Election furry left the city in shambles. Now that the results have been tallied, amidst being false, the violence has stalled to a halt. Now the only explosives we hear are fire crackers for... well, for why not? :) The elections forced me once again to contemplate this country, and what we are working for. Ultimately, we are not working for the Nicaraguan government, but they are definitely benefactors. The Nicaraguan president has a private account, donated by the president of Venezuela, given for the purpose of aid and development, which has no third party accountability. Does anyone else see something wrong with this picture? He continues to tear down NGOs, accusing them of money laundering (link), telling his people not to trust them, threatening to kick them out of the country. He tells Nicaraguans not to make good on their microcredit loans, telling them that they were donations in the first place, and that they deserve the handout - as if handouts needed to be more promoted in this country. I feel like Nicaraguans are continuously taught to be less than their best.
So where do we come in? We tell them the opposite. And so far, the stories have been both encouraging and disheartening. The poverty is real, but the hope is too. My frustration still exists towards the government, who makes their own results, fails to take responsibility and promotes a victim mentality. Hopefully when all is said and done, there is a little more hope.
