Archie B. Wainright is a consulting engineer executive with over 30 years’ experience in business and engineering. Last year he spent three months in Nicaragua, where he had worked previously, to share his technical expertise on several projects.
Nicaragua is among the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere. The average wage there is one to two dollars a day—for the perhaps 40 percent of the population that can find jobs. I first became interested in Nicaragua after Hurricane Mitch tore through there in 1998, killing so many helpless people who were caught in its path of high winds, flooding, and mudslides.
In March 2005, I returned to Nicaragua. My initial contact was with U.S.-based Partners Worldwide, a VfP partner organization that was involved in school construction on the outskirts of Managua. For three months I helped to design tools for the cleanout of a deep water well for a cooperative coffee farm. I was also able to participate in the preliminary site planning for a women-owned cooperative textile mill and to help develop a training plan for municipal construction inspectors in Managua. This latter project was particularly exciting for me, since this type of training goes to the heart of disaster mitigation. Well-designed and well-constructed buildings help protect everyone in the event of natural disasters. Well-trained inspectors help to see that process through.
I was reminded that, even if one is technically very capable, staying power for a volunteer is built on support. The support that VfP partner organizations provide can make the investment of volunteer time much more valuable, useful, and enjoyable.
I gained far more from the experience than I gave. There is at the heart of these Nicaraguan people an awesome strength. They are industrious, dignified, and working hard for a better life for their children and themselves. Above all, I learned that most people will work for the positive if they can get even just a glimpse of a way to do that. Through all my experiences, and because of them, I am left with a sense of optimism and hope.
