saturday continued... and sunday

Over lunch various members of the staff shared the stories of their lives with us, both their hardships
and their hopefulness. Two women told us how they came to own and rent their homes and then
opened their doors to let us have a more realistic picture of the everyday realities of an average family in
Batahola.

Did we mention yet how packed our days are here? Though we all were yearning for a siesta, we loaded
onto the bus and headed to the Global Education Network where Senior Mark filled our brains with a
whirlwind snapshot of the political and social regimes that have shaped the landscape of life here in
Nicaragua. Certainly nothing is simple when it comes to the long history of war and occupation that is a
reality here.

Our day ended with dinner out at Los Ranchos with the 40 employees of thee Cultural Center of
Batahola Norte. Each table had a mix of staff members and folks from our group and a translator ready
with questions to help us all get to know each other and make connections across culture, age, and
experience. It was a rich time of fellowship for all!

Sunday

Today we paint! In 1985 The Center built a school in the neighborhood of Batahola Norte using funds
donated from Spanish organization and volunteer labor from community. When finished the school was
donated to the Ministry of Education and became part of the public education system offered to children
in this community. Schools here are extremely under resourced, with few books or supplies, and consist
merely of a classroom with walls (now freshly painted walls ) desk and chairs, that´s it. Teachers too
though they have a desire to support children are rarely trained and often lack knowledge on how to
engage children in activities that are truly educational. The Center invites classes into their space 3 days
a week in order to offer educational support and enrichment.