Social: Women´s Health in Nicaragua

In Nicaraguan society, a myriad of problems exist in relation to healthcare for women. In many cases women do not choose when they have children, or how many. Girls as young as 9 years old give birth to babies, as incest and rape are prevalent. Some organisations, from Nicaragua and abroad, are taking action. However, not enough is being done.

CLICK here to learn more

Tourism: Volcano Boarding

Check out what it´s like to board on the World´s most active volcano. Invented by an Aussie, volcano boarding is apparently heaps of fun...

Political: Massive Election Protest on December 3

Nicaragua´s opposition party is mobilising 80,000 people, on December 3, to send a message to President Daniel Ortega, and the World, that they want free and fair elections in Nicaragua. The government will more than likely try to inhibit efforts.

To read article CLICK here

Political: The World in Economic Meltdown, leftist Latin Countries Moving Ahead

An interesting article/blog about the benefits of fair trade, cooperation and solidarity between leftist Latin American countries, breaking ties with powerful debt ladened countries such as the USA, UK and Germany, and creating synergies and alliances for the betterment of Latin Americans.

To read this article CLICK here

Political: Nicaragua Seeks Friends in Asia

Whilst most of the World is turning their back on the new/old Nicarguan Government, some are extending a welcoming hand. Who´s the latest? Good ol´ Vietnam.

To read this article CLICK here

POST by SEZ: Thanksgiving Dinner in Nicaragua

Hi its Sezni. Im going to tell you a story about a thanksgiving dinner I had.

One day I went to the Kolbs house for a Thanksgiving dinner. When we got there I was playing hide and seek, then I was tired of playing hide and seek so I went on their D.S.

I got characters for Raymond on star wars. I know how to win all the levels, but not level five. I played on the D.S.I for just a while and in a while I got Dark Vader.

I needed more characters, General Grievous cost 8,000 coins, but I got his guards. I was on the D.S.I for an hour and we still didn’t have almost all the characters, we only had a hundred more characters left.

I had played levels one, two, three, four, and six, but not level five it’s very hard to play, and no one has ever won it.

I ate turkey, bread, Ice cream, and all those types of food, but I didn’t just eat three foods at the thanksgiving dinner.  

Now that is how I spent my thanksgiving.

POST by RAF, A Day in the Tree

Rafael is talking again. You know Rafael Brien. This Friday and The next Friday I am going to tell you a story. So sit back and enjoy. Here we go.

Another exiting day Lorenzy, Sezni, Fran and I were playing on a tree that was super-duper big,  But the tree needs more things added to it, like a name, more decorations, a thing to get up like a ladder, maybe you can read in it, And we can look inside our stockings at Christmas, and maybe fairy lights. Anyway let´s go back to our story. Shall we? Okay.

So we did all the things I just told you about the tree. All of the things, except I didn´t go on the tree so much. But we enjoyed it. So we named it the fun tree. And we made swings and lorenzy did things to get up like a ladder or a rope with my brother sezni.

And I looked if it looked fun. The end. Now I am going to tell you a Bible Verse that I invented Psalms 1 thru 20. The Lord is so good that he made us in he´s hands. He is also warm in heaven and

Not painful so if you know the lord you know he´s word and the bad angles attack and the good protect so you not be painful to if your in the good sid. Thanks for reading good bye.

Social: Keeping Crime Off the Streets

In Nicaragua, the crime rate is steadily increasing. Drugs are transported from South America to North America via Nicaragua. However, Nicaragua is fighting a battle to reduce the number of gangs on the streets and to keep crime rates low.

To watch this report CLICK here

Political: Nicaragua Heading for a Power Struggle

In this latest article, it is argued by former comrades that Nicaragua´s President, Daniel Ortega, will become just like Nicaragua´s previous dictators, the Samoza family, and will eventually be ousted in an ugly power struggle.  

Click Here to Read Article

Social: A Man is Arrested in Granada for Crimes against Children

Unfortunately, Granada, the oldest city in Latin America and a picturesque place in Nicaragua´s south, is also home to many of the World’s pedophiles. Most go undetected, as Granada is a cheap place to live and pedophiles are able to prey on the poor and the innocent. 

However, at times there are arrests, as in the following article details. Please pray for Nicaraguan children, that the government would pool greater resources to combat these filthy crimes against their country’s weakest and most vulnerable. 

The Sun´s Article: Former Durham resident, convicted rapist, arrested for child porn in Nicaragua

Social: Check out These Kids

Watch the following 2 videos. These kids have to be some of the cutest and most talented kids I´ ve ever seen. They need support and love, the right kind of love. Check out the videos and note how these kids have clearly been exposed to adult concepts at too early an age. Pray for the kids of Central America!

POST by RENZY

Hey, it’s me again. Today I am going to tell you about something extraordinary that happened to Francesca, my mum, Sezni, some local people, their horse, and me.

Last Saturday My Mum, Sezni, Fran and I were all taking a walk because it felt like a good day so we wanted to be outdoors. We were walking down our street. Our street is a dirt road with lots of hills and bumps.  

Something you might need to know is that down our street we have a lot of really big steep hills. Now because of that, it is hard for a skinny horse to take a big cart full of wood up a really steep hill. I know because I’ve walked up and down it a million times.

Ok, now I shall tell you my story. So we were on our way home from taking a walk and we were going up a big, steep hill. Halfway up the hill we saw that some local people’s cart AND horse had fallen over because it was such a big hill and the horse was such a small horse with a lot of wood in the cart.

All the wood had fallen out of the cart and onto the ground but some were still tied to the cart. So we offered to help them. They needed to get all the wood off of the ground and off of the cart and then lift the cart up and then put the wood back onto the cart.

So we helped them and it was sort of fun because I like helping people and lifting the cart was fun just because it was. When we got the cart up right, we started to put the wood on. The man said to us “I think we should take two trips to make it easier for us and the horse. We should do it also so that the cart will not fall over again.”  I think that it was a very wise thing to do.

The man said that we should put the rest of the wood to the side so that people will be able to pass if they are in a car or a truck. That also was a wise thing to do. When we got enough wood to go on top of the cart and put it on, we saw two other people with carts. They were coming our way and when they got to us, they offered to help. That way they did not need to make any more trips. 

So the wood we had put to one side we put on the other carts. It was funny but nice that they offered to help. It seems like everyone knows almost everyone in Cedro Galan (where I live) because it is sort of small town.  I like it. And now my friends, this is the ending of my extraordinary journey.

POST by FRAN

Well, as you probably know already from reading my dear daddy’s post that my dog, Lucky, passed away on Monday 21^st at 2:50… how do I know this you might be asking… well, I will tell you.

It was not a good day for me on that particular Monday; you know Mondays are always stressful! I was sick with a stomachache, I had a weird rash all over my arms and face and I was about to receive the biggest shock of my life… death.

I had read at least two entire hours of Wrinkle in Time, a book about a girl whose father has gone missing, but that’s not the point!!! I had fallen asleep on my bed and I was woken with a soft voice “Emmm… Francesca…”it was my empleada. I wearily opened my eyes and she continued “Emm… La Perra se murio…” (TRANSLATION: The dog has died)

I was thinking ‘she probably means a dog on the street’ so I follow her outside and my heart skipped at least four beats when I realized that the dog she was talking about was MY dog… LUCKY!

There she was lying there, getting stiffer and stiffer by the second. I walked over to her, I wanted to touch her, but she was covered in flies. Blood was coming from her mouth… I don’t know what she died of but I know that she lived a good life.

I remember when my dad had to carry her home on his bike when we first got her, because she was recovering from surgery. I remember that I got in trouble because she had wondered off and I went after her. I remember when the gate was left open and she had ventured out and was waiting by a trash can until we came looking for her. I remember how she always felt like she was a human baby. And how we won 2^nd place in the pet show! She was amazing!!!

Rest in peace my old and faithful friend! I loved her so much! Now I’m crying!

But the happy thing is that we found a man who gave a husky puppy to us… I called him Cody. He is a beautiful creature, he is two months old and he is a pretty good shoefiller for Lucky. He has two different coloured eyes! One eye is a light blue and the other brown. Well, See you next week!

Political: Another Report on Election Fraud

From the United Kingdom, yet another report indicating a fraudulent election process in Nicaragua, with commentary from the European Union. This article points to the probability of a self-imposed dictatorship, similar to that of Venezuela´s Hugo Chavez. Folks, please fasten your seatbelt cause we´re in for a bumpy ride... 

To see this Open Democracy Report, please click on this link

POST by LIZ: Billyboy knows best

Billy, repeat after me: eye -- eye, ear -- ear, eyebrow --eye bow, chin -- in, belly button -- billy button... no... b-ELL-y button, b-ILL-y button, b-ELL - b-ILL, BELL - BILL, B-E-L-L- no, it BILLYBUTTON Mom.

Political: Election Reporting in Nicaragua

A recent article published in the Christian Science Monitor talks specifically  about the voting irregularities in Nicaragua´s 2011 elections and the deception that most likely occurred in the process. There were several problems in the electoral process:

1. The stalling of official documentation for election observers, resulting in their delayed admission to polling stations, especially those which historically voted for the liberals (opposition party);

2. International and local observers being denied access at key polling stations, even though these observers possessed appropriate documentation;

3. The non-existence of government reporting data on official results.

Click here for Christian Science Monitor´s Article on Nicaragua´s 2011 Election Results

Social: Abortion in Nicaragua

Abortion is an extremely difficult topic to front, and it is no easier a task in Nicaragua. The issue has everybody divided. I´m not an advocate for abortion and I´m certainly not standing up for the conservatives. It´s a tough one.

In Nicaragua all forms of abortion are illegal, no matter what the circumstances - there are no exceptions. This puts doctors in a tricky  spot.

The following video highlights the inhumanity of anit-abortion legislation, yet it seems that Nicaraguan women use abortion, for the most part, as a solution to rape and family planning. Why aren´t all the left-wing protesters from around the World, featured in this video, here in Nicaragua protesting rape and educating men in appropriate family planning practices?  Why aren´t right-wing conservatives from the USA praising socialist, Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, for his stand on pro-life issues?

POST by JED

Today´s post is a hard one for me. As a parent, to a beautiful young lady, who is always working so diligently for the cause to which we´ve committed, it is difficult to broach the subject of loss. 

Francesca is a special girl, with a big heart. I know she is a pretty lass, people always tell me that. Yet I am more focused on what makes her tick. After all, our looks come-and-go with such force, that it is no wonder to me we become wrinkled in old age (beauty really is only skin deep). As my Gran says “it takes 18 years to get to 18, 5 years to get to 30, and 5 minutes to get to 100”.

I love Francesca´s compassion for those around her, which is evidenced to me by the way in which she prays. She is committed to Christ, and values his efforts for humanity, when he gave himself on the cross so that those he loved, us, could be reunited with him forever, in eternity.

Living on the other-side-of-the-World is no easy task for a 14 year old and presents multiple challenges. Some of you may have experienced the effort and struggle that loving from-a-distance takes. It can be hard at times.

Franesca has family members in Bristol (UK), Rochester (New York, USA), Brisbane and Canberra (Australia). She rarely gets to visit with them, to drop-in and say hello, to plan dinner dates, have people come for special occasions, and so-forth.

In some ways it is easier for Rafael. He doesn´t remember having access to extended family members. But Francesca does, and it is a factor of life that can be heartbreaking at times to discuss with a teenage daughter, who is so often filled with emotions that I never knew existed (or thought possible! I mean, even Liz is speechless at times! And that really is something!!!).

To ease the burden, when we arrived in Guadalajara, Mexico, (some three and a half years ago) we bought Francesca a puppy. Francesca is a glass half-full kind of girl (my brother always says, cheeky rat-bag that he is, that he “didn´t ask for a glass of anything, (he) I asked for something to eat…”), who just loves living life. And so, she called her puppy, “Lucky”.

The name was completely her choice, and trust me, she had all sorts of suggestions. Lorenzy wanted to call the dog “Betsy”. Rafael wanted to call the dog “Spot” (the dear dog didn´t even have one, but there is the brain of a 4 year old). Sezni wanted to call the dog “Dinner”. I usually lovingly referred to her as “bitch” (for she was one, and everybody knew it).

Francesca felt completely lucky to have this gorgeous beast of a new family member (if you´ve ever seen a Basset Hound, you´ll know that they´re not known for their “good lookingness”, but rather for their loyalty). The dog really was the one who was Lucky, because Francesca was the best owner a dog could ever desire. She transferred all of her love, affection and devotion onto that dear little puppy, ugly as she was (just my opinion), and it was all returned, and then some.  

We immediately knew that we had a “Brien” on our hands (no, not because she was ugly). Lucky would cry as soon as we left the house for school in the morning and would still be crying (howling) when we returned in the evening.

Basset Hounds become clinically depressed when separated from their family and Lucky was no exception. Our neighbours became clinically psychotic (not something new for us, you only had to have visited us in our house in Australia to know this) and would often throw hot water on Lucky, or hard objects at her, just to shut the dear up. It never worked… (much like trying to stop Liz from talking at times... NOTHING WORKS!!!)

We had hundreds of beautiful moments with Lucky. We went for many walks together in the park. We took her regularly to buy grocery items at the shops. We flew with the poppit from Mexico City, to Miami and then on to Managua. (Which is an adventure for yet another post, but LET ME TELL YOU!!! I was the one stuck with Lucky throughout this voyage. We spent the night together in Miami International Airport and I wanted to drive my foot lovingly up her behind – for she whined ALL NIGHT LOOOOOONG!!!)

I think Fran will agree with me when I say that the most beautiful time together was when Lucky had pups. (though not the conception part… That was not beautiful… That time involved me, a big overweight Mexican man, his drooling dog, the rooftop, and 20 minutes of holding Lucky down whilst she was being “serviced”. And the face she gave me, OH THE FACE!!! Think “Basset Hound”… Trust me, I´m still having therapy…)

We arrived home to one of the pups already having been born. The house flew into a commotion, with the female teachers from next-door racing in to help. Out the pups popped, one after the other. I think there were five in total. Black and white little balls of fluff! There´s nothing more special than a wee-little pup… Though one must put emphasis on the wee part. For wee they did. The kids had promised me they´d keep mopping the floor, but you know who always ends up holding the mop!

And so, Lucky... We have been so very lucky… We shared a beautiful life together. 

From the outset lucky had not been overly strong. She was the runt of the pack. The smallest dog. She had needed surgery at only a couple of months old for a hernia. Lucky was always tired, always skinny. She had been very sick as a pup and never really seemed to fully pull through…

Today Francesca found Lucky dead. At just three and a half years old Lucky was unable to keep going. She had no puff left. She was exhausted and sick and tired. And so, she just had to go…

There are just no words that can be said for this kind of a moment. No paternal words of wisdom. Anything I try to conjure up just seems fake. Oh sure, the tears flow and there is an acceptance of what has happened. But what can you say? You can´t say anything. Fran is completely heart broken, not ever really having experienced such a loss. 

And so today we mourn the loss of our best friend, Lucky. She is more than just a beautiful dog, she is a part of our family. 

PS.. And no Liz, you cannot replace man´s best friend, with dog´s worst enemy. We HAVE to get another dog...


Click here to view a video of Lucky with her Family...

Social: Amazingly Gifted Kid

Check this kid out and tell me that he shouldn´t be bound for the Olympics!!! I´m going to hunt him down and recruit him for our "Watoto Choir"...

Social: The Miskito Coast (Billy´s people)

Watch the following documentaries to learn a little about where Billy comes from and the problems that his people are currently facing.