Manna Project International is humanitarian organization formed by Vanderbilt students

"It’s about me saying, ‘Let me enter into this with you.’"

From the Vanderbilt News Service:

La Chureca, the city dump on the outskirts of Managua, Nicaragua, could be the setting for a dreary, futuristic movie. A city of scavengers, many of them orphans, they live in the filthy heaps of refuse at this municipal garbage dump. Clothed in rags, they rummage for food, scrounging out a meager existence by selling the small trinkets or recyclables they find, or sometimes selling their own bodies to survive.

A graduating senior at Vanderbilt, Emily Lineberger, plans to dedicate a year following graduation this May to helping these otherwise hopeless orphans through Manna Project International, a humanitarian organization formed by Vanderbilt students to bring hope to some of the poorest communities in the Western Hemisphere.

Senior Duncan Fulton, a Spanish and European studies major, also has signed on with Manna. After graduation he’ll spend a year in Quito as a program director for Manna’s newest site in Ecuador. A Dallas native, who studied for a year in Madrid and visited Nicaragua on a spring break trip, has deferred entrance into Tulane University Law School until after his year in Quito. He hopes to create educational and legal aid programs there.

Seniors Holly Ward and Tressa Hoektra have signed on to go to Ecuador and Nicaragua, respectively.

Formed in 2004, Manna is run and staffed predominantly by Vanderbilt students and alumni. The organization is best known for its year-long immersion experience in Managua, and more recently, Quito, but also offers a spring break trip and a summer program.

Lineberger, a human and organizational development major from Winston-Salem, N.C., counts herself among the many in her class who have not lacked for “the creature comforts in life.” While she could have taken the summer off to prepare for graduate school, law school or the corporate world, instead she plans to shed “the Vanderbilt bubble” to serve as a program director for Manna’s Managua site for 13 months.

“I want to stay for a year so that I’m not just another American stepping in to ‘fix’ things and then leave,” Lineberger said. “It’s about me saying, ‘Let me enter into this with you.’ It’s about shedding my vanity, being stripped of materialism and getting outside this beautiful, sheltered place called Vanderbilt.”

During her sophomore year at Vanderbilt, Lineberger heard about Manna from a friend and decided to sign up for a spring break trip to Nicaragua. Her week there included working with children at a pre-school, repairing a playground facility and helping teach English and nutrition classes.

Lineberger thought she was prepared for the country’s living conditions, but found herself overwhelmed when she arrived at La Chureca. An estimated 1,500 people call the city dump home – more than half of them under the age of 18 – and are plagued by malnutrition, disease and heartbreak.

“It was animalistic; I have never seen anything like it,” she said. “It was shocking to hear personal accounts from the children, who sniffed glue because they were so hungry – it was their only escape. And to hear girls saying that their fathers sent them out to prostitute themselves to the garbage collectors in order to get the best scraps – you can’t describe it.”

Lineberger said that week in Nicaragua was less about making a difference in the Nicaraguans’ lives than being changed herself.

“You can’t make much of a difference in a few days. It’s just not possible,” she said. “But once you’ve seen what goes on there, you are forever changed. Once you have seen it, you can’t go back home and forget about it. You have to do something.”

Lineberger will live in a rented house in Managua with other college graduates, many of them from Vanderbilt. Like her fellow volunteers, she has raised $7,000 to pay for her food, housing and program fees for the year. During that time she will set up community outreach programs based on her interest in health education.

“I like the idea of counseling, emotional stability and health,” she said. “I want to work with kids and families and show them how to have a sense of pride in having a healthy body.”

Fulton agrees that the students won’t be able to change the world but they will do what they can.

“I can’t change the legal system,” Fulton said. “But I want to try setting up some programs that will help people. In the end, I think the experience will affect how and in what areas I choose to practice law.”

One of Manna’s founders, Lori Scharffenberg, has been in Nicaragua since the program’s inception. She and others designed the organization to provide a tangible way for students and recent graduates to make a long-term investment in community service. They also wanted students to be able to serve in areas that they enjoyed and were passionate about. That formula seems to be working.

“We believe that by bringing the community together, each with our individual passions, we can serve another community with a holistic approach,” Scharffenberg said.

The organization currently has three staff members and 13 volunteers, and more than 400 individuals have participated in the program since its creation. In addition, approximately 65 Vanderbilt students have traveled under Manna’s banner to other international sites hosted by partner organizations for spring break trips, including Peru, the Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Mexico and El Salvador.

While traveling abroad presents concerns for personal health, safety and maybe even homesickness, Lineberger is more anxious about how she’ll be changed emotionally by the experience.

“The biggest challenge right now is the idea that I am about to have my whole worldview rocked,” she said. “It’s different than a short-term trip. When you live somewhere for a year, it becomes your community and you are forced to see the issues right in front of you. You can’t hide. It’s going to be scary, but it’s also going to be life-changing.”

Labels: ecuador, education, nicaragua

Survivor of Guatemalan civil war

Coincides with art exhibit featuring late Ecuadorian activist Oswaldo Guayasamín

The Tennessean reports here that Rigoberta Menchu, winner of the 1992 Nobel Peace Prize, will be speaking Thursday night at 7pm at Benton Chapel at Vanderbilt University on the subject of "Healing Communities Torn by Racism and Violence." Menchu is a pioneer in bringing the plight of indigenous people to the international stage, having suffered through atrocities in her native country of Guatemala during that country's civil war.

From the Tennessean:

Now living in Guatemala City, Menchú was invited to speak at Vanderbilt in conjunction with an exhibit opening devoted to the late Ecuadorian artist Oswaldo Guayasamín. Like Menchú, Guayasamín was an outspoken champion of social justice, and the two became friends before he died in 1999. She remains committed to keeping his legacy alive.
...
For Nashville's Latino community, Menchú's appearance is of special significance, said Renata Soto, executive director of the local nonprofit agency Conexión Américas.

"It's very timely that she comes to Nashville as someone who has been speaking on behalf of the voiceless."
...
"Menchú's message is clear about the consequences of racism and injustice, and it brings attention to the fact that right here in our own community, we have a ways to go to achieve some of those ideals."

Over the past few days, at least two Nashville blogs have covered the 1999 controversy over Menchu's autobiography (here and here).

Photo: The Nobel Foundation

Labels: arts, ecuador, events, guatemala, justice

Leadership in Global Business Association, Latin Business Association

Interned at Dollar General

"I already have a life here"

Andrea Jacome, MBA '08 candidate at Vanderbilt's Owen School of Business and former Miss Ecuador, describes her transition to U.S. study in the Fall 2007 issue of Vanderbilt Business (on pages 16-17 and page 62). Since coming to Owen, Jacome has been a member of the Latin Business Association, was elected a student government representative and also executive president of the Global Business Association, interned in the Strategic Operations Department of Dollar General, and partnered with Kalamata's to open a student-run café.

Some excerpts of the Vanderbilt Business article:

I came to Owen ready for a new chapter in my life. I knew it was going to be challenging, given the cultural and language differences. Just reading cases and developing write-ups in a language that was not my first took hours.

After the first three months I started to feel better. I was elected a first-year students’ representative for the Owen Student Government Association; I invited some peers to participate in the Innovation Challenge and we did very well; as a member of the Latin Business Association, I took the initiative in bringing Latin guest speakers to school, including Eduardo Castro-Wright, CEO of WalMart U.S. Stores; and right now I am helping the CMC Pillar of the Owen Student Government on the design of a special program for international students.

I focused my efforts on finding a summer internship program where I could gain experience, one that would allow me to stay in Nashville after graduation. By the end of Mod III, I accepted a job offer from Dollar General, turning down a couple others. I think I have found what I wanted, where I wanted it.

When I returned from Ecuador to Nashville after December’s break, I had a weird feeling. Somehow I felt that I was coming back home. I already have a life here, filled with school activities and the time I share with my fiance. Still, during the first three Mods, I flew back to Ecuador five times. And when I wake up in the morning here in Nashville, before picking up the Wall Street Journal I read the Ecuadorian newspapers on the Web.

Photo by Daniel Dubois for Vanderbilt Business. Used with permission.

Labels: business, ecuador, education, immigrants

Teen category goes to Audrey Taveras

On Saturday, August 11, 2007, Mariela Flores was crowned Miss Tennessee Latina USA 2007-2008, and Audrey Taveras was crowned Miss Teen Tennessee Latina 2007 at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro.

The event was emceed by presenters Jonathan Camcam (Director of Festival de las Naciones) and Mrs. Jill Rivera (Mrs. Tennessee 2007). Entertainment was provided by Danny Salazar as well as Rachel Lampa.

The participants competed in personal presentation, modeling, evening wear, and the Miss Tennessee Latina category competed in swimwear as well. One of the primary roles of the future queens is to be a positive role model for the Hispanic community by way of community service.

The two winners will participate as representatives of the Latin beauty of Tennessee in the national Miss America Latina pageant, which will take place next year in Mexico.

In the MISS TENNESSEE LATINA category, the winners are as follows:

* Mariela Flores: Miss Tennessee Latina 2007-2008, of Mexican descent
* First Runner-Up: Karla Neal (Mexico)
* Second Runner-Up: Maryin Chaves (Nicaragua)
* Miss Community Service: Lucia Muñoz (Ecuador)

In the MISS TEEN TENNESSEE LATINA the winners are:

* Audrey Taveras: Miss Teen Tennessee Latina 2007-2008 (of Dominican descent)
* First Runner-Up: Deborah Posada (Nicaragua)
* Second Runner-Up: Cheyenne Garcia (Mexico)
* Miss Teen Community Service: Daisy Garcia (Mexico)

Bios follow:

MISS TEEN TENNESSEE LATINA 2007-2008
Audrey Taveras
16 years old
Morristown, TN
Both parents are Dominicans
She is a Junior at Morristown Hamblen East High School, with a GPA of 3.6.
Her favorite class is Newspaper, where she serves as Arts & Entertainment Editor. She is part of the Downtown Dance Company in
Morristown She is involved in two community service groups.

MISS TENNESSEE LATINA 2007-2008
Mariela Flores
21 years old
Mariela currently works as a personal assistant to one of the most productive real estate agents in the city. She plans to attend college at the beginning of next year. One of her biggest dreams is acting.
Mariela was born October 2, 1986 in the city of Queretaro, Mexico. She is the daughter of Pedro and Irma Flores. In her free time she likes to read, travel, enjoy time with her family and do community work for the Hispanic community.

Photo (Left-Right): Miss Teen Tennessee Latina Audrey Taveras, Miss Tennessee Latina Mariela Flores

Labels: arts, dominican republic, ecuador, immigrants, mexico, nicaragua

Artists from Colombia, Ecuador, and Mexico

Reception May 4

The Palette Art Gallery is showing works from five Latin-American artists through May 19. A reception will be held Friday, May 4, from 6-9pm. More information available by clicking on the flyer.

Labels: arts, cinco de mayo, colombia, ecuador, mexico

"Parishioners who yearned to hear the word of God in their native language"

The Tennessean reported in this story that Sumner County Catholic churches are supportive of a groundswell in demand for Spanish-speaking mass and religious gatherings in various churches. The article lists three specific congregations and cites one reverend who visits five Spanish-speaking communities weekly.

"Diorka Ortega, a Cuban from West Palm Beach, Fla., said the idea for a Spanish-language Mass at Our Lady of the Lake started with a few parishioners who yearned to hear the word of God in their native language."

"'We had seven families that got together and proposed it to Father Bevington and the congregation. Everyone was so supportive,' said Ortega, who serves as the coordinator for the church's Hispanic ministry."

"Ortega said that the Spanish-language Mass began at Our Lady of the Lake about a year ago, with about 30 in attendance. 'Now, we have about 200 people who attend on a regular basis,' she said. Ortega attributed the rapid rise to word of mouth in a close-knit Hispanic community."

"She said that the Hispanic parishioners 'come from all over Latin America … Panama, Mexico, Colombia, Ecuador, Argentina and Peru. (Hispanics) are a growing part of the population, and there's a real need for spiritual enhancement in their lives,' Ortega said."

Read full story here

Photo by Tracy

Labels: argentina, colombia, ecuador, faith, mexico, panama, peru, spanish

Peru, Ecuador featured in Pigeon Forge

Celebrate the pageantry of more than 250 international performers at Dollywood’s Festival of Nations, a multi-cultural spring festival. Musicians, dancers and artisans bring a world of entertainment to the Great Smoky Mountains.

From Ireland to Russia to Zambia and Ecuador, enjoy all the festivities at this five-week event where the best of East Tennessee blends with spectacular international performances for an extravaganza like no other at Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee near Gatlinburg.

Don't miss a world of entertainment from The Russian National Theatre, Peru's Yawar Chicchi folk music & dance, Switzerland's Streichmusik Alder, featuring folk music and alpine horns, master yodeler Kerry Christensen, Ukraine's Dyvo Kalynove, children's folk music and dance group, Zambian Vocal Group, Trinidad's Stix on Steel and Ecuador's Atahualpa.

Yawar Chicchi delights audiences with the “dance of scissors,” the artistic symbol of Peru. A dance of religious origin featuring captivating displays of art and physical skill, the “dance of scissors” features traditional song and dance along with colorful costumes as Yawar Chicchi shares the customs and traditions of the Andean man.

Veterans of various festivals around the world, Atahualpa's traditional rhythms celebrate the rich history and culture of South America’s Andes Mountains where salsa and meringue music creates a colorful and entertaining carnival festival for all to enjoy.

Photo: Atahualpa (Ecuador)

Labels: arts, ecuador, peru

Merry Christmas from the Hispanic Nashville Notebook, and saludos navidenos to our friends across Latin America.

Glory to God in the highest
and on earth peace
good will toward men

Gloria a Dios en las alturas
y en la tierra paz
buena voluntad para con los hombres



El Salvador
Photo by Calero

Ecuador
Photo by jremigio

Peru
Photo by Jeff Barry

Argentina
Photo by blmurch

Chile
Photo by Ryan Greenberg

Colombia
Photo by Montanero

Venezuela
Photo by Spanner Dan

Mexico
Photo by Suchy

Labels: argentina, chile, colombia, ecuador, el salvador, mexico, peru, venezuela