An unforgettable trip to RAAN

Last week, I took a trip to the Bonanza and Siuna, RAAN, in central Nicaragua. Full of turbulent airplane rides, pesky mosquitoes, dirt floors, and contaminated water, the trip will be a hard one to forget.

The purpose of the trip was to inaugurate two schools that were donated to the community in Bonanza by the Coca-Cola Foundation. With the funds donated by Coca-Cola, ANF implemented the project and did the on-the-ground work. The adventurers on the trip were: two representatives from Coca-Cola's Costa Rica office, two representatives from ANF (myself included), and a representative from the Ministry of Education. In regard to fulfilling its purpose, the trip was a great success. The inaugural event was wonderful, which the children enjoyed immensely, and the new classrooms and sanitary units looked absolutely amazing. It was definitely a job well done by everyone involved.

But, on a personal level, the trip meant a lot more than just inaugurating those two schools. Bathing with water that was not known to be clean, sleeping in a house with questionable security, and fighting different sized bugs throughout the night was an experience that drove home many of the things I work with on a day-to-day basis from the comfort of my office.

Over the course of those two days, I had a thought that kept nagging at me: "At the end of this adventure, I get to go home - a very comfortable and safe home. But the inhabitants of these communities don't. This is their home. This isn't an 'adventure' for them - it's regular, day-to-day life. And it's HARD."

Now that I'm back in the office, sitting behind my desk, fighting for those impoverished communities and their struggling inhabitants from so far away, I try to remember how it felt to be unsure if the water I was drinking was clean, for one's health to constantly be at risk. I try to remember what it's like for those communities, to struggle through each day.

And I hope that every person who can will do something to help. So, help by supporting ANF today.