Back in 2010 I had the unique opportunity to travel with a delegation to Nicaragua to work with local organizers on several relief projects in the capital city of Managua and the Jalapa valley near the boarder of Honduras (the hot zone of the war during the 1980’s).
What made this trip special was the access we were granted through working with a long time partner Deborah Young, founder of the AACC who has set up programs to serve needs locally and internationally. She has volunteered for more than 27 years in many programs serving women in impoverished countries. She has combined her academics with service work in the Sanctuary movement of the 1980’s sheltering refugee women and on providing education and avenues of empowerment for women and children.
The unique approach to relief work made it instantly clear that we were not there to just hand out money or things, but truly participate in a new way of being in the world. We built schools and heard stories, drank rum and ate meals we prepared together. I lived with a family, played with their sons and daughters and pets. I got a glimpse into another world.
Obviously I brought my camera along on this journey to document all that I saw... From the tobacco fields to the hospitals and the dusty roads of the town I called home for a brief moment. Here's just a little of what I saw.
