And so it begins....

When we arrived this morning at the school for children with special needs in Rivas, Nicaragua we were not greeted by hugs and the laughter and smiles of the 87 children who attend school there. We were instead greeted by the 15 teachers who have taken on the task of instructing these students with little to no resources. The school receives just enough from the government to keep the lights on and pay their minimal salaries.  The students were not at school because the small bus that typically goes door to door and brings them has been broken since last Wednesday. The bus driver and teachers have to sometimes beg the parents to let let their kids go to school because they simply don't see the value in educating their children. Without the bus there is no way for these students, many who are physically unable to walk, to attend school. The team of teachers at the school, who are more like a tightly bonded family, stayed and talked with us for five hours. They spoke fondly of their students, detailing what they knew of their disabilities and also shared with us their teaching techniques and struggles. As we went through the eight classrooms, with their minimal supplies, no books, and hand drawn charts on the walls, the reality of what a special place this is drastically came to life.

The teachers shared many stories of their challenges and some common obstacles were that the children were malnourished, very sick and some even appeared to be abused. The parents simply lack the education and compassion to care for their children with special needs. I felt my heart break when hearing the alarming story of a little girl named Sulema, whose mother has 15 other children. She comes to school smelling of urine, is covered in bruises, has lice and is seriously malnourished. Her teacher has spent her time and limited resources trying to help her and has reported the abuse with nothing ever coming of it. Sulema lives in filth and is not cared for properly at all, this school is her only escape. When you hear something like this and see the frustration in the eyes of a teacher that most likely cares for her more than her own mother, it becomes impossible to be a bystander. So, wasting no time, we went to visit the office of the Ministry of Families which is similar to Social Services in the states. Fortunately, I have been able to make a couple of friends there over the last six months, which came in handy today when reporting the abuse of Sulema. We have an appointment to accompany a social worker on Thursday at 8:00am to pay a visit to Sulema's home and get to the bottom of what is happening there.

Our first challenge as a team will be getting the bus fixed. We had the director of the school, Juana, contact a mechanic and the estimate was almost $500. We are working on getting another estimate by tomorrow so we can get the school up and running as soon as possible. Our temporary solution is to pay $50 tomorrow for a rented van to go and pick up all the kids. We also have gathered a list of supplies and rehabilitation tools that the school is in desperate need of. If anyone is able to save the day and help us get the school bus fixed or is able to help with supplies please donate via this page. Every penny helps and will immediately impact 87 kids whose only escape for five hours a day is this school. I can't stress enough how important this school is to these children. As I share more stories with you over the course of this week and do my best to explain how powerful this school is going to be in the lives of students I bring to volunteer here next summer, I know it will become very clear.

Today was a solid beginning, although it was unfortunate that the students weren't able to be there it actually gave us a priceless opportunity to thoroughly understand the inner workings of the school. My amazing team of volunteers assembled for this trip consist of Aja, Sarah, Anna and Alaida. Sarah, Anna are Aja are teachers from the United States. Sarah has her Master's in Special Education, Anna has her degree in Secondary Education and Aja has a degree in Spanish. Alaida is originally from Nicaragua and is translating along with Aja.  I am incredibly grateful for this creative, positive and caring group of volunteers. The passion of these volunteers along with the foundation that the teachers from the school  have created, with next to nothing, gives me an extreme feeling of hope. I know without a doubt that this will be a meaningful and life-long partnership between this school and Children's Global Alliance. From the very first time I visited this school I have had an overwhelming feeling that I am exactly where I am supposed be doing what I was born to do. Until tomorrow....

Lots of love,

LM