Julisa

Mirian, Clara and Franklin

Clara, 12 years old, Rivas, Nicaragua

As part of the experience I am working to create for future student volunteers in Nicaragua we will be digging a little deeper. I have spent the last five months living in this country and working to uncover those who truly need help the most. There are parts of this country that are saturated with volunteer groups, here for a weekend, and helping the family who gives the best sob story without doing any research. I hate to sound negative but it is reality and part of the reason I decided to create my own non-profit. This behavior is dangerous and does more damage than good in the long run. The people here that need the help are plentiful but you must do your due diligence to find them. Those that really need assistance aren't asking for handouts, they are too busy working around the clock and barely scraping by. I was able to visit the home of one of these families this week.

After months of research and preparation I was led to the home of Franklin, Clara and their mother Mirian. As we pulled up outside the tiny home I had no idea what to expect. I was only told that the two children, ages 12 and 13 were too disabled to attend the special needs school.  We were tagging along with a woman from the Ministry of Families to do a surprise check up to make sure the children were being taken care of, fed, and not being abused. We walked in the home and were greeted by the children's mother with a warm and undefeated smile. The crib the children stay in took up most of the room and was about the size of a twin bed. I looked over the edge of the crib and there they were, both laying on their backs, wearing diapers and so very small.  I had to confirm their ages again because they appeared to be about 3 and 5 years old. Franklin is 13 and Clara is 12. They can't talk, they only drink baby formula and they can't walk or sit up. Their feet are twisted and there was a complete lack of motor skills. They have been in that crib for 12 and 13 years....side by side. The feeling I got when seeing this and still seeing a smile on their mother's face is comparable to having the wind knocked out of you. It hurts, you kind of want to cry or throw up and it takes a while to feel normal again. Their mother, Mirian, was left by the children's father when the children were very young. She has been doing this on her own and works doing whatever it takes so she can continue to buy formula and diapers for her children. She is a street vendor and doesn't keep normal hours but works simply until there is enough money. The government gives her a food basket every month that consists of basics like rice, beans and oil..things the children cannot digest but it helps to offset the cost for her to feed herself. Clara was able to have some physical therapy for two years and did show some improvement but the cost of transportation was too great and her mother could not afford to continue with it. When we ask about their diagnosis we are told that Clara was born with a brain lesion and Franklin was born with a heart murmur. I am not a doctor, but there was a lot more going on than that and it's obvious that these children have never been properly diagnosed.  When I look around her broken down yet happy home and ask her what she needs her only request is for someone to come to her home and teach her therapy techniques she can do for her children. Again the punch to the stomach feeling completely overwhelms me and it also confirms that I am exactly where I am supposed to be.  Mirian is the real deal.

 We pull up to another home a few minutes away that consists of two rooms that are slightly bigger than an average sized bathroom. We were met with a little resistance from a woman, Yessenia who is the mother to Julisa, the person we are there to visit. Julisa was born with brain paralysis. I walk in her home and she is sitting in a chair in the middle of the room. She is in a red shirt, covered by a towel from the waist down and we are told they are out of diapers, Julisa is 21 years old. She appears to be about 13 and can't talk, walk or do anything for herself. She is able to sit up and to smile and we are told all she wants to do is sleep.  Up until three years ago she was being cared for by her grandmother who took incredible care of her and loved her wholeheartedly. Sadly, her grandmother passed away leaving Julisa's mother to take care of her. The woman from the Ministry of Families had received word that Julisa's mother had been abusing her, we were there to confront her. Slightly awkward? You better believe it. The vibe in this house was completely different than the one before. It was dirty, unkept and it just felt like a heavy, sad place. I held Julisa's hand while her mother was being questioned, wishing that she could speak to me, tell me anything. When I let go and stood up she began smiling and laughing...it was beautiful. Her mother denied the allegations in fear of losing her food basket every month. She told us about the weekly enemas she has to give her daughter so that she can go to the bathroom and the sleeping pills she gives to her. What a heart breaking mess, Julisa is obviously in desperate need of some medical attention. My brain has been on overdrive trying to put together a way to get her the help she needs.

After the home visits we ended our day at the Escuela Especial Sor Maria Romero, the school for special needs children. The children come running out giving out endless hugs and enormous smiles. We sat with the co-director of the school and gathered information for our upcoming volunteer teachers who will arrive on Oct 16th. I also made a list of supplies that the school needs. For example, the deaf children all share one sign language book that looks like it's been torn apart and glued back together. They also need wide pencils because they are easier to hold onto and I am going to have tons of fun trying to find braile books...in spanish.

 I have been fortunate enough to have a front row seat to observe what happens when you can get people to volunteer, care and become emotionally attached to someone they have just met. When the feeling and experience are so profound it creates a feeling inside of you that you can never forget and no matter where you are in the world the memory of someone less fortunate that you were able to help is never far from your thoughts. This is what keeps me going. Children like Franklin, Clara and Julisa are unforgettable and have survived astronomical odds having been born disabled in a third world country. I can't wait to share this experience with student volunteers, it will be impossible for them to not be  affected.  One smile is all it took for me to fall in love and it's the exact same feeling I had in Cambodia.

None of this would have been possible without my translator and dear friend Sarah Baldovinos. She has graciously gone to great lengths to help me put this all together. From the bottom of my heart, thank you Sarah.

Lots of love,

LM

Please visit our new website http://www.childrensglobalalliance.org
***The volunteer teachers are having a fundraiser for their upcoming trip and school supplies this Sunday (Oct. 9th) in Denver. email me for details. www.childrensglobalalliance@gmail.com