“When the kids asked me about doing something to save the people at the dump, I thought there was no way I could make something like that happen. But their urging made me imagine…and the more I imagined, the more I felt God was calling me to do it.”
-Cheryl AveryIn her article, “Rejecting the Limits,” Valerie Foster wrote about the creative work that emerged from the pleas of a high-school-aged youth delegation. Willing to imagine the possibility, Cheryl Avery founded Project Chacocente in January 2003, and currently works as the Executive Director. Cheryl describes her experience thus:
“After visiting the vast, smoky wasteland of the Managua dump, the kids kept saying, ‘We have to do something.’ At first, we tried to tell them how futile it would be to rescue people without the help of the government or a large NGO. But they insisted, and finally I stopped saying ‘But…’ and started asking ‘Why not?’”
[You can read more about Project Chacocente in the July/August issue of Alive Now and by visiting their website at http://www.OutoftheDump.org].
Cheryl graciously answered some follow-up questions for us about her work.
What went through your mind when the high school students demanded that something be done?
I could certainly understand how they could be so upset, and I wanted to help them process their feelings. To me, that was the most important issue at hand. But in the back of my mind I thought, “They have no idea what they are asking.” There existed no avenue for truly helping the people of the dump. Sure, there were and are groups that feed the kids or offer education to the children; but that’s not a solution to the problem. I felt the kids were asking for a solution, and I didn’t know of anyone actually trying to change the reality of those people’s lives.
What are some of the most difficult obstacles you have faced?
How many dozen would you like to hear about? (Smile…) We knew we’d have obstacles from the beginning, and we have. We tried to get the Nicaraguan government interested in our project, hoping they would give us some land or help in some other way. They just wanted our money and total control.
Many of the people who live at the dump have been there all their lives. It may not be PC to say it, but many of the children are like the fabled boy who grew up with the wolves. They are wild and undisciplined, with short attention spans and little respect for others. Sometimes the parents can be as bad, or worse. We’ve had children throw their chairs at our teachers, and we’ve had fathers wave their machetes in our teachers’ faces.
I have been sued several times by men who were ejected from the project because of their violent behavior. I still have two lawsuits pending, and sometimes it’s impossible to find attorneys and judges who are really interested in justice.
When I started Project Chacocente, I tried to get a second mortgage on my house so that I could buy land. Unfortunately, I was a volunteer with no income, so even though I had a really nice house worth seven or eight times what the loan was worth, I kept hearing the word “no.” My own bank, with which I had been banking for more than twenty years, told me, “We’re not in the repossession business.” This was one of my biggest disappointments, because I had been a Town Meeting Member for ten or so years, a little league coach, a volunteer in the school system, and a volunteer for Meals on Wheels. I had never paid my mortgage late. So I was pretty crushed by their total lack of interest or concern. (An officer at Bank #8 was able to hook me up with an alternative source for the loan, so eventually I was able to buy forty acres for the project.)
I’ve also been attacked five times in the streets of Nicaragua. (Nicaragua is actually the safest Central American country, but when you’re a blonde, blue-eyed North American woman in a country with 80% poverty and 70% unemployment, if any mugger is looking for a target, you make a good one.) Just for the record, I’m 4 and 1, having lost only to a gang of young men with bamboo poles who surrounded me in my truck.
Some of the most difficult obstacles have little to do with my actual work. There is so much corruption among the police, judges, and government. One police officer accused me of “thinking about crossing the yellow line” on a divided highway, and demanded a pay-off. Another officer grabbed money out of my hand and ordered me to go. Another officer got in my car and told me to drive to a secluded area, and then asked me for money. I’ve also met some good cops, but it’s frustrating to go to the police station to ask for help and have a senior officer tell you they’re not interested in helping you.
I see that there was a fire at the offices last fall. How has recovery going?
Thank God, we retrieved our computer files. We lost almost everything else, such as brochures, fund-raising materials, and Nicaraguan crafts that we sell. But we have a new office and a new address (P.O. Box 128, Lexington, MA 02420), and thanks to our incredible supporters, we didn’t miss a single monthly “grant” to the project.
Now that the first class has graduated, what will you do?
All of our efforts are going toward getting another ten to fifteen families out of the dump. We are first evaluating what we have come to call Chacocente I, looking for financial and programmatic efficiencies. We are also gearing up to raise the money to buy another ten to twenty acres of land, as well as to fund Chacocente II. We’re definitely not standing still.
Will Project Chacocente still be involved with the people who graduated?
Absolutely. Those families still live at the project, and their children still attend our school. We are committed to educate any adult or child through college, if they are motivated to study. We also continue to help them with their small businesses, be it teaching them about loss leaders, or even providing some.
Perhaps the most satisfying connection with the families who have graduated is their constant desire to help the new families. Two of the fathers are employed by the project, one as a part-time teacher and the other as an administrator. And until the new families arrive at Chacocente, the older families are still working with our delegations so that their visit to the project can be a rewarding as ever.
How many volunteers do you have, and how do they help?
We currently have two volunteers working with us, but we will receive more during the summer. We have maybe ten to twelve volunteers a year, some staying just two to four weeks and others staying as long as a year. We try to involve the volunteers in ways that fit with their own skills and experiences. Some teach English, Art, or Music in our school; some teach other skills through club-like groups. Some work primarily with the children, and others help the adults. Some volunteers work side-by-side planting the fields, and some teach first aid or family gardening.
Where are the volunteers from and what motivates them?
Most of our volunteers are from the US, although we’ve had a couple from France. Within the US, our volunteers have come from all over - New England, New York, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Colorado, Texas, you name it. Some are college students, some are high-school seniors who spend six months or a year with us before they go to college, some are older people (in their 40s and 50s) who just want to help or teach.
Many of our volunteers are motivated spiritually to participate in the creation of God’s Kingdom on earth. Some want to make a difference in the world, or simply help people who have less than they do. A few admit they are looking to make their resumes more interesting. But they all have been committed and sincere about helping.
How can others get involved?
Volunteers may contact us through our website [www.OutoftheDump.org ] or by email (chacocente@yahoo.com). We have never imposed an age requirement, but it’s important that the person be a self-starter and independent. One reason we need volunteers is because we are always under staffed, but that also means we don’t have folks to accompany you every day. Contact us and we’ll send you an application!