Araceli

Araceli is eleven years old. She was born in Jinotega and lives in the El Espino community. She lives with her grandparents and her uncle. They live in an adobe brick house with one bedroom (where everyone sleeps), a living room, and a kitchen with a wood-fired oven. She says, with a smile, that they don’t have any electricity in their community, but she doesn’t see this as a problem because it has been this way since she was born. She would like to have electricity, however, so they could have lights at night.

This community does not have potable water. They have well water but it is poor quality. They use the well water for everything (e.g., washing clothes, rinsing produce, bathing, watering the garden) except drinking. Drinking water is brought in from the neighboring Suni community. This is the community’s largest problem, but they are told that they will be getting water soon for drinking, washing, and bathing.

Crops grown in the community include coffee, beans, corn, sorghum, and onions. Araceli’s grandparents and uncle are not farmers, but during the coffee harvest, her grandmother earns a little money harvesting. It is the only cash income they have, and this opportunity comes only once a year.

Araceli is in the fourth grade and goes to school from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. She loves school, especially Spanish, science, and geography class. In the afternoon, she sweeps, washes dishes, and prepares and grinds corn. She is learning to make tortillas. She also does her homework, which is her favorite activity. When she grows up, she wants to go to Jinotega to work.

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