Fruit Kevin helped pick while in the campo.
Kevin Zonnefeld, MCC Nicaragua.
Kevin experienced several aspects of life related to living in rural Nicaragua: a lack of access to water and the intense labour required to harvest fruit and chocolate. Only 27% of the 2.4 million people living in rural Nicaragua have access to piped water and only 34% have access to sanitation.
I spent a week in La Concha with a Nicaraguan MCC co-worker, David, and his family. My days were filled with the Spanish language as I worked with various farmers harvesting their fruit crop. Next time you eat an orange or tangerine it might just have been picked or caught by yours truly! I also took the opportunity to do a lot of cooking while I was there. David’s mother and I spent many nights cooking traditional Nicaragua dishes as well as some pizzas (our new little tradition) and a Colombian soup.
Life in Nicaragua is often difficult. However, this statement became much more of a reality for me as I lived life out in the campo. At this time of year, water is a very precious resource. On two separate nights the family and I needed to get up at 2 AM (the time of day when water may be available), walk into the woods, crawl into a hole, and see if there is water that can then be connected to a pump that ultimately brings the water into the house. Our first night was unsuccessful, however, on the second there was water and showers for everyone (of course they were a bit cold).
Fruit collected from the field.
The other reality that I was introduced to was the difficult work required in the harvesting of fruit and chocolate. Our days were filled with labour; men crawling in trees, catching fruit on the ground and peeling the tedious cacao pods in order to make chocolate. After each day my neck hurt, my fingers ached and all I wanted to do was crawl into bed.
The end of the week was wrapped up with a harvest sale at David’s church. The fruit we harvested and the chocolate we made were sold in order to support the work of the church. There was also scrumptious Nicaraguan food for all to enjoy. I must admit that I did leave the men in the field for a good part of Saturday to join the women in the kitchen. I now have a few new recipes for Cassie and I to try!
View this photo slideshow to learn how MCC is using solar power to pump water to families’ homes, provide water to irrigate their fields and provide some electricity to their houses.