Mariela Goes to Medical School
During his tour of Nicaragua, Kevin and I paid a visit to our Siuna site. We went out to the community of Santa Rosa where Bridges has worked for 5 years in agricultural, health, education and housing projects. To get to this community you have to walk 20 minutes and then cross a river in a dug out canoe (one of the groups' favorite activities). After arriving at the banks of the Wani River we yelled "wooooh"- the standard signal that one has arrived at the river and the needs a lift to the other side. Our yells were answered first by Eliezer, a nine year old who came running down the river bank to get the boat ready. He was followed by his four brothers, his mother, father, and then Mariela, his older sister.
Why were they all there? I wondered. At first I thought it was because Kevin and I are so special that they had prepared some sort of welcome party... just kidding. As it turns out, the entire Martinez family was at the rivers edge for a very special reason: to send their daughter, Mariela, off to Medical School.
Mariela is one of the very first Bridges high school scholarship students. She is one of the first people in her community to graduate high school (before Bridges entered the community the highest grade level offered was 5th grade). She will now be the third person from her community to go to college, the first person in her community to go to college outside of Siuna, and the first to go to Medical School. Out of 80 applicants from all over Siuna, Mariela along with only 13 other students were admitted to Nicaragua's most prestigious medical school in Leon with full scholarship. All seven of the family members got into the boat and poled across the river. Egdomilia, Mariela's mother, was in tears, knowing that after this boat ride her daughter would embark on a new chapter in her life, starting with a 20 hour bus journey across the country. Yet at the same time the excitement and pride that radiated from that riverbank at that moment was incredible.
To all of you who work so hard for Bridges, congratulations and gracias for making this river crossing possible for Mariela and the many others who will follow in her wake. This is just one example of the amazing bridges we have built and will continue to build. As staff in Nicaragua we truly appreciate all of the heart and sweat you put into keeping Bridges up and running, especially in such difficult times.
Un abrazo -Miranda and the Bridges crew down in Nica!
