by
Website Editor
| Apr 15, 2010
Back at the guesthouse after a very long day. We sat all morning learning about Nicaraguaʼs health system and AMC, our partners here in Nicaragua. They fed us a nice traditional lunch: a glass full of big chunks of fruit and juice, refried beans, rice, chicken, lettuce, queso, and a bottle of coke. I gave my coke to Brian :) Then we went touring Managua with one of our translators, Adrian. He is a fountain of information about the cityʼs history and politics. Managua is truly a very poor big city, very little green space, kind of hot and dusty with tons of political graffiti on the streets. Daniel Ortega and the Sandinista party just won back the elections so that is everywhere. Seems to be a lot of support for he and his party here in the city.
This morning though I woke to a thousand exotic birds calling outside my window. It sounded so nice. Here at the guest house they are hosting a big birthday party for a girl turning 15...a quincenera. Big deal for Latinas. Everything is pink and the music is deafening. If I am going to have to listen to this all night they better invite me! then I can find someone to dance the night away with. There is a monstrous cake :))
Some fast facts I learned today:
- Population: 5 million, mostly under 19 years old.
- Life expectancy: 70 years old.
- Fertility rate: 2.7, 4 in the country
- Neonatal mortality 16/1000 live births
- Suicide rate: 7th highest in world, spiked after the war.
- Private hospitals: 8% of population has access
- Only 8% employed people covered for basic medical services.
- Public health: cover 55% of population
- Most Nicaraguans live on <$1 day income
- 35-50% of children under age 5 are malnourished.