The impact of the good old Sweet Potato on Global Health

Reblogged from Thirdeyemom:

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Today I am honored to be collaborating with a group of women bloggers on behalf of ONE, a non-partisan, grassroots advocacy organization that fights extreme poverty and preventable diseases, to increase awareness about world hunger.

ONE asks:

"How can it be that 40% of Africa's children are so chronically malnourished by the age of five that they will never fully thrive, physically recover or mentally develop - and this has not improved in two decades, despite so much other development progress?

Read more… 1,179 more words

I am reblogging an excellent post on the benefits of sweet potatoes. Thank you, ThirdEyeMom, for this post. We started with one sweet potato, smuggled into Nicaragua by a close friend. Now, I think we could furnish the entire island with our sweet potatoes.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Happy anniversary to me. My blog is one year old today. In honor of my first anniversary, I have created a list of the good, the bad, and the ugly things that have taken place in Nicaragua since July 2011.

THE GOOD

• My philosophy of compassionate cultural immersion is spreading world-wide
• Health care programs are improving on Ometepe Island for the expats.
• My mobile lending library for the elementary schools is expanding monthly
• Newspapers, TV, and schools are educating people on litter removal and the effects of pollution on their environment in Nicaragua
• Ometepe Island became a digital island in February 2012 with over 5,000 One Laptop per Child computers donated to all of the elementary schools
• Sustainable tourism programs are increasing for local communities, offering new jobs and enabling self-sufficiency
• Our major construction is completed and I have a comfortable nest
• New Bread Fruit, Jack Fruit, Avocado, Grapefruit, Neem, and other fruit trees are growing rapidly on our property along with Ron’s thriving garden
• We completed the process of residency and are now legal Pensionado Visa residents of Nicaragua
• An Ometepe Expat Google group now connects all of the expats on Ometepe Island.
• The local grocery stores on Ometepe Island are catering to the tastes of expats. Now, we can even place an order online for Hugo’s grocery store and they go to Pricemart in Managua at least once a month. My frig is stocked with chocolate chips!
• The new airport is almost ready for business. There are pros and cons, but I like the convenience of the airport..I can walk to it from my house.
• My Spanish has improved tremendously. I can make a dentist appointment over the phone, order pizza delivery, and call our taxi driver. Talking on the phone in Spanish has been difficult for me, so this is a major improvement in my life.
• The following link is a PDF and the latest progress report of Nicaragua.
  Progress Report of Nicaragua

THE BAD

• The USA denied Nicaragua the transparency waiver. Its denial will cost the Nicaraguan people $3 million in aid for the next fiscal year.  Read more about it at this link:   Witness for Peace
• Pierre Doris Maltese, the dangerous cult leader of Ecoovie, is still in Nicaragua. However, powerful people are now aware and much progress has been made to gather evidence and deport him from Nicaragua.
• The electric and water is still erratic. Much needs to be done to improve the basic  utility infrastructure on Ometepe Island before they open the airport.
• Health care for the local people on the island needs a major overhaul. My opinion is that instead of a new airport, they should have built a new hospital.
• The Capuchin monkeys, not native to Ometepe Island, are being held hostage with little food on Monkey Island near Hacienda Mérida. They have attacked  and severely mauled at least seven tourists. More on this later, once I do more research.

THE UGLY

• My friend Bobby took his life in Granada, Nicaragua in December. I am still dealing with the grief of his unknown despair.
• Jerry died of a sudden heart attack in April. If only we would have had access to a defibrillator, it may have prolonged his life.
• Ian and Jose ( young men) both committed suicide three days apart last year.

The total number of good things happening within a year outweighs the combined total of the bad and ugly… at least in this forever optimistic blogger’s voice. Thank you wonderful blog readers. You are the reason I write. I travel throughout Nicaragua; it leaves me speechless, then turns me into a storyteller.   Here’s to many more Nicaraguan stories next year. Life is good, retirement is better, telling stories of my life on an island in the middle of a huge lake, in the middle of Nicaragua, in the middle of Central America is….well, priceless.

War of Worlds

Someone asked me yesterday why I live in a third world country. She spat out the question like she had overdosed on bitter medicine and looked at me with disgust and fear. Puzzled by her reaction I asked, “What is your definition of a third world country?” “Oh, yuck!” she spat. “It’s a country filled with disease and poor people. Who in their right mind would live in a third world country?”

Since I am in the states visiting my mother, these comments occur more often. Either people fear for my life because of all the ‘diseases I could get’ or like my mother, question my sanity. My mother tells people I am a missionary in a third world country. “Mom, you have to stop telling people I’m a missionary,” I reprimand. “I’m not a missionary. I’m not even religious.”  “But, you do so many good things for all those poor people,” she said. “You are a missionary in my eyes.”  I sigh and nod my head. She introduces me to a friend of hers. “This is my daughter. She is…the word ‘like’ is barely audible… a missionary in Nicaragua.” I sigh again and nod my head.

I’m beginning to understand my mom’s logic. If she tells people I am a missionary, then they won’t look at me with fear and disgust because I live in a third world country. My mother solidifies her good reputation with God and her church friends because she raised a missionary daughter instead of an insane one. I can live comfortably in a third world country because I am ‘doing good things’ for all those pitiful poor people.

This conversation got me thinking about the definition of a third world country. Despite ever evolving definitions, most people envision a third world filled with suffering, dying, big bellied, crying, dirty, malnourished babies living with uneducated, extremely poor, emaciated, suffering, crying, dirty, and unemployed family members, who live in fear of a harsh, unbending dictator in a socialist or communist country with AK 47′s pointed in their faces.  Often these visions are accompanied by lots of sobbing and pitiful cries with bony fingers extended, and a malformed or underdeveloped baby clinging to a mother’s dried up breast, begging for milk money.

Now, my definition of a third world country can be summed up in one phrase…a lack of a middle class. In Nicaragua, there are impoverished millions in a vast lower economic class and a very small élite or upper class who control the country’s wealth and resources. What makes the United States a first world country and Nicaragua a third world country? If we use my definition, there are striking similarities. Maybe it’s time to reconsider our definitions and differences among a first, second, and third world country. Maybe it’s time to cast away our stereotypical perceptions and visions of people living in a third world country. Maybe it’s time to dissolve our differences and concentrate on our similarities.

When I ask people to explain their definition of a third world country, often it is expressed in a ranking scheme of economic development with the first world on top ( a capitalist society), the second world, and the third world ( socialist or communist) on the bottom rung. This comparative economic and political ranking is utter nonsense, and in my opinion, the real source of misguided evil that has poisoned our world.

All forms of societies ( first, second, or third worlds) give us food, clothing, a home, language, and the tools of a trade. As members of a society, we all seek comfort in sharing our joys, sorrows, and pleasures with friends and family. We satisfy our personal desires, dreams, and accomplishments through gaining attention and recognition from our fellow human beings. We all want to improve the conditions of our lives. We should be ONE world because we all share the same basic needs and wants.

The definitions of the three types of worlds only increase the gap and divide us as human beings. Attempts to pigeon-hole us into narrowly defined economic and political categories create a war of worlds. Personally, I’m tired of people asking me if I’m a missionary because I live in their warped perception of a third world country. I’m tired of trying to convince people that I’m safe, secure, and happy in my decision to live in Nicaragua.

I’ll continue to sigh and nod my head when my mother introduces me as a missionary in Nicaragua. Her perceptions of the world were set a long time ago and there is nothing I can do to change her mind or change her viewpoints. But, that doesn’t mean that I can’t plant seeds…little seeds of discontent with the crisis we are facing in the world today. One little seed, tenderly planted in the minds of the young…maybe we can become one world without war…compassionate world citizens. It’s a start.

Meet Napoleon

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Another miracle on the finca. Napoleon was born at 3:30 pm on June 5th. We have been anticipating the birth of Napoleon for a week! Tuesday morning, Marina came over to our house to borrow my cell phone because she didn’t have any minutes on hers. “Princessa is sick,” she said. “I think she is going to give birth today. I am very nervous.”

Marina called the vet first. Then, she called everyone she knew to come and celebrate the birth of Princessa’s calf. “I’ll be the photographer,” I commented. I’ve helped to birth thirteen babies and a litter of piglets. However, a calf was a new experience for me and I opted to watch instead.

At 1:30 pm, Princessa was in heavy labor. I googled “how long does it take a cow to deliver a calf” and according to the site, the new calf was due within an hour or two. The vet arrived just in time. He gently pulled on the calf’s hooves and Napoleon popped out like a big ole slippery seal.

Sometimes I feel like I’m living in the old TV series, Green Acres. Farm living is the life for me!  I am proud to report that Princessa and Napoleon are doing well. Princessa is full of milk and baby bull Napoleon is a happy camper.

Next, we’re going to learn how to make cheese and yogurt. Stay tuned for the Gringa Gourmet..NOT  recipes.

Health Care in Nicaragua: A Hypochondriac’s Story

Nasty ant bites, swollen foot

Last September, I was hauling brush away from the beach, when I felt a strange tingling sensation. It started at my toes, and like a super charged lightning bolt, the sensation passed through my body to the top of my head. I began to itch like crazy, then my upper lip swelled and became numb, as if I had just received a shot of Novocaine.

Living on a tropical island, we have learned to take charge of our own health care. There is a hospital in Moyogalpa, the port town; however, I have been there with Marina, and I don’t want to return. EVER! Our workers, propped my foot on two cement blocks, and gave me a little cap full of…I think it was Benadryl…because I fell asleep upright on the only piece of furniture we had in our house at the time. (a purple plastic chair)

My foot swelled to the size of a small papaya and I was unable to put any weight on it for a week. I’m not one that likes to be incapacitated, so I began to research ant bites and allergic reactions. The locals know the insects, plants, and animals intimately. They all agreed that I had a horrible allergic reaction to ant bites.

Thank God for the internet! Once I determined the cause of my swelling and the treatment, I hobbled to the closest pharmacy armed with an array of new Spanish words..swollen foot, allergic reaction, numb upper lip, cortisone cream. Prescriptions are unheard of in Nicaragua. One only needs to discuss the symptoms with the pharmacist and the pharmacist will dispense one pill, or as many as one needs or can afford to buy.

Six years ago, Ron thought he had parasites. We went to a little shack…literally…where they had the only centrifuge in town. A man handed Ron a little plastic cup and said, “I need poo poo.” Then he directed him to the outhouse. As the centrifuge whirled the poo poo around and around, we waited patiently on the front porch, watching a long string of leaf cutter ants hauling their loot to their nests to make a fungus for the queen.

“Poo poo white,” he announced. “No parasites.” So, because of the white poo poo, he sent us to the pharmacy with a little scrap of paper that told the pharmacist what we needed to buy. All for the cost of one dollar.

Health care is cheap in Nicaragua. Even at the best hospital, Vivian Pellas Metropolitano, in Managua, expect to pay much, much less for all procedures. For example, a hip replacement in the USA is approximately $53,000. At Vivian Pellas, a hip replacement will cost $8,700…total..no hidden costs. And, that price is without purchasing their insurance plan. With the Silver Insurance plan, take an extra 40% off the total cost of the hip replacement. I know you are wondering how much the insurance costs for Vivian Pellas….$26 a month!!!!

When we retired and moved to Nicaragua, we could have continued on our group health insurance, Cigna. However, the monthly cost of $500 would have been taken out of my tiny teaching pension check. Too young for Medicare ( which isn’t accepted in Nicaragua), and too poor to have $500 deducted from my pension, we really didn’t have any options. Before Vivian Pellas started to cater to expats, we had to take charge of our own health and care for our own aging bodies. Plus, we were at a disadvantage because of living on an island…with a one hour ferry ride to the mainland.

After my allergic reaction to the ant bites, I became a hypochondriac. Every sneeze, every ache, every insect bite, everything kind of out of the ordinary…I researched. Most of the little health issues were just due to an aging body. Yet, due to the fact that we are growing our own food, walking and swimming everyday, and always active, we are healthier than we have ever been before.

A retired RN lives close to us, now. I have become friends with a homeopathic doctor, who has a clinic in Moyogalpa. We found a great chiropractor in San Juan Del Sur, and an acupuncturist in Moyogalpa. Soon, we will have an airport a quarter of a mile away from our house. Should a medical emergency arise, we can hop on a flight to Managua for less than $50. Vivian Pellas hospital is getting better all the time, with international awards, U.S. trained doctors, and medical tourism programs.

Now, the only thing we have to worry about is health coverage in the states. Fortunately, we don’t return to the states often. But, when we do, the only health coverage we can get is on our car (stored in our garage back in the states). We upped the medical coverage for accidents in our car. So, if I break my leg, or anything else that requires immediate medical care, I have to do it in the car to be covered. What a shame! Health care in the USA is a mess. But, that’s another story for another day. A story I have no control over.

Here in Nicaragua, I have control over my own health, and a wonderful group of professional friends, and locals who can help us identify and treat the minor problems. If we need immediate medical attention, Vivian Pellas is only an hour’s flight away. What more could we want?

 

 

 

 

Coffee Politics

Selva Negra Arabica coffee beans

One evening after a dinner of wiener schnitzel at the Selva Negra Coffee Estate located in the highlands of Matagalpa, Eddy Kühl’s wife (descendant of the original German immigrants who began the coffee plantation in 1890) told me, “Nicaragua is a great place to live if you don’t get involved in the politics.” I suspected that there was more behind her comment, so I gently encouraged her to explain coffee politics.

Coffee and politics are synonymous in my book. Throughout history, coffeehouses have been venues for political activism and even revolution. ” Author Mark Pendergrast‘s book Uncommon Grounds: The History of Coffee and How it Transformed Our World [Basic Books, 1999] traces the pairing of revolution and caffeine across the centuries, on down through the Beats of the ’50s to the bongos and tribal-art tattoos of today’s post-Beat coffeehouse crowd” (Gaines, S., Mountain Express, 2004). Coffee culture reigns supreme from our morning coffee and the newspaper, to coffee dates and coffee breaks. My daily rituals revolve around a good cup of java. And I know I’m not alone, with more than one-third of the world’s coffee supply consumed by North Americans.

So, when Mrs. Kühl explained her views of coffee politics, it dawned on me that my little tour of the coffee farm earlier that day was a significant historical event. I viewed, first hand, the complex web of international relations that swirled in each cup of coffee consumed throughout the world.

A painting of the coffee workers in the fields.

The complicated process begins with the poor workers. who get paid about nine dollars a day to pick and clean the coffee, to the Rainforest Alliance, who certifies that the coffee is organic, to the middle men, who export the coffee, and finally to the large corporations that buy the green coffee beans, roast and package them, and distribute them to the consumers, most of them who are blissfully unaware of the disparity between the “haves” and the “have-nots” when sipping their morning lattes.

“It’s just not fair,” commented Mrs. Kühl. “The Rainforest Alliance has a different set of rules for certification for Costa Rica and Nicaragua. We provide housing for our workers, schools for the children, and comply with all of their requests.” She went on to explain that the people who certify their coffee are Rainforest Alliance employees from Costa Rica. Here is where the politics come in to play. Costa Rica and Nicaragua have notoriously been at political odds for decades.For example, if Costa Rica coffee plants needs two shade trees for each plant to receive certification, then Nicaragua requires six shade trees for each coffee plant.

“Well,” I asked, “if the Rainforest Alliance is unfair, why don’t you go to another organization for certification, such as the Fair Trade organization?” She responded that it wasn’t that easy. The Rainforest Alliance markets their coffee certifications all over the world. They are powerful and strong. In reviewing the Rainforest Alliance website, I read that in 2004, their certified coffee went mainstream with Millstone Rainforest Reserve Coffee sold in most of the major grocery chains in the U.S. Kraft launched the Rainforest Certified Coffee in the UK, and international markets are expanding their lines of the Rainforest Certified coffees.

Today, Rainforest Certified coffee appears to be the leader in certifications. What coffee producer can afford to lose the valuable markets offered through the Rainforest Alliance certifications? Certainly not Selva Negra or any of the other small coffee cooperatives in Nicaragua. So, while the Selva Negra Coffee Estate struggles to comply with the unfair certifications, we sip our morning coffee, blissfully unaware of the complexities and politics surrounding a little bean.

Below are links to the fabulous Selva Negra Coffee Estate, and the impressive Rainforest Alliance.

The Selva Negra Coffee Estate

 The Rainforest Alliance