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"We couldn't speak Spanish but we always found a way to interact," says high school student Carla Penner. "The interaction with people was totally amazing."
The group was accompanied by Carol Suter, Mennonite Economic Development Associates vice-president of member and resource development. She introduced the Canadian students to MEDA-sponsored small businesses in Nicaragua, including artisans, producers and market vendors who receive small loans and business training.
The tour emphasis was business studies and Christian service, says Kroeker, who teaches business at MBCI.
Students said the tour provided an excellent cross-cultural experience and a valuable introduction to economic development. For most it was their first exposure to life in a Low Income Country.
Student Charles Friesen noted the contrast between the rich and the poor in the city of Managua. "On one side of a street there would be mansions surrounded by barbed wire barriers; on the other there were huts and sewage." He said he was also impressed by the happiness of the people, despite their hardships.
"It was weird to think we were carrying the equivalent of a month-and-a-half's wages in our pockets," said Jenifer Hiebert, who first suggested the study tour.
The MBCI group joined the San Juan de Oriente Christians for worship, were served supper and joined together in a game of basketball. One of the students commented: "You sense the presence of the Holy Spirit even though you couldn't understand the words."
The next morning after a breakfast of watermelon and fresh bread, they began the task of painting the interior of the San Juan de Oriente church building. One of the leaders of the church is Filipe Gutierrez, a potter and MEDA micro-enterprise client.
A token gift exchange at the end helped to establish a bond between the two cultures despite economic and language barriers.
from MBCI/MEDA releases
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