Casas de la Esperanza
As the winter holidays are nearing, my mind keeps wandering from the matters at hand. While in the midst of my daily routine of work, classes, and study, I can’t help but think ahead to next month. December will bring the end of term and month-long break during which I can escape to participate in a volunteer vacation. I have organized a small group of students with a passion for travel and service, and we will be flying down to Nicaragua to assist an on-going service organization.
Casas de la Esperanza is an international nonprofit organization dedicated to “assisting families in marginal districts of Nicaragua in attaining a sustainable, integral development by helping them improve their homes, receive professional training, and obtain a worthy means of subsistence, thus contributing to eradicate poverty” (www.casas-de-la-esperanza.org). Currently, the association is working in the town of La Prusia, near Granada, and they need volunteers to assist with construction, life-skills workshops, education, after-school children’s programs and more.
The main thrust of the project is to create a sustainable community by building homes, a community center, and installing running water in the area. Volunteers are requested to participate in the construction process and/or to teach skills that can assist the community by creating marketable products and services. Within our student group, we represent diverse backgrounds and experiences, and this will enable us to bring a variety of skills to the volunteer project. Once on site, we will be able to determine how we can best serve the needs of the community. For example, business students might teach community members how to better market their products. IT students could run workshops on how to use the internet. Education majors might put together an after-school peer-tutoring program. Workshops could be held to teach sewing and carpentry skills. Regardless of the specific projects we participate in, the goal of our group is to provide whatever assistance is necessary for Casas de la Esperanza to continue their work and for the people of La Prusia to continue to become a sustainable community.
And while this remains the focal point of the trip, my agenda extends beyond the ostensible goal. My hope in providing this opportunity for my fellow students is to create a cross-cultural experiential learning environment. While we are going about the volunteer project, the group members will be living in and interacting with a foreign culture. One reason I chose Casas de la Esperanza over other potential volunteer programs was the high level of interaction afforded with local people. The La Prusia project provides assistance for the community, but the community members are also responsible to participate in creating their own sustainable environment. Local people and international volunteers work side by side, and while houses are being erected, I hope to see barriers and stereotypes crumble. I believe that the only way to truly get to know another people and culture is to interact with the people of that culture.
Unfortunately, Casas de la Esperanza does not offer a homestay option for housing. As I’ve mentioned in past blogs, I feel this is the best living arrangement when attempting to immerse yourself in another culture. However, there are two houses set aside for volunteers, which I hope will foster a strong feeling of unity with the volunteer organization. Our group will not be the only volunteers on-site, and by joining a larger effort already underway, I hope the members of my group will integrate into the existing volunteer community as well as the larger community of La Prusia. I have not set specific expectations or learning outcomes for my group as everyone will have a different experience, integrate at their own pace, and take away learning perspectives that differ from each other. My intent is for each individual to grow in context to themselves.
While setting specific individual expectations is unrealistic, I do have overarching goals. Namely, for the members of my group (myself included) to experience positive interactions with people of a foreign culture that foster a better understanding of both cultures, and to create a lasting positive impression for all participants. Further, I hope this interaction will assist participants’ views on community, political, and social issues to expand to include a holistic, world-based perspective.
Taking this group to Nicaragua is a small step in a long journey. With the advent of modern technology, we are communicating across borders, traveling without limit, and becoming ever more reliant on a global scale. Yet, we know little of the concerns that affect other countries and cultures. We don’t understand other people’s cultural issues, motivations, or outlook on the world. And how can we? These aren’t topics covered in the standard public school curriculum, nor are they hot topics of discussion around the water cooler.
My passion is to see a larger percentage of our population grow in an intercultural context, to learn about our international neighbors in a first-hand capacity, and to tear down barriers created by misunderstanding, miscommunication and stereotypes. I believe this is the first step towards promoting a more peaceful and compassionate world culture. As we come to better understand other people’s concerns, and they understand ours, together we can more effectively find solutions to world problems – problems that affect everyone on this planet.
