Transcript Article

J-R member Travis Kumph started the interaction with FNEI, leading to a trip to Chacraseca in Nicaragua. In the spring of 2015 through 2019, Paddy and John McCarthy traveled with J-R Rotary Interactors from Conant and ConVal for home-building, including other Rotarians and the Bennett family. The power of that experience prompted Shannon, one of the interactors, to give another trip to her father as a Christmas present. She was inspired by her Spanish teacher Paddy McCarthy to learn the languages to better communicate with the native peoples she has related to as a world traveler following her year in Brazil as a Rotary exchange student. She states that "Rotary service has motivated me to volunteer as a medical assistant in college. I am currently in pursuit of becoming a doctor."

In the spring of 2018, Rotarians Tom Bennett and Misty Start led a trip to learn about health care Nicaragua as well as stove building. Students at Franklin Pierce University, led by Bennett, journeyed to the Dominican Republic, learning about the health care and education systems and volunteering at the schools in spring 2019, followed by another trip to Chacraseca in the summer with John McCarthy, Jim Guy, Bob Schauman and Tom Bennett collecting experiences toward a Rotary International Grant to add sustainability to the emerging program.

 

All participants agree that the program, which has raised over $21,000 from four local clubs (Dublin, Peterborough, Milford and Jaffrey-Rindge) and individuals and has made a huge impact in both givers and receivers — support to teachers, students and communities Nicaragua and a change in outlook for the lives of those who participate from our area. Personal testimony makes the point of the reciprocity of benefit. Megan Wheeler, former Conant Interact member and Jaffrey-Rindge Martin Luther King Jr Committee member, became so committed to the learning experiences that she continued her interests by studying Spanish for kindergarten
through fifth grade at Roanoke College and is now in the Peace Corps in Monte Plata in the Dominican Republic.

 

Interact adviser Paddy McCarthy, wife of Rotarian John McCarthy, sees the growth in students through this Monadnock club project with her own testimony: "Our experiences in Nicaragua with FNEI over the last eight years have had a significant effect on many people, including me. In leading student trips, I've had the great satisfaction of seeing a new awareness of the world and a deep compassion for others ignited in teenagers, most of whom are leaving the U.S. for the first time. Their "why… how… what can we do?" questions as they witness poverty and need truly fueled my teaching. FNEI trips present lessons that last a lifetime.'

 

When Tom Bennett, took his whole family on a visit to assist with a house-building project, they learned about the value of scholarships to students in the area, who benefit from assistance with learning resources, including travel to classes. The health and educational projects have been called "pathways out of poverty," and the passion generated by this human relationship of service to another culture has resulted in several donations from Jaffrey and Rindge members for student scholarships.

 

Conant student Megan Graf has indicated that her experiences have also impacted the trajectory of her education and career goals. In her second year of studying public health in college, the philosophy of FNEI of giving a hand up rather than a hand-out stands out as most sustainable for change. She hopes to someday be able to apply her learning to her own communities and others around the world.

 

FNEI partnerships such as ours help developing nations to identify opportunities to advance housing, health and education. As individuals and groups such as Rotary seize those opportunities, they empower individuals to do the same as engaged members of their own community and the world. Paddy McCarthy also said, "On a personal level I've felt a strong sense of life coming full circle. My experiences as a Peace Corps volunteer in rural Guatemala had a profound influence on me and on my life since. I am reminded of those powerful feelings frequently when I am in Nicaragua sharing in some small way in the efforts FNEI is taking to help improve lives."

 

With 14 schools and 90 teachers, the challenge is great, but the opportunity to be involved has been called life-changing. Paddy McCarthy summed it up: "The relationships formed by the
kids at Conant have been eye-openers to a different culture, and our aid in this time of COVID is critical to the sustainability of the program."

 

Rotary's belief that people become better global citizens and stewards when they demonstrate their concern for the needs of others by extending themselves and their learning into the community has been affirmed and deserves this public notice.