¡Aisabe, Managua!

Goodbye, Managua.

I said "See you later" to wonderful people in Managua who have cared for me and nurtured me into the North Ameria Nica that I am today... and I hopped on one of the "Costeña" tiny little airplanes to head to the RAAN or the North Autonomous Autonomous Region of Nicaragua. 

I have now transitioned to the second part of my job where I am conducting interviews in our different AMC project sites. Later, I will write human impact stories.

The RAAN is one of the regions in Nicaragua with the highest poverty rates, with communities which are difficult to access, and with Nicaraguan citizens who are often neglected by the Pacific Coast. 

The RAAN is home to two indigenous groups Miskitos and Mayagnas, as well as, Creoles. 

Miskito people speak in the indigenous language of Miskito and Mayagnas have their own language, however, are now speaking more in Miskito and Spanish. People who are Creole speak in a mixed English language and learn Spanish as well.

AMC has offices located in 5 different communities in the RAAN. 

I am currently working with the AMC team in Rosita. It is a city that lies on flat land, surrounded by many hills. It is just as hot as Managua - so around 90 degrees each day. 

There are 24,462 people that live in the Department of Rosita and in the city of Rosita there are 8,535 residents. 66.1% of people in this department live in poverty and 33.2% live in extreme poverty. The majority of people live without access to clean and safe water. 

I feel blessed to be able to help AMC share the beautiful stories of Nicaraguans living on the Atlantic Coast. 

I will write more when I have more free time, but until then here are some pictures from my first two days in Rosita. 

Sarah is the volunteered who is assigned to Rosita. She along with two other AMC workers helped me interview Don Roman today in the community of San Antonio (hey, Texas!). He is a dental health promoter and works traditional medicines by treating illness with natural remedies. 

Doña María helps maintain the local community pharmacy which is provided by AMC's Community Pharmacy Network and she is a community mid-wife.