to continue this work?

The tour of Nicaragua showed me a country hard hit by poverty and the aftermath of natural disasters. That is why the work of SOS Children's Villages takes on a paramount importance and your contribution is essential for their great work to continue. Would you help us?

To make your contributions directly to the SOS Villages of Nicaragua you can do so through the following contact:

 

SOS Children's Villages Nicaragua
www.aldeasos.org.ni
e-mail:recaudacion@aldeasos.org.ni
Phones: (505) 278-6414/16 ext.110
Fax: (505) 278-6414/16 ext. 107

THANKS FOR YOUR CONTRIBUTION!

Acknowledgments

To Víctor Trujillo, director of the SOS Village Leon: for his support throughout the visit.

To Idalia Gutierrez, coordinator of communications for SOS Children's Villages Nicaragua: for organizing and finalizing the details for such a visit could be possible.

To Freddy Moreno: for the dynamic interview on Morena radio before leaving Leon and the interest shown by the social cause of the trip.

To aunts, mothers and children of the SOS Village Leon: for the endless energy showed while I was with them.