In May, the only clinic serving the trash dump community of Managua found itself on the brink of closing
doors. The clinic, called Funjofudess, turned to MPI-Nicaragua volunteers for help. From Dan Bain, current Program
Director:
La Chureca: A Brief History
The land now referred to as "La Chureca" was established as the city of Managua's dumpsite in 1978 through a contract between the city government and
a private landowner. Every year 900 tons of trash are brought into the dump. Due to economic difficulty, over 2,000 people resorted to
digging through these trash mounds, as children and adults spend their days searching for recyclables. Aluminum, plastic, and glass all yield
about 2 to 4 cordobas a pound (eighteen cordobas is approximately one dollar). Families earn US$10 every 3 or 4 days.
According to Funjofudess's last count, 182 families currently live inside the city dump, literally next to the trash. Of those living there, 53% are
under the age of 18. The people build their homes out of scrap metal--each piece tied together by barbed wire. Meat, fish, produce, and other food
items arriving in garbage trucks are daily sustenance for the people of La Chureca.
Funjofudess
Funjofudess was founded in 2002 by a Belgian organization, Solidarité Socialiste. It was a five-year project designed to provide basic
healthcare to the otherwise isolated community of La Chureca. The clinic, called Casa Base de Salud (Basic Health House), was constructed in
2003, and has been serving the community ever since. Many strong relationships have been built between the clinic and the community, in
particular through the nurse, Esmeralda ("Esmo"), and the women of the community. People here are not accustomed to trusting healthcare, but
over time they have built confidence with Esmo as she has demonstrated her care for their well-being.
Manna Project and Funjofudess
Manna Project began its partnership with Funjofudess in 2004, when the Child Sponsorship program was initiated. The relationship with Esmo has
been essential to the success of this program, as her established friendship with the community and knowledge of their activities provides insight
and awareness that MPI would not have otherwise. This partnership with Funjofudess grows stronger each month, as we have undertaken a joint
effort to connect all the different organizations serving this community, including the local school "La Esperanza" and Juntos Contigo--a
supplemental education program designed to give kids a safe place to play and learn. This project of joining forces to meet needs in a more
efficient manner has particularly brought Lori (MPI-Nicaragua Site Director) into a closer relationship with Sandra, Funjofudess's director.
Funjofudess in Need
When Funjofudess discovered they were losing funding from the Belgian organization, Sandra felt comfortable enough to approach Lori and ask for
help. We began assessing the possibilities and how we could help fund or find funding for the clinic to keep it open. We firmly believe
that the clinic is a tremendous benefit to the community, and we determined to seek funding and do what we could to raise the $52,000 per year
necessary to operate the clinic.
Help is on the Way!
Shortly thereafter, help came from a recent connection to MPI, Dr. John Doty from Austin, TX. Dr. Doty has a long-standing relationship with
the Samaritan Foundation here in Nicaragua, which runs a large clinic near Chiquilistagua as well as other projects. On a previous visit to La
Chureca with MPI, he had decided the clinic needed dental services, and had thus sent a dental chair to Nicaragua for that purpose. When he
learned of the clinic's need for funding, his response was to ask how much, and then reply with, "we can manage that." Less than a week later
he had obtained a gift from a generous family in Austin to fund the next 18 months of the clinics operation. Incredible! We were very
excited and relieved and encouraged by the heart of these people for La Chureca.
Funjofudess can take a breath because they are now sure they will have jobs next year, and the clinic will continue operating through 2008.
While this is fantastic, we still need to find funding for the future. MPI would like to raise funds to ensure another 5 years of
operation. We are tremendously blessed to have received such generosity, and so quickly, and continue to look for funds to secure the
future.
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