Panama School, Nicaragua

Tati dibujado-Tatiana drawing

Every morning for the last two weeks I took the cramped micro bus to a place called Tempisque, then walked fifteen minutes along the dirt road to the Panama School. This is the poorest area of La Concha, Nicaragua. Fumes from the nearby Masaya Volcano blow its ashes onto this area. As a result it prevents campesinos-famers from growing a variety of crops. I would pass by fincas-farms which can only grow mainly pineapple and pitaya. Another problem is contamination in their drinking water. The volcanoes ashes degrade the metal of their roofs where they collect drinking water when it rains.

I've heard there are almost seven hundred children in this area but less than two hundred attend school. This is because another way of collecting water is by getting it from the river. The children are put to work and spend hours hauling the water supplies. One day I saw a family pass me on the road. Imagine a wooden cart with two wheels in the back, and in the front where there would usually be a horse or cow, is a small child. The young girl must have been around ten years old while her mother, grandmother and sibling walked along side.    



The kids are not in school right now so with the help of La Mariposa they pay a teacher, Fernando, to be there in the mornings so the kids can draw, read, and play. We usually started our day off reading and drawing then later we would play a game outside. The last two weeks with them have been some of the most challenging yet very rewarding.

Tati at the door followed by Herman, Christian, and Juan.

Mayena making a pinata

Juan watering himself and the plants.

Patricia

Another volunteer Corinna and the kids making pinatas.