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CENTRAL AMERICA |
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Nicaraguan
Mayor Describes Challenges Facing
Her Town
By
Michael Schwartz
EL SAUCE -
Rosa Amelia Valle Vargas, mayor of El Sauce,
Nicaragua, spoke to Geneseo students on Oct.
1 about the challenges of leading a rural
community that faces severe economic
conditions.
Vargas, who spoke in Spanish and was
translated for students by Rosemary McEwen,
Spanish professor and chair of the foreign
languages and literatures department, said
that approximately 10,000 residents populate
her town. She said that the community is
largely agriculture, and exports crops such
as beans, corn, sesame seeds and honey.
Vargas also gave a brief political history
on Nicaragua before starting her speech,
focusing heavily on the Sandinista
involvement in the country in the late 1970s
and '80s and speaking about how socialist
values aim to help the country's economy
today.
One of the major challenges facing the
residents of El Sauce today is a high
illiteracy rate. In addition, the global
recession has weakened El Sauce's already
suffering economy. The current unemployment
rate in Vargas' community is between 30 and
50 percent, despite the Nicaraguan
government's contribution of 9 percent of
its budget to help develop municipalities
like El Sauce.
Geneseo currently operates a program that
allows students to live, visit and work with
the residents of El Sauce to improve the
community. One of the initiatives of this
program is building brick homes for El Sauce
residents, as most families live in houses
made of clay that are not as resistant to
inclement weather.
Students have also helped improve El Sauce's
growing tourism industry, which, among other
attractions, has a church that is over 100
years old.
Vargas said that one major way that
residents earn income is through the
crafting of baskets in the style of El
Cerro, Nicaragua, which involves the weaving
and coiling of pine needles.
Residents of El Sauce send the baskets to
Geneseo's Jones School of Business, which
works to secure markets in which they can be
sold.
One of the goals of the event was to show
students how different life in El Sauce is
from life in Geneseo. "I think it's a great
opportunity for students to learn how people
from other countries perceive their
historical relationship with our country,"
McEwen said. "It's important for students to
see how other cultures perceive us, even if
they don't necessarily agree with it."
The mayor said she was very appreciative of
the efforts made by Geneseo to help her
town, and how she was hopeful that students
will continue to volunteer their time to
help El Sauce. |
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