8/8/2019 Quincho Barrilete Association Report by Martin
Mowforth
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Manuel Espinoza (standing) talking with the
visitors from the Santa Rosa Fund
17 July 2010
Dear SRF trustees,
This is just a short report to put you up to date with what is
happening at the Quincho
Barrilete Association (AQB). It is necessary because there have
been many changes at theorganisation and we shall need to consider
the continuation of our funding (extremely limitedthough it is) in
the future.
1. First, the extra $360 (USD) that we agreed upon has now been
delivered and I have areceipt for the treasurer.
2. What the organisation is allowed to do in terms of caring for
children is now strictlycircumscribed by the Ministry of the Family
(MiFamilia). They no longer accommodate anychildren overnight. All
children in their care are supposed to be with their family. So
anychildren who attend their centres do so from between 7 am to 5
pm. The centres operate in a
similar way to how they used to operate in terms of the
workshops - handicrafts, beautyparlour, hammock making, bakery,
etc. Their team of psychologists and street educators nowhave to
focus much more than they used to on working with the families in
the homes ofthose families rather than with the children in the
organisations centres. They always used todo this type of work, but
now have to focus on it much more strongly - this is
underinstructions from MiFamilia. I believe this is due to the
governments determination to showthat they are solving the problem
of street children and abuse of children. For the last coupleof
years they have had a slogan that by 2011 there will be no more
street children inNicaragua. Despite all the evidence on the
ground, they are determined that they will getstatistics to support
this claim; so they are doing their best to find ways of proving
that ithappens even though it clearly doesnt. It also gives them a
chance to keep tighter controlover NGOs (non-governmental
organisations), which it is very keen to rein in and to ensurethat
they work in the same direction as the government. (Whilst I would
be very sympatheticwith this goal with respect to the illegal and
unwarranted political interference by some USNGOs, such as the
National Endowment for Democracy, International Republican
Allianceand USAID, it is not appropriate for many others such as
AQB.)
3. AQB also has to work much more closely with other
organisations in the community -churches, schools, other leaders,
otherorganisations again under instructionsfrom MiFamilia - and it
clearly has some
difficulties in persuading those organisationsto work with it
and/or to allow it some spacewithin the community in which to
operate.We received a PowerPoint presentation byManuel Espinoza
(coordinator of theoutreach team) where this need to integratewith
all other elements of the communitywas constantly stressed. Manuel
is animpressive character who is committed tothe work and to AQB,
but who at variouspoints betrayed a little doubt and
uncertainty
about the new direction that the organisationhas had to
take.
8/8/2019 Quincho Barrilete Association Report by Martin
Mowforth
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Manuel and local children in the room they
use as a pre-school class to take the small
children out from the market streets for a
short while
4. On the surface of it, then, I would recommend to the trustees
that our annual aid to AQB istemporarily suspended. But it isnt as
simple asthat. Manuel and others took us to one of the littlespaces
- a hovel of a room - that they have
managed to obtain for work with children in theMercado Oriental,
a sprawling mass of poverty andmarket stalls where you can almost
feel the dangerand the resistance in the air. The room they haveuse
of was allocated to them by a small pre-schoolwhich tries to
operate in these appallingcircumstances, but it is dark, dingy,
unwelcoming,probably inhabited by mice and rats which come
upthrough the holes in the floor. It needs a lick ofpaint and some
attention, and I asked if a donationfrom the SRF for the very
specific purpose of
providing this would be used for that purpose orwhether it was
likely to be subsumed andappropriated by MiFamilia. They knew
exactly what I was getting at and assured me that itwould be OK,
would be for AQB to use and would be used for that specific purpose
if thatwas what we requested. OK, but its not as simple as that
either. If they did manage to get themoney to improve this
facility, it would make it considerably better than the
pre-schoolwhich has housed it, and this may be resented. The
pre-school itself might need somesupport. But also any such
improvement is likely to be vandalised by elements within
thesurrounding community, despite the high security in terms of
locks and bars.
5. Not easy, then. But I think a continuation of the small
amount of money that we give themis justified if we add to it a
condition that it is used for the purpose of improving
thisparticular facility and its surrounding environment, which
would allow them to spend it inways which could include some
support to the pre-school in which it is housed. In general, Idont
like adding conditions to our aid, but I think it is necessary in
this case to ensure thatthe government doesnt take it.
6. Whatever we decide, I think another visit and report next
year will be essential because thesituation has changed so
quickly.
Martin Mowforth
17.07.10
