ProNica – Nicaragua

Tomorrow, a dozen Haverfordians will land in Managua, Nicaragua. While 7 of us (including Professor Kaye Edwards and me) will return to the US for the rest of the summer, 5 current students will remain in the country for another 2 months as CPGC interns in Managua, Matagalpa, San Marcos, and Esteli. Their projects range from youth organizing and women’s health care to organic agriculture. This is our blog.

The preparations for this delegation have been thoughtful and thought-provoking. They have been practicing Spanish, have begun taking their anti-malarial medication, and filled out endless forms with emergency contact information. In addition to our pre-departure orientations, these interns have watched films and documentaries, read articles and books that help them place themselves on a continuum of American-Nicaraguan interactions. They have learned approaches to solidarity from activists Pam Fitzgerald and Paul Dix, who visited campus in April to talk about their new book: nicaraguaphototestimony.org/. They are approaching these next 10 days in Nicaragua as an act of solidarity.

Our 10-day itinerary from ProNica’s Managua office looks wonderful, and I am looking forward to meeting our Nicaraguan program partners so soon.