Genesis co-op field trip to El Salvador!

When I arrived at the Genesis chilamate tree at 2 AM, all 18 co-op members were already gathered under its branches, holding hands to form a circle, heads bent in prayer.

“Dear God, please look after our families while we’re gone…Dear God, please look after the driver of our bus, help him drive well so we all arrive safely…Dear God, thank you for this opportunity, may we learn much from it.”

And then we were off to El Salvador to see a real working spinning plant! We had managed to convince the Interamerican Development Bank to finance a trip for all members of the Genesis co-op to visit the factory in San Salvador that purchased all our organic cotton this past year. The owners of the plant had agreed to show us around so that we could all see how a spinning operation works, an important precursor to training in spinning production, and something that we could do while we wait for results from the lawsuit against Coker International and equipment.

But more importantly, the trip was meant to boost the low morale of the Genesis members, give them something to focus on and look forward to, and – if they were thrifty with the per diem they were given for the trip – a little extra income.

During their preparations for the trip co-op members voted to spend some of their per diem to purchase polo shirts with the monogrammed Genesis logo and each member’s name embroidered on the sleeve. To you or me, the shirt-buying might seem like waste of precious resources, but it was symbolic for co-op members. When Jamileth showed up at her extended family’s home and showed them her two Genesis shirts, their response was, “Wow, so you really do have a business.” And the monogrammed uniform shirt proved it.

For others, the fact that we were finally able to arrange the trip to El Salvador was in itself significant – former co-op members had gotten wind that a trip was planned and said, “That trip is never going to happen, that’s just the gringos telling more lies to manipulate you.” When we bought the bus tickets for the 12 hour journey north, Genesis members practically blew raspberries in the faces of the naysayers – it felt good to be doing something concrete and big after so long waiting around! Sara overheard her mother – who has been worried about Sara wasting her time at the co-op when she’s sure equipment will never arrive – bragging about her on the telephone. “Sara has a trip to El Salvador now, her business is up and running and this is just the first trip of many, nothing can stop them now!”

It was the first time out of Nicaragua for most co-op members, and many who had never even seen the north of Nicaragua watched out the windows in fascination as we headed up to El Salvador. I think everyone was scared – of leaving their families, of going so far away, of being in an unfamiliar place. I know they missed home, I know many cried themselves to sleep at night. But they shared food, drink and cell phone minutes with one another, and in the morning everyone was in the lobby of our hotel at 6 AM, showered and dressed in their monogrammed Genesis shirts, ready to head to the factory.

The plant manager himself met us and not only showed us all the different sections of their (97,000 sq ft!!!) spinning factory, but gave us extensive information specific to the spinning process as well as general business advice (“It’s easier to prevent a problem than fix one.” “Time is golden.”). Everyone was awed, practically tripping over themselves as they walked around open-mouthed filming the factory with their cell phone cameras.

Our host was kind enough to answer our endless questions and when the Genesis folks began to say, “It looks like we’ve got to go expand our building,” he kindly replied, “It’s all about scale. Everyone has to start somewhere.” He then told us the story of how their factory was started 30 years ago in a space the size of the Genesis factory, and how over the years it has grown to include a whole complex of several city blocks employing 1,230 people. The Genesis co-op was much encouraged by that story. And when we met a 98 year old woman who started work there 30 years ago and is still employed (as a greeter at the knitting factory), the older women of the Genesis group rejoiced, hugged her within an inch of her life, and all had their pictures taken with her.

One of the most helpful parts of our trip was gaining an understanding for the entire textile process. The Genesis folks had already met some of the technicians from the Salvadoran plant when they came to Nicaragua to teach them how to inspect the cotton for polypropylene contamination, but while in El Salvador they were able to see why that inspection was important. We were also able to see our wobbly, loose-packed bales of Nicaraguan organic cotton next to the neat, tightly packed bales of cotton imported from the U.S. and see firsthand why that causes problems in the spinning plant (the Salvadorans have offered to help check our baler to see how we can increase its packing pressure). Seeing the spinning process allowed us to put a mental picture and process to the machine names we’ve heard for so long. On our last day there we were able to see the knitting and dying factory, which allowed us to understand why determining color and characteristics of the cotton to keep different lots of yarn separate is important to the end product.

We were able to squeeze in a morning of sightseeing around San Salvador (learning about Archbishop Romero, first trip to a real art museum) and an afternoon at the beach eating shrimp cocktails, which made it seem like a real vacation for the Genesis folks. Still, when we crossed the border into Nicaragua, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. “Even if I get lost now, I can still find my way home!” Geovanny told me.

There were many wonderful moments during our trip to El Salvador, but one of the best came at the end, when the Genesis members all began calculating what they could do with money they had left from their per diems.

Jamileth waved her leftover cash at me and said, “With this, I’m going to buy a washing machine. I’ve already found a deal on new ones at the market.” Imagine what Jamileth and her daughter can do with all the time they’ll save once they don’t have to wash the family’s clothes by hand all weekend long.

Ramona’s mother celebrated her 95^th birthday the day we got back to Nicaragua. “I’m going to buy a toilet and have it installed in the house,” Ramona told me. “That way my poor mother won’t have to go out to the latrine in the mud during the rains.”

So, was the trip to El Salvador a success? Absolutely. – Becca

Battling asthma in Nueva Vida

Breathing in and out easily is not over-rated! As an asthmatic, I can attest to such. And…

Many of the poor have trouble getting a good breath. Asthma plagues the poor. Women suffer from chronic asthma because they have stood over poorly ventilated wood stoves for most of their lives cooking meals for their families. Older women who have never smoked a cigarette in their lives have emphysema.

Children really suffer. In the dry season (six months of no rain) wind blows dust and dirt into their tiny little homes. As cars and horse carts drive by – or even children playing ball in the street – dust billows. Like women, smoke from the wood stoves in their houses puts impurities into their tiny lungs, but not only from the stoves… smoke from burning trash (like used toilet paper and leaves) also makes it hard to breathe. Now add smoke from burning trash in the Ciudad Sandino dump – located right behind Nueva Vida – and you have tiny lungs in crisis.

Our pediatrician does a great job caring for the children. Last year 76% of his patients were under the age of five and 20% were treated for asthma! With our renewed commitment to community health, word is spreading that the Nueva Vida clinic is filling a need with asthmatic children by giving comprehensive care.

In the clinic we have nebulizers going almost non-stop. Children are given expensive cortisone inhalers for long-term treatment when they need them (this is a rarity in clinics that serve the poor). Toilet paper rolls serve as spacers. Disposable plastic cups with an “X” cut in the bottom to push the inhaler through serves as masks for little ones to breathe in the medication.

Our general practitioner also treats adults with asthma. All patients are given follow-up visits to see how they are doing.

Now we are reaching out into the community. We have put nebulizers in the community in homes of health promoters who are willing to open their homes for asthmatic people to access the machines at night and on week-ends when the clinic is closed. We are working on ways to convince people to burn trash away from homes and ventilate their wood stoves better, but much of this takes funding as well as education.

Most of us take breathing for granted…oxygen is the element we need most consistently…like every few minutes! Helping children, women, and men breathe is helping to guarantee a basic human right, don’t you think? – Kathleen

Flying through a hurricane: being elderly and poor in Nueva Vida

“The elderly need special help,” our projects director César told us in a meeting last year.

To be seen by doctors and treated at our clinic in Nueva Vida, a patient must contribute to the community…they can either work (filling in mud puddles that are breeding mosquitos, cleaning trash off the streets, cleaning the yards of the schools, etc.) or they can contribute 30 córdobas (the equivalent of about $1.35), but frequently the elderly cannot work nor do they have family who can work on their behalf. The elderly tend to be destitute as well.

We were slow in finding the elderly patients who needed our help. Who has no family…who is destitute?

When our new health promoter, Jessenia, was settled into the Nueva Vida community and had the health promoters from each area reorganized and renewed, she took the challenge to the community to find 15 elderly patients we would see at no charge. It was easy and FAST…the community knew who needed our help.

Jessenia did an initial health and needs evaluation of all the patients, and then our volunteer nurse, Kim, went with Jessenia to see them. Seven of the 15 patients could not walk and so they needed rides the few blocks to the clinic.

We got all the patients to the clinic and evaluated by our doctor. Many have to take medications needed for chronic conditions. A few had acute problems but all, ALL, need to be evaluated on a regular basis and need to have access to a doctor. As soon as they all got to the clinic there were another five wanting to be in the program!

Kim makes rounds seeing each patient every-other-week and the 20 patients love her. One of the patients is 103 years old! 103 YEARS!

Now we are looking for funding to hire a nurse because, come August, Kim will leave to go on with her life. We feel that we are serving a population left out of the system as it currently exists.

Golda Meir (Israeli Founder and Prime Minister) said, “Old Age is like a plane flying through a storm. Once you’re aboard, there’s nothing you can do.”

For the poor it is like flying in a hurricane, but if someone can help you get to the eye of the hurricane, then maybe you can rest some. -- Kathleen

Towards a Healthy Nueva Vida

Jessenia is our new health promoter! We were able to hire her with two designated gifts and she has been a true gift to the clinic!

She has used her artistic hand in putting up informational signs all up in the clinic and giving the clinic a brighter look.

Mostly she has being organizing health promoters. She has two promoters for each section of Nueva Vida. In the future she will help organize the “green” sections of Nueva Vida, areas where squatter homes have popped up, so that those who are very poor can have access to information and to the clinic.

We have given out emergency first aid kits to the health promoters so that they can clean and bind wounds, give rehydration fluids, and reduce fevers and allergic reactions. We are anxious to see how the community receives this aid and how it all goes.

We have a held a few trainings on diabetes and are looking at doing more. In the future, funding permitting, we hope to have comprehensive education on diabetes…a campaign to reduce sugar intake of children and adults, exercise to reduce weight, and how to use inexpensive food wisely for diabetics.

For the poor sugar is a cheap source of calories…but lots of sugar with no protein wreaks havoc on the pancreas and sets the body up for Type 2 diabetes. Plus the main food for the poor is carbohydrates…white rice, beans, corn, and white bread. Meats are expensive and many vegetables are also expensive. Culturally most fruits are drunk as watered juices with sugar added for flavor. Food in any culture is hard to change (look at the U.S.) and it is even more difficult if money is scarce…but we are looking at ways and we are looking for funding to try.

Our dentist, Inya, is going into schools for oral hygiene awareness raising classes that Jessenia set up. She is giving out toothbrushes and tooth paste and encouraging children to come in for sealants. Obviously with the above mentioned sugar intake, diabetes is not the only resulting health problem!

Then there are HIV/AIDS, family planning, hypertension, asthma, dengue, and malaria…all public health concerns! The list is endless…we are so grateful to have Jessenia on our staff. She has given us all a boost in our spirits. It is exciting, no? -- Kathleen

Nicaragua mourns withJapan

In light of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, Nicaragua watches and mourns with the Japanese. In the 20^th Century, Nicaragua experienced one major natural disaster every two years.

One such disaster was the 1972 earthquake which killed 10,000 people and left another 250,000 homeless, many of whom were relocated to Ciudad Sandino as refugees. Another, Hurricane Mitch, left 11,000 dead in Honduras and Nicaragua and another 2.7 million homeless – many of those were again moved to Ciudad Sandino and the huge barrio of Nueva Vida was started with those 1,200 families. Nicaraguans feel the Japanese pain.

We watch as Japanese pick through the rubble that represented much of their lives. Whenever Nicaragua gets too much rain (at least every two years) we see people here picking through the remains of the little they had.

We watch and as a nation pray that Japan’s nuclear reactors will not fail more – because as a nation that has been knocked down over and over again – Nicaraguans understand one blow after another after another.

We feared the tsunami would hit the Nicaraguan Pacific coast hard, which would be devastating – even a small one would wash away poorly built houses on stilts or shacks made from plastic and flattened metal barrels. Luckily, the tsunami had lost strength by the time it reached our coast, and did no damage.

The horror in Japan is – well, terrifying, completely overwhelming, and heart-rending. But I think if it had happened to a Third World nation – with buildings not built for earthquakes, no warning systems, and no real capability for rescue and then relief – then how much more horrific would it be?

Nicaraguans care because they understand. We can learn much from our brothers and sisters who know natural disasters. – Kathleen