Nicaragua
In 1999 Mustard Seed Communities expanded to Nicaragua to meet the needs of children with mental and physical disabilities many of whom were abandoned. In cooperation with the local Catholic Church, land was identified in a small neighborhood just outside of Managua and construction of a residential home for children with disabilities began.
Mustard Seed Communities’ program in Nicaragua has expanded to include a second home for children with disabilities as well as outreach to families living in la Chureca, the Managua City dump, through Christ in the Garbage Ministries.
Hogar Belen-Managua |
Hogar Belen-Diriamba |
La Chureca |
Hogar Belen-Managua
Located in San Antonio Sur, Managua and beginning operations in the year 2000, Hogar Belen- Managua provides residential accommodation and care for 23 children ranging in age from six months to sixteen years. The children have disabilities which include Down’s syndrome, microcephaly, cerebral palsy, hydrocephaly, autism, infantile cerebral paralysis and mental disabilities.
The children at Hogar Belen-Managua are thriving. They are happy and joyful and well loved by the staff that cares for them. The children receive a number of services ranging from horse therapy, to hydrotherapy, to interaction therapy and classes conducted on the premises.
Hogar Belen-Diriamba
In 2006 Mustard Seed Communities Nicaragua purchased a plot of land to open a second home for children with disabilities. Located an hour outside of Managua on three acres of land, Hogar Belen-Diriamba provides a cottage style setting for children who are able to live semi independently and dorm style living for those who need more care and attention. When completed, Hogar Belen-Diriamba will provide loving care, education and spiritual care for sixty residents.
Plans for Hogar Belen- Diriamba include cultivation of vegetables and fruits for in-house consumption and for sale on the domestic market; chickens for egg production; livestock for meat and a thrift shop for the sale of household items. These initiatives will aid the self-sustainability of the home.
Opening Celebration of Hogar Belen-Diriamba
La Chureca
All over the world men, women, and children live and work in massive garbage dumps scavenging every day just to stay alive. They sustain themselves by selling the things that others throw away and eating the food that they can find. The children who work along side their parents have no access to education, medical treatment, and nutritious food. One of these garbage dumps is La Chureca, the main city dump in Managua.
La Chureca is approximately 20 miles from Hogar Belen-Managua. The dump covers over 38 acres and is home to approximately 1,500 people, including many single mothers. More than fifty per cent of the population in La Chureca are children.
Christ in the Garbage Ministries (CIGM) distributes monthly food packages to the people of La Chureca. Packages of rice, beans, sugar, butter and two sardines, enough to feed a family of four for three days, are brought to the community center inside of the dump to be distributed. In addition to providing food packages, CIGM is focused on helping single mothers learn a marketable skill that will offer their families hope for the future.
In 2006, CIGM opened a sewing center, Centro de Costura, near the dump to empower women living in La Chureca and offer them a different way to provide for their families. The Centro de Costura has since expanded and offers pastry making classes, English language lessons and care for children while their mothers are in class.
People will continue to live and work in the dump but with the help of CIGM they have an option to learn a skill that gives them hope and the ability to generate an income to sustain themselves and their families.
