Kyle Teasdale, 16, a grade 10 student who lives near Atlanta, visited MEDA’s MiCredito program in February with his grandfather, “Opa” Fred Wall, a member of the MiCredito board. Here is Kyle’s report on how the visit changed his outlook.
As I stepped off the plane in Managua I thought to myself, “What were the rest of my friends doing during this winter school break?” Most were at the normal places, Destin or Panama City, Florida or some other touristy American hot spot. I somehow ended up in Nicaragua! Most people said, with a kind of uncertainty, “That will be fun?” I was optimistic still that I would see some beaches, a couple of big sea turtles and sit in on some of my Opa’s meetings. Little did I know that I was to learn how the real world was.
As we arrived I noticed a plethora of expensive Euro imports. But driving farther from the airport I saw a stripped city almost like it was a shell. It was at that moment I realized that this was not to be the scenic vacation I had thought but what my Opa said was an impoverished nation in need of help.
To better understand what MiCredito was all about we traveled to different cities and its many offices and finally we would travel out and see the clients. I found myself in roofless, walless, duck-infested shacks these people proudly called home and workplace. It was here that I realized these people had only a few things to hold onto – hard work, family, ambition and hope, and the only thing that allowed them to realize that was MiCredito.
It was a hard realization that while 95 per cent of the population suffered and reeled, we and the five per cent of the corrupt rich were out every night having the “surf and turf” with escargot. The injustice is unreal – these people worked every day for almost nothing. I realized it was our obligation to help.
The things I learned and the bond I strengthened with my Opa are the two things I will never forget.
Kyle Teasdale, right, with his grandfather, “Opa” Fred Wall, visiting a rural client near Teustepe, Nicaragua.
