This is an
area that is still being de-mined; you see posters along the street
reminding people of the mines and urging them to stay on well worn
paths. Sofia says that many Nicaraguans blame the Sandinistas for the
land mines, since they did,
in fact, place most of the mines that are still being removed.
But Sofia is clear that if the U.S. hadn't gotten involved in the
affairs
of Nicaragua there wouldn't have been a war (or at least not as long
and vicious a war) and the Sandinistas wouldn't have had to place the
land mines.
•
Later in the day we returned to San Jose de Bocay, the current home of Juan
Domingo Jimenez. Those of you who read our newsletters from
2002-2003 will remember that the Organization of American States (OAS)
has a large de-mining operation in Nicaragua, which also includes
helping victims of these mines with surgery, prostheses, and trainings
for new work. When we met with OAS staff in 2002 they explained
that they originally focused only on soldiers wounded by the mines and
had just begun to include civilians.
But, in reality, it appears they assist contra and civilian victims of
land mines and not Sandinista victims. At least that is what we
are told and it is what we have observed thus far during these two
stays in Nicaragua. When Paul went to Aldo Chavarria hospital,
where OAS has a prosthesis program, all of the patients were former
contra. We haven't heard this directly from OAS but we've been
told by Sandinista mine victims that they were turned down for
assistance and OAS told them the Nicaraguan government is supposed to
be helping them, which as you know, is not happening.
We introduced Juan Domingo to you in our March
1, 2003 letter. As a young child
he and his family lived in Quatro Esquinas where they had a little land
and several businesses, including shoe repair and cow hide processing.
Juan was always busy helping his father; never had a day of schooling.
As the war escalated contra forces kept threatening them. Then
one night contra forces entered their house
and stole absolutely everything, including all their work tools.
Later their house was burned. The Sandinista government soon
relocated the community to Las Praderas, in the Pantasma Valley.
Juan's family was able to sell their land but at a huge loss.
Later, in 1984, Juan watched contra forces enter Las Praderas, select a
group of 12 or more men, line them up and shoot them dead in front of
everyone. Then on October 20,
1986, at the age of 10, he was riding in a truck, running an errand for
his father when he and ten other people lost limbs to a contra placed
anti-tank mine.
During the next year his father was kidnapped
and killed by the contra and over the next several years his
two brothers were killed.
By the age of 12 Juan Domingo had joined the Sandinista police
force. He says that one might say he was raised
by the Sandinistas. With his one leg and crutches he was
out in the hills and mud sometimes for two weeks to a month at a
time, watching for robbers and, I'm sure, contra forces. He did
this for eight years and during that time was caught in four ambushes.
One might think Juan would have resentments and psychological problems,
but he claims and seems to be amazingly healthy. He doesn't dwell on
the past, just tries to make the present and future better. If
you saw our slide show you might remember the 2003 photo of him, with
the stump of his right leg braced by
a crutch, arms outstretched, coaching his winning baseball team.
Baseball and his wife bring a sparkle to his eyes!
The exciting news is that Juan and Ana are expecting their first baby
in the spring. They've been married for a handful of years and feared
they couldn't have babies, but it happened!
Juan Domingo was told by staff of the OAS Landmine project that they
couldn't help him with housing or training because they weren't
assisting former Sandinista soldier land mine victims. He had to
convince them that at the age of 10, when he lost his leg, he truly was
a civilian. They eventually helped Juan and Ana move
into a new home in a newly formed cluster of houses, a 10 to 15 minute
bus ride beyond Bocay. At last he and his wife had a house, the
bare minimum, dirt floor, zero furniture, no kitchen. But they have to
make payments for the house and it appears they might soon be forced to
move out. When he lived in town he had a little saddlery business, but
now he's in an isolated area far from town. It's hard to see how he can
make a life for himself here. He's asked OAS for help in starting
a new
business but hasn't heard from them.
It was sad to see Juan on the verge of losing
his house. He talked about possibly moving back to Las Praderas
and living with his mother. This seems to be an especially
difficult time for Juan and it's difficult to see how the OAS
assistance has actually been helpful for the long term.
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