"We are in a different world, everyone else is going shopping for Christmas, all we want is food and shelter." Luisa Centeno, a Condega community leader
In Condega, Nicaragua where I was living and working up through Hurricane Mitch, there is no such thing as Christmas this year.
On Monday December 14th, I returned to Condega, the small town where I was living and working up through Hurricane Mitch. The women who make up the emergency committee have yet to take a day for rest since the hurricane began. They work 12 to 14 hour days, compiling reports of the damages afforded to Condega by Mitch. They do this in hopes of receiving monetary support, that they so desperately need, to rebuild the town. Almost half of the houses are destroyed or unlivable. There are still five refuges with three hundred people living in them. Their livestock has virtually vanished, leaving no milk, eggs, or meat. Fruits and vegetables are scarce, as all crops have washed away. Their supply of rice, beans, and corn is rapidly running out and the soil will not be fertile for replanting crops until July. Consequently, there will be no food this spring.
In a town where seventy percent of the people were unemployed or underemployed before the hurricane, now all of the local factories (tobacco, tannery, furniture, etc.) have been destroyed by the flooding as well. With few medicines, little or no medical care, and a contaminated water supply, people are dying of hunger, and epidemics are on the rise. Cases of domestic violence reported have dramatically increased as a result of the stress of the hurricane. The situation is desperate.
Despite the monetary aid that has poured into the Nicaraguan government, Condega has received very little because of the unjust politicizing of the disaster. Condega was one of the areas most affected by the hurricane, yet because their local government is of the opposing political party, the town has received very few donations. The Aleman government is also selling aid in stores rather than distributing it to the affected areas.
There are ways to give monetary donations to responsible groups in Nicaragua. You can help by donating directly to La Red de Mujeres ( The Network of Women) the central emergency committee in Condega. I will be collecting funds and sending them through certified mail directly into Condega. I am also planning to be a part of a construction brigade going down to Condega this spring to assist in the reconstruction of houses. Monetary donations will be used for purchasing materials needed for rebuilding houses.
The Red de Mujeres is working in conjunction with the local government and has an account open to receive support for the construction of thirty houses for single women and their families. Humanitarian aid is urgently needed. Please be generous.
Last updated: Wednesday, 12-Jan-2000 21:28:11 EST
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