Bridges program culminates in trip to Nicaragua

A student led ExCollege course _ Bridges _ culminated this winter break when 17 Tufts students traveled to Nicaragua to take part in community service projects and learn about the lesser developed country.

The program was created last year when seniors Nathan Machida, Zaki Raheem and Jeanette Bailey organized Bridges through the University College of Citizenship and Public Service (UCCPS) and the Experimental College. Participants took a semester-long ExCollege class taught by the three leaders that led up to the trip south.

The purpose of the class was to familiarize the students with Nicaraguan politics, society, agricultural concerns, and the involvement of the World Bank and the UN in the country. Several speakers _ including professors familiar with Latin America and students who had previously volunteered in the area _ prepared students for what they would experience on their trip.

"We didn't teach a class," Raheem said. "We facilitated, we mediated, we organized. We aren't experts in this subject."

Four months of class, two vaccinations, and several Malaria pills later, the group of 17 traveled to Managua and Siuna. The students were met by a group of students from, Nicaraguan University, with whom they worked for two weeks.

The logistical side of the trip was organized through a New York-based non-profit community service program called Bridges.

In order to go on the trip, the students had to raise $1,500 per head. Each student paid $500, and the group fundraised for the rest. UCCPS, student organizations, and academic departments contributed some of the money.

Community service conducted by both the Tufts and Nicaraguan students included construction work on a women's center, and agricultural projects with local farmers. The students were rewarded for their manual labor by learning agricultural techniques from farmers who were under the direction of the Foundation for the Autonomy and Development of the Atlantic Coast of Nicaragua (FADCANIC), a non-governmental organization.

The Nicaraguan students, who were majoring in agricultural studies, benefited from the new techniques they learned and gained field experience in their major. Meanwhile, the American students were given the chance to interact with students from a lesser developed country and learn about their society.

The farmers became close to the Tufts students and frequently shared meals with them. Kelly Douglas said the opportunity allowed Tufts students to, "learn about their lives, and how they grew up."

The three leaders agreed that the ties formed with the Nicaraguan students were key to the experience. Afternoon sports sessions and nightly reflections between the two groups of students allowed for interaction that included question and answer sessions that addressed societal differences, Raheem said. Such questions included career plans, and "the complications with living in a country that is as poverty stricken as [Nicaragua] is," he said.

Speakers from Nicaragua offered additional learning opportunities to the students, who were lectured on various subjects, including medicinal plants and the development of the country.

The semester-long preparation and learning was a large part of the trip's success, Raheem said. "Too often, Americans do volunteer work in different places around the world and don't know too much about the region they're going to," he said. "I think it was important for all of us to understand where we were going so that we could be more understanding, be more culturally sensitive, and learn a lot more in the time that we were there," he said.

The program was originally inspired by the volunteer vacations that are offered through the University during spring break, Raheem said. "There wasn't really an opportunity like that on an international level."

"We kind of just kept expanding on our outline," Raheem said. "What things would be interesting to understand about the country before we went?"

Although the leaders of the trip are seniors, all three are in the process of organizing the program's future to enable other Tufts students to participate in the future.

Their current efforts include seeking seed money so that less fundraising is required in future years. Increasing interest and collaboration among students and administrators will help the program gain exposure, and will encourage further student participation, Raheem said. Underclassmen who were students in the class this year may be willing to teach and lead the program in future years.

"It sounded like here was a lot of interest from underclassmen to continue the program," Raheem said.

At the end of February there will be a final wrap-up event _ a cocktail and slide show _ which will also help the group to raise funds.

Bridget Behling contributed to this article.