by Sophie Whelchel
In June, my family and I had the chance to make a journey to Granada, Nicaragua. While Nicaragua is a beautiful country, very lush and green with volcanoes and lakes, it is impossible to ignore the very meager homes, the many begging children, the poor sanitation, the horses and dogs with protruding bones. It was nothing like the home I had left in North Carolina. We went to Granada to study Spanish and to volunteer in a Hogar de las Niñas, a home for girls unable to remain with their families because of poverty or abuse.
Twenty years ago, a Catholic nun named Madre Albertina began opening a series of safe houses for young girls because she wanted girls in Central America have a future of promise. She set up these homes in Nicaragua, El Salvador and Costa Rica. The home that we volunteered in is located next to a chicken processing plant, and while a portion of the building is good, much of it is in very poor shape. The home receives no governmental or church funding and so repairing the building and feeding and caring for the girls is only done through the devotion of the nuns and with the support of volunteers or when donations are received.
We committed ourselves to helping the girls with their homework and teaching them English. I often thought of how similar it was to studying with my friends in Asheville. And yet these twenty-three girls’ lives were very different because of the poverty of their world. The girls listen to American pop music, and sing the words even if they do not understand the meaning. I will never forget watching them sing out the words of a song that talked about not being in the best spot in life, but still knowing who you are on the inside. This was the moment that I realized that we are one. That they are my sisters. That we are children of the same God. Even though we speak different languages and have completely different lifestyles, we are still the same on the inside. They love and dream and hope just like I do. I never felt as close to God as I did in that home. By the end of our three weeks, I felt like the hearts of the girls had taught me so much about God and myself and who we are supposed to be as human beings.
I had lunch with Father Brian because I want to share with our church the needs of the girls and some dreams I have for helping them. I dream for them a nice home to live in, one with windows to keep the mosquitoes out, sturdy shoes on their feet, enough food to eat, and school supplies, a swing set that works, a volleyball net, and a huge trunk full of art supplies. I dream that there are others in our church that might be interested in hearing more about the Hogar and my twenty-three Nicaraguan friends.