Today was a day FULL of smiles and laughter. So much so, our cheeks hurt! Nathan and I, along with our friends Rob & Sarah went to visit Escuela Especial in Rivas, Nicaragua. The visit was inspired by our friend Lisa Marie who founded Children’s Global Alliance (CGA) in 2010 with the objective of offering service learning opportunities for students of the United States to some of the world’s most poverty stricken countries, while working on their own growth and development as human beings. This week, through CGA, 10 students between the ages of 12-16 are visiting the Escuela Especial from Vail and offering their time, support and experience throughout the week.
We were so excited when the opportunity came about to see first hand one of the five pillars of CGA. Sadly, in Nicaragua there is minimal specialized care or education for children or families of children with special needs. This is one school of few in the country and has over 130 kids. The school is serving a grossly under funded and under appreciated demographic in Nicaragua. Many times, these children are left to fend for themselves at a very young age. The team of teachers at the school are qualified teachers but they are not trained for working with the types of mental and physical illnesses that they are working with every day. The school offers education to children who are blind & deaf, others who have physical disabilities, who are autistic, and some who aren’t even diagnosed. The teachers are amazing and do the best they can with what they know and access to minimal resources.
From the very first time I met Lisa Marie (which was about 7 months ago), I was so intrigued by her and just wanted to know as much as I could about her organization. Today it came together and I look forward to continuing to learn and hopefully contribute to her project here in Nicaragua. She is an inspiration.
The children at the “escuela” were all very unique and so loving. They danced for us, played games with us, and showed us proudly what they were learning; from catching a ball, to drawing shapes in different colors. They held our hands, smiled at the camera, styled my hair, and welcomed us. It was needless to say, very emotional and touching.
Some of the kids get very little attention. They sit in a corner, and drift off into their worlds. Unfortunately there is very little to no specialized care for their needs. One can only imagine their possibilities if they had a specialist to work with them, develop them, and stimulate them. We did meet their physiotherapist who is such a lovely woman. She worked with several of the children and did different activities with them to stimulate their motor skills. We watched one little boy play basketball with her. He was once told he would never be able to walk. She said she would love to learn more from people from around the world who have different ideas and techniques so she can apply them at the school.
It was a magical day and hopefully just the beginning of our involvement with these little angels. There is so much we can do to help make their days a little brighter, and maybe a little easier, and meanwhile, they do the same for us.
Gracias! Thank you LM and your beautiful team of chaperons & volunteer students from Vail, the kids, and the teachers; for taking a moment out of your day, and sharing these smiles and moments with us.
