Nicaragua

By: Hanna, University of New Hampshire at Durham

I was fortunate in my adolescence to be given the opportunity to travel to Louisiana four consecutive years during my February school vacation. What began as a community service project with my church to a rural fishing community devastated first by Hurricane Rita then by Hurricane Ike, became a yearly pilgrimage. Each year we returned to the community and were greeted and welcomed like family. Friendships and bonds were fostered and developed that will last a lifetime. Several families and couples we built houses for have even traveled to New Hampshire to visit.

During the first year, my team leader guided me in the process of securing rafters to the frame. Over the next 3 years I was given the responsibility of team leader for that job. Building houses for the hurricane victims not only helped me learn about myself, but it also helped me prepare for other volunteer work I did throughout the rest of my high school and into my college years working in a community service groups such as: Key Club, Aspiring Hands, Circle K, coaching in the Salem and Windham Youth Soccer Programs, and doing volunteer work in Nicaragua. Completing all of these things throughout my life has given me a sense of independence, given me the confidence I needed, and made me realize doing something small in life can make a huge difference in the long run. I believe that even though I have completed all of these services to give back to my community, Nicaragua is the one who truly shaped who I am today.

I first heard about the Fabretto Children's Foundation through my friend whose uncle runs the program. The program's main goal is to help the impoverished youth break the bonds of poverty by providing free education through teaching, programs and activities. After learning more about Fabretto, my family along with six others decided to take on the task of going there. Our job was to build a multi-purpose field at one of the small schools located in Somoto a remote village high in the mountains along the Honduran border. Prior to going there we raised funds to support the building project and collected approximately 1000 soccer jerseys to give to the children in the villages. That week changed my life forever. I will never forget the way the children, students in the village school or the ones that dropped out to work for their families (approximately 60 percent of children) looked at us. There was curiosity in their eyes, and even perhaps a sense of envy, for we had fresh clean clothes, we were provided a stable roof over our heads, were well fed and healthy. Even though I can look at my house at home or anywhere I go and automatically have running water, a bathroom, and a bed, theses were just a few of the aspects that are not even an option for most Nicaraguans. What I remember most was the sense of hope and longing for change, for a new beginning. This trip shaped me into who I am today.