Tuesday, November 27, 2007

2nd Stop - Nicaragua

An Experience, A Catalyst, A Return

The international leg of the project will begin with Nicaragua. I will be volunteering at an non-governmental organization (NGO) based in Leon called CISAS (Centro de Informacion y Servicio de Asesoria en Salud). 

This is the organization in which I interned two summers ago for a month working in two different projects. The first was drug prevention through sports for street teens. The second was aiding a newly formed HIV self help group. It is also where the bulk of my idea for this book arose. I was conducting a service learning project that would allow me to understand how NGOs are run, funded, and some of the services they provide. The stories I heard in my daily conversations with one of the projects stayed with me upon my return. These stories were very different and yet similar to the ones I heard in Connecticut or Newark while volunteering at soup kitchens or doing HIV awareness campaigns. One day in my car after a long discussion with Fr. Ric Rsycavage SJ, a lightbulb went off and the project was born.

When I set up this project I looked forward to coming back to CISAS and capturing the spirit of the people and the story of their lives. It is with much anticipation that I return. 

Tomorrow's Blog:  Returning to CISAS 

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