Three Stories, One Community: One Mother To Another

This Mother's Day, give the gift of healthy moms and babies! Donate to our New Mothers Program in your mom's honor, to see pregnant women safely through to birth and also the first year of their baby's life. To give you an idea of how this vital program is helping women, Emir Fonseca, social worker and the Health Promoter Coordinator for the Nueva Vida Clinic, has shared the stories of Katherine, Solange and Sara* with you.

The Nueva Vida Clinic runs programs that benefit mothers, babies, and children of all ages. Together with the community we are helping to raise healthy children and we are proud to be bringing this contribution to Nueva Vida. We have the privilege to work with brave families with incredible stories of perseverance.

Katherine is a 28-year old patient from the Nueva Vida neighborhood. Last year she came to the clinic very worried because she suspected she was pregnant. The test came back positive, and Katherine was upset because it was not something she had expected. 

After the test result, we talked to Katherine and enrolled her in the New Mothers Program and gave her counseling to help her during her new pregnancy.

Katherine did all of her prenatal care at the clinic and today the baby is 6 months old. She says the program has been instrumental in helping her and she is thankful for the free consultations, medications, educational talks and lab tests.

“I was terrified when I became pregnant, financially I was in bad shape and I did not feel capable of having a baby. Today I thank God and the Clinic for the support they have given me since my pregnancy. The child that I once doubted I wanted is now the joy of our home, he has changed all of our lives. He is a healthy and strong child.”

Another inspiring story is that of Solange, who at 14 years old became pregnant; the father was also a teen. Her family is dysfunctional, she does not have much support from them, and throughout her pregnancy she was part of the New Mothers Program. Because of her young age, she also received psychological counseling.

Unfortunately, Solange’s baby was born two months premature and the newborn spent more than a month in the hospital in an incubator. As a result, the young mother suffered from anxiety and depression, which our psychologist Dr. Dominga treated.

Since the baby was discharged from the hospital, we have been taking care of her through our New Mothers Program. Over the past three months, the improvements in the baby's health are impressive; she is growing rapidly and every day she has fewer health complications. In addition, Solange has overcome her emotional problems with the notable positive change in her daughter.

Solange, in the New Mothers Program, leans through monthly educational talks, we provide the baby with all the medication she needs, lab tests, and we are monitoring her development.

There are many young mothers like Solange's case at the clinic: teen pregnancy remains one of the biggest public health problems in this community. 

Finally, I would like to talk about Sara, she is the mother of an 8 month old baby girl. The girl was born with multiple disabilities including facial malformation and vision problems.  

One day while we were making house calls, Sara called us from the door of her house. We approached and she whispered to us about her daughter, who was sleeping in her crib near the door. Sara explained her disabilities and the economic problems their family has.

Since then, we have been attending Sara and the baby in our clinic in the New Mothers program. It is incredible to see how the mother, in spite of the malformation in her baby’s face, takes the child with discipline and love to her medical appointments and to the educational talks. 

As a social worker, there are situations that affect me, and the case of this baby patient is one of them. She is a super intelligent and sensitive girl who reacts quickly to environmental stimuli, despite her vision problems.

- Emir Fonseca

*Patients' names have been changed.

Este Día de la Madre, ¡regala mamás y bebés sanos! Dona en honor de tu mamá a nuestro Programa de Nuevas Madres para atender a las mujeres embarazadas con seguridad desde la gestación, el nacimiento y el primer año de vida de su bebé. Para darle una idea de cómo este programa vital está ayudando a las mujeres, Emir Fonseca, trabajador social y el Coordinador del Programa de Promotores de Salud de la Clínica Nueva Vida, ha compartido las historias de Katherine, Solange y Sara* con ustedes. La Clínica Nueva Vida lleva a cabo programas que benefician a madres, bebés y niños de todas las edades. Junto con la comunidad estamos ayudando a criar niños sanos y estamos orgullosos de llevar esta contribución a Nueva Vida. Tenemos el privilegio de trabajar con familias valientes con increíbles historias de perseverancia. Katherine es una paciente de 28 años del barrio de Nueva Vida. El año pasado vino a la clínica muy preocupada porque sospechaba que estaba embarazada. El resultado de la prueba fue positivo, y Katherine se sintió muy triste porque no era algo que esperaba. Tras el resultado de la prueba, hablamos con Katherine y la inscribimos en el Programa de Embarazadas y le dimos asesoramiento para ayudarla durante su nuevo embarazo. Katherine realizó todos sus cuidados prenatales en la clínica y hoy el bebé tiene 6 meses y actualmente forma parte del Programa de Lactancia Materna. Dice que los programas han sido fundamentales para ayudarla y agradece las consultas gratuitas, los medicamentos, las charlas educativas y las pruebas de laboratorio. “Me sentí aterrada cuando Salí embarazada, económicamente estaba mal y no me sentía en la capacidad de llevar con éxito mi embarazo, hoy agradezco a Dios y a la Clínica por el apoyo que me brindan desde mi embarazo. El niño que un día dude quererlo tener actualmente es la alegría de nuestro hogar, nos ha cambiado la vida a todos. Es un niño sano y fuerte”. Otra historia inspiradora es la de Solange, que a los 14 años se quedó embarazada; el padre también era un adolescente. Su familia es disfuncional, no tiene mucho apoyo de ellos, y a lo largo de su embarazo formó parte del programa de Embarazadas. Debido a su corta edad, también recibió además consejería e intervención psicológica. Lamentablemente, el bebé de Solange nació dos meses antes de tiempo y el recién nacido pasó más de un mes en el hospital en una incubadora. Como consecuencia, la joven madre sufrió ansiedad y depresión, que nuestra psicóloga, la Dra. Dominga, trató. Desde que el bebé recibió el alta hospitalaria, nos ocupamos de ella a través de nuestro Programa de Lactancia Materna. En los últimos tres meses, las mejoras en la salud del bebé son impresionantes; está creciendo rápidamente y cada día tiene menos complicaciones de salud. Además, Solange ha superado sus problemas emocionales con el notable cambio positivo de su hija. Estamos dando charlas educativas mensuales a Solange, le proporcionamos al bebé toda la medicación que necesita, pruebas de laboratorio y hacemos un seguimiento de su desarrollo. Hay muchas madres jóvenes como el caso de Solange en la clínica: el embarazo adolescente sigue siendo uno de los mayores problemas de salud pública en esta comunidad. Por último, me gustaría hablar de Sara, que es madre de una niña de 8 meses. La niña nació con múltiples discapacidades, entre ellas una malformación facial y problemas de visión. Un día, mientras hacíamos visitas a casa, Sara nos llamó desde la puerta de su casa. Nos acercamos y ella con su voz entre cortada nos habló de su hija, que dormía en su cuna cerca de la puerta. Sara nos explicó su discapacidad y los problemas económicos que tiene su familia. Desde entonces, atendemos a Sara y al bebé en nuestra clínica del programa de Lactancia Materna. Es increíble ver como la mama, a pesar de la malformación en el rostro, lleva con disciplina y amor a la niña a sus citas de niños sanos y a las charlas educativas. 

Como trabador social hay situaciones que me marcan, y el caso de este paciente bebe es uno de ellos, es una niña súper inteligente sensible que reacciona rápidamente a los estímulos del ambiente, a pesar de sus problemas de visión.a pesar de la malformación en la cara de su bebé, lleva a con disciplina y amor a sus citas médicas y a las charlas educativas.

- Emir Fonseca

*Los nombres de los pacientes han sido cambiados.

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Donate here to the ongoing work of the CDCA with the poor in Nicaragua:

https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/jhc-cdca 

Help Just Around the Corner?

The Nueva Vida Clinic Health Promoter Project went on hold during COVID outbreaks. Now that 86% of Nicaraguans have at least one dose of a COVID vaccine and 64% are fully vaccinated, we have decided to open back up the Health Promoter Project.

 

What is the Health Promoter Project?

 

We have 20 promoters in this project. They open their homes to the community around them in order to serve people who need immediate health care…here are some examples:

 

• Let’s call the first person in need “Martha”. Martha is feeling woozy and she has hypertension and type 2 diabetes. It's nighttime and going to the hospital is a long 45-minute walk, or if a bus comes by it is a 20-minute ride. Plus, the neighborhood is dangerous after dark. So Martha opts to go to the promoter’s home only a few blocks away. The promoter “Ana” asks her questions, takes her blood pressure, temperature, and tests her blood glucose…all of which Ana has been trained to do by the medical staff in the clinic. These tests will help Ana determine what might be going on. Ana then talks to Martha to help her to figure out if she can wait until morning when our clinic is open, or take the meds that Martha already, has or go straight to the hospital. 

• Our second person is "Josue"…nine years old and he has suffered from asthma since he was three. It is 2 AM, and he wakes his mom up with his wheezing. She takes him to the promoter in their area, "Miguel", who is trained to triage asthma. He listens and watches Josue after giving him two puffs of a rescue inhaler. Miguel talks to the mother and Josue, trying to create an atmosphere of calm, all the while watching how Josue is breathing. After 10 minutes, Josue is breathing easier and Miguel gives the mom the inhaler and instructs her to take Josue to the clinic in the morning. 

• Our third person is "Alejandro", who while chopping wood in the early morning with his machete slices his arm as the machete slips. His wife helps him get to "Teresa'' for first aid. Teresa is the promoter on their block and looked after Alejandro’s wife when she was pregnant with their third child. Teresa cleans the wound and pulls the skin together as well as she can with the supplies that our clinic gave her. She wraps it, but tells Alejandro he has to go to the hospital to get stitches, as the wound is too deep and too long for it to heal well on its own. 
  
  
• Our fourth person is "Lisa", who is five years old. She has come home early from kindergarten; her cheek is swollen and she is in tears. “Enrique”, Lisa’s older brothe,brought her home because their mom is at work. Grandma is bed-ridden. Grandma tells Enrique to take Lisa to see his uncle, "Tomas", who is a health promoter. Tomas was trained by dental volunteers as well as by our medical staff. He looks at Lisa and examines her mouth. She has a rotten tooth. The clinic is open and he takes Lisa to our dentist who puts her on an antibiotic and a pain reliever before giving Tomas an appointment for Lisa to return for an extraction.

 

These are some of the many ways that the health promoters respond from their own homes.

 

Outside their homes, they keep a pulse on changing community needs, and they let us know what is going on. They help us keep an eye on patients who are at a higher risk than others.

 

They also do home visits with Elizabeth, our general physician, and Emir, who oversees the Health Promoter Program. Last week, while on their home visits, they found a diabetic patient of ours whose blood glucose was over 500…that is five times what it should have been. She had drunk some milk with a banana blended in it. Elizabeth talked with the woman, treated her to bring down the glucose level, and the promoter then knew to return for another check-up visit on this patient soon.

 

In their walk-abouts in the Nueva Vida community, another patient was a pregnant mother who it turns out had actually miscarried and was doing poor physically. Elizabeth sent her to the hospital to make sure the uterus was completely expelled. The promoter then knew to follow-up with the grieving mother.

 

This Health Promoter Program is vital. It is the most cost-effective program that we provide in the clinic. These promoters learn, share their knowledge, open their homes, visit others in their beds, and provide services at night and on the weekends that no one else provides.

 

Besides monthly classes on various topics, we provide the promoters with first aid kits containing needed supplies and a small stipend each month. The Nueva Vida Clinic expects to see 9,600 patients this year, and the total cost of the Health Promoter Program is $15,380. Will you help?

 

Sponsor one month’s stipend for a health promoter - $15

Sponsor 20 patients - $25

Sponsor one month of supplies for a first aid kit - $50

Donate now: https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/jhc-cdca

 

Thank you!

- Kathleen

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Website: jhc-cdca.org

Light & Legacy: Special Nicaragua Brigade Opportunity

40 years ago as a young juggler, unicyclist & electrical engineer, Ben Linder came from the U.S. to Nicaragua to install rural hydroelectric systems in villages in the war zones with no electricity. He and other international volunteers who came to support the Sandinista Revolution became targets for the U.S.-funded Contras. Ben and his colleagues installed a hydro system in El Cúa and were working on another system in San José de Bocay. On April 28, 1987, Ben and two Nicaraguans with him - Pablo Rosales and Sergio Hernandez - were ambushed and murdered by the Contra. Over the past 15 years, the Sandinista government has extended the electrical grid from 54% to 99% coverage nationwide, and today 80% of the energy Nicaragua produces is renewable.

We are organizing a special delegation to coincide with the anniversary of Ben's murder. Over nine days in-country, the Light & Legacy Brigade will learn what the areas where Ben worked are like in the Nicaragua of today: electricity projects, renewable energy policy, community circus culture, and the lives of the performers who worked with Ben in Managua's circuses.

We hope you will join us to study & commemorate Ben's renewable energy & cultural legacy on the 35th anniversary of his murder.

Brigade Activities: 

·         Visit geothermal & solar projects

·         Attend Juggling Festival

·         Visit Ben Linder's hydroelectric projects

·         Participate in Community Circus

·         Talk with communities newly connected to the grid

·         Learn about Nicaragua's current struggles & triumphs

·         Commemorate anniversary of Ben's murder with the communities where he lived

CASA BENJAMIN LINDER:

LIGHT & LEGACY BRIGADE

Where: Managua & San José de Bocay, Nicaragua

When: 25 April-2 May 2022 (Arrive in-country no later than 24^th April, leave 3^rd May)

Cost: $75 per person/per day all-inclusive 9-day brigade. Total cost: $675 per person*

To apply: Write to casabenjaminlinder@gmail.com

Application deadline: 25 March 2022

For more information: https://www.casabenjaminlinder.org/tours

*Includes all in-country costs: meals, hotels, translation, and entrance fees. Airfare and COVID tests are separate.

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Donate here to the ongoing work of the CDCA with the poor in Nicaragua:

https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/jhc-cdca 

Organic Coffee: Making Room for the New Harvest

Have you been to the El Porvenir coffee co-op at the top of the mountain in Posoltega, Nicaragua? 

Do you drink their organic coffee as your morning cup of joe?

The answer to both should be YES! If your answer is no, you can remedy the coffee drinking right away, read on. (You can also remedy the visit – see here for more information on upcoming delegations to Nicaragua!)

The co-op’s delicious coffee has been marketed for the last few years by Farmer Shares in NC, which was set up by our friend and supporter, Steve Virgil. The coffee is grown on top of a mountain in Nicaragua by the 56 families of the El Porvenir Co-op. These families struggle to make ends meet because their only source of income is their annual sale of organic coffee to Farmer Shares - your purchase of their delicious coffee makes a huge difference in their lives. Recently, co-op President Rene told us:

“If it weren’t for your purchase of our coffee harvest, our co-op and our families wouldn’t survive.”

Harvest time is especially difficult as the co-op must hire coffee pickers, process and hand select the coffee. This year is particularly tough because the water pump for the co-op’s well is broken and they don’t have the funds to fix it. They are having to take their tractor off the harvest to send it down to purchase water in another village and haul it to the top of the mountain in order to drink, to wash, and, of course, to process the coffee! Your support is more important than ever.

As of January 1st, Farmer Shares Coffee is now officially a project of the JHC-CDCA. For more than 20 years, we have been working with El Porvenir to sell their annual organic coffee harvest (first through Their Bucks, now through Farmer Shares), carry out potable water and community development projects, and to provide medical care for the co-op’s families.

In December, staff from the Nueva Vida Clinic – Dr. Jorge, nurse Isamar, health promoter Emir and Becca - went up to the co-op and saw 88 patients: 46 in general medicine (including 16 children), placed 12 new birth control implants, did 6 PAPS, and handed out 24 pairs of reading glasses. These clinics provide the only medical care at the co-op.

All proceeds from your coffee purchase go to support El Porvenir’s families. 

The best news about the new coffee harvest coming in is that Farmer Shares is making space in the warehouse by offering big discounts on your coffee! Here are the details:

Organic coffee by the pound 

$8/ lb for roasted beans

Monthly Subscriptions

Subscriptions of 2 lbs/month are now just $14 + shipping

You can now order from 1 to 5 lbs as a monthly subscription!

Sign up now or give as a gift!

Already have a subscription? Thank you for all your support!

Here’s how you get the discount: Cancel your current subscription, delete your customer account, and sign up for an entirely new subscription.

Unfortunately we cannot apply the discount to already existing subscriptions. When you sign up for a new subscription, however, you will continue saving each month! We apologize for the hassle!

Bulk Coffee & Fundraiser Packages

50 Lbs or more at $6/lb + shipping

In 2005, volunteer Eric Gruen packed up his duct-taped shorts and hiked to the top of the El Porvenir mountain to spend a month working at the coffee co-op. Eric planted coffee in the nursery, ate armadillo and possum, took portraits of the co-op’s families, and his life was changed forever. Now with a family of his own in Minneapolis, Eric has found a way to continue supporting the 56 families at El Porvenir. He is purchasing 50 lbs of coffee in bulk per month, then reselling to friends and colleagues. Everyone saves on shipping, Farmer Shares can count on a bulk order each month, and Eric’s front porch always smells of delicious freshly roasted coffee!

We need your help! Can you be the “Eric” in your city? Does your church, university or community group need a fundraiser? Email us: info@farmershares.com

We want to send a huge thank you to Steve Virgil, who set up Farmer Shares, stored hundreds of pounds of coffee in his living room, and successfully got the subscription coffee project off the ground in the middle of a pandemic, all the while working organic coffee in around his already very full life. We appreciate every minute Steve has been able to dedicate to supporting the families of El Porvenir Coffee Co-op.

As of 1 January 2022, the Farmer Shares project has officially been passed on to our non-profit, the Jubilee House Community, Inc. and our project in Nicaragua, the Center for Development in Central America. We here in Nicaragua are now the ones at the other end of the emails and phone calls, and hope that we can live up to the high standard of customer service that Steve provided to you all. Thank you, Steve! - Becca & Daniel for the Farmer Shares Coffee Team

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Donate here to the ongoing work of the CDCA with the poor in Nicaragua:

https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/jhc-cdca 

Assembly of People Into Giving a Sh*t: May Justice Flow Like a Mighty River

FYI: Assembly of People Into Giving a Sh*t (PIGS) is what Mike and I will name our church, if we ever start one.  The name will weed out a whole bunch of people that care more about language than action.

[Espanol abajo]

Our holiday card was created by our Sarah, who is a talented artist of the Chinese style of ink painting.

It represents our hope for Justice flowing like a mighty river in 2022.

Justice is often a misunderstood concept.

The Department of Justice in the U.S. deals with laws and regulations mostly created by white, wealthy men which makes the Department of Justice a misnomer.

“I want justice for the death of my child…” mostly means I want the person who killed my child to suffer.  

It is understandable, but not justice…this is vengeance.

There was a case here in Nicaragua about two years ago, where one brother killed the other brother in a fit of rage or jealousy or drugs.  I don’t remember.  What I do remember is that the mother begged the judge to let her remaining child go free so that she could still have one child at home.  Odds were good that the murderer would never murder again and the pleas of the mother moved the judge and he granted her her wish.  That was justice…that was compassion.

Professor of Philosophy at Union Theological Seminary, Dr. Cornel West said, “Justice is what love looks like in public.”

When we work for justice we are putting love first.

How do we love our neighbor?  We make sure they have food, security, a home, health care, and the list goes on….that is justice.

How do we love our enemy?  We make sure they have food, security, a home, health care, and the list goes on…that is justice.

Injustice is what greed and selfishness looks like in public.

When society helps the rich get richer while the poor get poorer….that is injustice.

When we ONLY address our own needs or the needs of our family…that is injustice.

When wealthier nations only provide for the security and welfare of their own to the detriment of other poorer nations…that is injustice.

Injustice or the practice of greed and selfishness will lead to war, slavery, poverty, oppression and annihilation.

Justice or the practice of love in public will lead to peace, wholeness, health for all and the world…or life.

Which would you choose to run like a mighty river in 2022?

- Kathleen 

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Donate here to the ongoing work of the CDCA with the poor in Nicaragua:

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Ometepe waterfall, Nicaragua - shutterstock licensed photo

PSI: Asamblea de Personas A Quienes Les Importe Un Carajo (PIGS) es lo que Mike y yo llamaremos a nuestra iglesia, si es que alguna vez fundemos una. El nombre eliminará a un montón de personas que se preocupan más por el lenguaje que por la acción.

[English above]

Nuestra tarjeta navideña fue creada por Sarah, quien es nuestra talentosa artista del estilo chino de pintura con tinta.

Representa nuestra esperanza de que la justicia fluya como un poderoso río en 2022.

La justicia es un concepto muchas veces mal entendido.

El Departamento de Justicia en los EEUU se ocupa de las leyes y regulaciones creadas en su mayoría por hombres blancos y ricos, lo que hace que el nombre del Departamento de Justicia sea inapropiado.

“Quiero justicia por la muerte de mi hijo…” principalmente significa que quiero que la persona que mató a mi hijo sufra.

Es comprensible, pero no es justicia… Esto es venganza.

Hubo un caso aquí en Nicaragua hace unos dos años, donde un hermano mató al otro hermano en un ataque de ira, celos o drogas. No recuerdo las circunstancias. Lo que sí recuerdo es que la madre le rogó al juez que dejara libre al hijo que le quedaba para poder tener un hijo en casa. Las probabilidades eran buenas que el asesino nunca volvería a asesinar y las súplicas de la madre conmovieron al juez y le concedió su deseo. Eso fue justicia ... eso fue compasión.

El profesor de Filosofía en el Seminario Teológico Union, Dr. Cornel West dijo: “La justicia es lo que parece el amor en público.”

Cuando trabajamos por la justicia, estamos priorizando el amor.

¿Cómo amamos a nuestro prójimo? Nos aseguramos de que tengan comida, seguridad, un hogar, atención médica, y la lista continúa… eso es justicia.

¿Cómo amamos a nuestro enemigo? Nos aseguramos de que tengan comida, seguridad, un hogar, atención médica, y la lista continúa… eso es justicia.

La injusticia es lo que parece la codicia y el egoísmo en público.

Cuando la sociedad ayuda a los ricos a enriquecerse mientras que los pobres se vuelven más pobres… eso es la injusticia.

Cuando SOLO abordamos nuestras propias necesidades o las necesidades de nuestra familia ... eso es la injusticia.

Cuando las naciones más ricas solo proporcionan la seguridad y el bienestar de los suyos en detrimento de otras naciones más pobres ... eso es la injusticia.

La injusticia o la práctica de la codicia y el egoísmo conducirán a la guerra, la esclavitud, la pobreza, la opresión y la aniquilación.

La justicia o la práctica del amor en público conducirán a la paz, la integridad, la salud para todos y el mundo ... o la vida.

¿Cuál elegirías para fluir como un río caudaloso en 2022?

- Kathleen

Únase a nosotros y también comparta en sus redes sociales.

Done aquí al trabajo continuo de la CDCA con los pobres en Nicaragua:

https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/jhc-cdca