[Nicaragua] Villagers impressed by Nicaraguans’ upbeat attitude amid staggering poverty

From The Villages Daily Sun

By THERESA CAMPBELL, DAILY SUN

THE VILLAGES — Walt Koball and his fiancee, Nancy Garwood, went to Nicaragua in December, and the experience has made a lasting impression on their lives.

The Villagers knew Nicaragua is considered by the United Nations to be the second-poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, where the annual per capita income is $700, but to see dire conditions firsthand was unsettling, including the sight of many shack homes made from sticks and covered in plastic.

“It was eye-opening in seeing the poverty; to see the conditions people live in,” Koball said.

“They live in one room,” Garwood said. “They do their cooking outside; their bathrooms are outside, and even their showers. They get water from the waterfall. ... It’s just amazing how the people live.”

Yet, the couple was surprised by the Nicaraguans’ positive attitude.

“They seemed very happy,” Koball said.

Garwood was inspired and in awe of the many natives she met and found the Nicaraguans to be people of warmth, hospitality and hope.

The Villagers were invited to Nicaragua by Koball’s son, Jed, who works as a national coordinator for Bridges to Community Inc., a nonprofit community development organization based in New York and Nicaragua that strives to improve the quality of life and living conditions for Nicaraguans.

Among Bridges’ service projects is one that provides opportunities for volunteers to work for one week with members of a Nicaraguan community to build a foundation and construct walls for cement-block houses. The volunteers mix cement by hand and lay blocks with the guidance of locally trained masons.

“Our focus is to empower both North Americans and Nicaraguans to end poverty in the world,” Jed Koball said in an e-mail letter. The former Presbyterian minister has been involved with Bridges for Community for three years.

“We do this by providing opportunities for both North Americans and Nicaraguans to work together on community development projects in impoverished areas of Nicaragua,” he said.

For 14 years, Bridges to Community has been credited with building schools, health clinics, community centers, wells, latrines and houses all across Nicaragua. In 2005 alone, 100 houses were built between Ticuantepe and Masaya.

And for the volunteers, he has found, the experience is an unforgettable global service experience. People from all walks of life — students, retirees, doctors, church groups and more — get involved and pay their way to serve.

“Volunteers live with and among the community, experience and learn firsthand the symptoms and causes of poverty,” he said. “They sleep on cots with mosquito nets, take bucket showers, use latrines, eat local food cooked over fire, and play games with dozens of smiling and laughing children who reflect the overwhelming hospitality of Nicaragua.”

Nancy Garwood was touched by the children she met and was amazed to watch them happily play about.

“They had no toys at all,” she said. “No bicycles, no dolls.”

After coming home to The Villages, Garwood realized her dog has a better life than many of the Nicaraguan children. She also felt guilty seeing her pooch’s toys.

“I thought, ‘Oh, this is a crime. The money we waste on things,’ ” she said.

Jed Koball believes that it takes the work of many to end poverty.

“Those who are materially poor and those who are relatively wealthy must be part of the solution,” he said. “Thus, we bring together both North Americans and Nicaraguans to work together on specific projects in housing, education, public health and economic development with the goal of supporting those who are struggling for a better future as well as educating those who already have a future secured.

“The hope is that those who are poor will have resources to move forward, and that those who have wealth will have knowledge and inspiration as they return to the United States to fight against poverty in their local communities, for poverty is everywhere,” Koball added.

Those interested in learning more about Bridges to Community and its mission may visit the agency’s Web site at www.bridgestocommunity.org.