El Chague: A Rural Community's Hopes and Challenges
There are only two daily buses that go to where I'm going today -- I'm on the second one that leaves at 12:15, more or less, or whenever our canvas-covered truck fills up with people and goods. After taking off from the terminal at the church, we scoot through León picking up more people. By the time we reach the dirt road that heads toward El Chague, our little truck is bursting beyond capacity. I'm the only gringa, so every courteous smile reeks of curiosity. Suddenly, one of the women realizes I'm from The Project and asks if I'm going to the community meeting today. "Si," but I'm arriving a little early to do some interviews.
In the hour it takes to arrive at the school where our interview and meeting will be, I observe the usual dropping off, one-by-one, of family members and goods, about every kilometer or so. What strikes me as a bit unusual is that everyone is chatty and especially helpful. On the canvas-covered trucks in the city, passengers usually silently endure the bustle of stop-and-go, but on our way through El Chague, there is conversation, laughter, commentary, and helping out as each passenger gets off. I realize that I feel like I'm at home in small town Minnesota, where town members recognize one another and know at least a bit of your story. When we arrive at the school, everyone who is still on the truck lets me know that this is my stop. "Thanks! See you later at the meeting!"
El Chague is a rural community about 10 km (6 miles) outside of León. The population of 724 consists of 140 families who live in 124 homes. Seven leaders, each elected from their respective neighborhoods, make up a Directorate. El Chague has a three-room primary school but no high school. Neither is there a public health center, so the population seeks medical service at The Little Tree Health Clinic. Families get their water from private wells. Electricity is captured from the sun through a Spanish-funded community project. Although only 23 homes are part of the initial solar power project, the rest will receive solar equipment as the initial trial project is judged a success. El Chague, being rural, is economically dependent on small farm enterprises, including pigs, cows, chickens and selling firewood. Non-farmers look for short-term jobs in León.
El Chague's directorate meets monthly with additional meetings when necessity arises. We were able to meet with four members of the directorate, learning a bit about their personal lives and getting to know something of community dynamics from hearing their concerns and ideas about community challenges.
Mario Balladares coordinates the directorate. He says he's been involved "in this battle" for eight years. Like all of the community leaders, he was elected in a community-wide ballot. Mario, a cattle farmer, is married and father of three sons, ages 17, 14, and 7. Mario told us, "Sometimes I've gotten tired of doing this work, but somehow the community always manages to seek me out and encourage me to continue."
Milagros Mercedes Reyes Sandoval is secretary for the directorate, and a faithful one at that -- even while she and the others were being interviewed, she was taking notes! Milagros Mercedes has been involved in community leadership for six years. She is a single mom with two boys ages 10 and 6 years. She is a pre-school teacher and helps out as a Catechism instructor at her church.
Derlin Ramon Carrasco Cueva sits as Second Representative on the community directorate. He was elected last year and leads the city's Solar Electrification Commission. Young man that he is, Derlin has a girlfriend. They are expecting a baby within about 5 months! Derlin is employed as a cattleman.
Guillermina Chavaria Diaz is First Representative on the directorate and represents the community Health Committee. Though she was elected two years ago, she has several years experience in leadership among El Chague's women. Guillermina and her husband have no children. Besides community leadership, she is enrolled in adult education classes in León. Guillermina told us she "finds it more challenging to work within a community than on a project. In a community you have to deal with local problems, and a lot of times there are no outside resources."
The leadership in El Chague identifies deforestation and youth pregnancy as the two most pressing community issues. Of course, each of these issues is part of an intricate web related to the broader challenges faced by all Nicaraguans, including unemployment, poor resource distribution, and lack of educational and vocational opportunities for youth. The leadership of El Chague is keenly aware of how the daily complaints and trials of the community's population are related to these broader issues. Thus, our conversation about the problems and their ideas for solutions was a full and lively one.
Deforestation in the rural areas surrounding and forming parts of El Chague are a direct result of burdensome unemployment in Nicaragua. Poverty and desperation lead people to chop down trees to sell as firewood, a primary need in most Nicaraguan homes where meals are cooked over non-electric and non-gas stoves. Families with few other sources of income go into the countryside to gather wood. The practice effectively wipes out the forest and greenery in the rural areas of León. Even people from the city -- many of them under or unemployed -- come to collect wood, depriving rural dwellers of forest resources and making it difficult to enforce any sort of communal agreement to reduce deforestation. Mario Ballardes, chair of the El Chague directorate, states, "It's not that people are unaware of the effects of clearing away wood. It comes down to a choice between long-term deforestation and immediate need." Various non-profit organizations have come through the area to educate about the fragility of the forest, but additional solutions are required.
Directorate members have many ideas for solutions but are stifled by the reality that ideas are not enough. Resources need to appear for solutions to materialize. Creating laws prohibiting the gathering of firewood, installing a sustainable development project with the families, and looking for alternatives to work, were all mentioned as desirable solutions. Possibilities are endless, but the availability of resources speaks of reality.
Another stark reality, a high rate of youth pregnancy, is a result of lack of educational and vocational options in the community, leaders say. There are nearly 25 single mothers in the community, some as young as 13 years of age. Mario began the conversation: "There are no professionals in our community. Education is incomplete so specialized training of our youth to be doctors and lawyers is impossible." It's expensive to train and form youth: there are transportation and food costs, expenses for school supplies, books and uniforms. "It would be great if El Chague could develop its own community professionals so that community members would not have to go into León for basic services." He continued, "If there are 35 children who graduate from 6th grade, it’s probable only five of them will go on to high school. This pattern repeats year after year." "So," another leader continues, "the youth get bored being in the house and, especially the girls, at about age 13, will begin looking into how they can 'hook up'." "It's a terrible problem," commented Guillermina, "the girls look to get married as soon as they can, so they can leave home. They hook up with irresponsible young boys, who within a short period of time, have left them. The girls are forced to return home no longer innocent, pregnant, and abandoned." The problem, unanimously articulated by the directorate, is a lack of sufficient diversion and hope for youth.
Again, when the question of solutions arose, the directorate had several ideas. The most basic solution would be work opportunities and schools. Another would be a mentoring system with older community members as role models and informal teachers of the trades. Mentors and youth would engage in conversations about life and adult responsibilities. The result would be to fill the minds of the youth with options and hope for their futures.
Despite overwhelming issues like youth pregnancy and deforestation, El Chague and its community leaders talk among one another about the smaller, feasible challenges they are able to take on in order to improve the lives of this little town's population. One example of their dynamism is El Chague's Solar Panel project.
A Spanish non-profit organization recently offered El Chague an opportunity to attempt producing solar power. Since El Chague does not yet receive national electric services, the community agreed to a pilot project. Twenty-three homes in El Chague received equipment for a solar set-up, including solar panels, a battery, controllers, and distributors. An estimate of the residents' capacity to repay costs of the equipment was set at $5 per month. After one year of successful energy generation and faithful monthly payments, additional residents of El Chague will also have the opportunity to collect energy for electricity from the sun. So far not one family has missed a payment, and hopes for expansion to every home are very high. Mario explained that the directorate realizes the importance of this project for the community, so when it appears that one family might not be able to pay, the community draws together to either help out with a payment or two or move the equipment to a different, more financially capable family. Directorate members point out the benefits: Solar energy is renewable; each family owns its equipment; living standards are improved community wide. Students can study better and later by electric light rather than by candle light. Finally, as Mario commented, "It's a chance for El Chague’s residents to demonstrate our responsibility and desire to contribute to our own well-being, not just take hand-outs."
I hitch a ride home with Heather, Anna, and Stephanie in the Project's vehicle after our interview and the community assembly. My head is racing with excitement about ideas for tentative projects in the new community: scholarship programs, backyard gardening, workshops, leadership development, so much possibility! My emotions are also flowing from a sense of tranquility. The community members have been so accommodating, comical, and welcoming. After this personal visit and my presence at a few community meetings, I return down this dirt road to the city, impressed by the effort this community has already demonstrated, and comforted by the possibility of a great deal more successful effort in the future.