Back to Leon

It has been a lovely week, first in San Marcos, then on Ometepe and finally in Granada, the most stylish of old colonial cities, now being refurbished from the centre outwards. We have met generous hearted people, seen children and young people benefitting from the money funders provide and had a chance to understand the concerns people have as Nicaragua develops.
Some of the most interesting conversations have been with Diego Gene, who runs the Escuela de Mimo y Comedia in Granada. Diego speaks impeccable English, having attended an English language school in his native Venezuela, then having lived in London for several years. He is a convinced Chavez and Ortega supporter, having seen at first hand in both countries the poverty and social misery that existed before they came to power. He accuses the developed world of double standards in their criticism of both leaders (though Chavez is now dead). As he says, some leaders in the west can stand for reelection time and again, but if a Chavez or an Ortega do the same thing, it's called dictatorship. Why the different rules?
And there is no doubt that life has massively improved for the poor in both countries. There are health clinics springing up all over the place, electricity is being run out to more and more rural communities and education means less and less illiteracy.
But as usual there is a cost here which causes even Diego to grumble. Ortega's deal with the catholic church led to a significant diminution in services for women, particularly in the area of pregnancy and childbirth. And although the poor are being lifted out of grinding poverty, the rich and middle classes are certainly also on the rise. The shiny new cars and large, gated houses tell you that. And yesterday I saw a slogan scrawled up on a wall, which said "Menos propaganda, Mas informacion" - Less propaganda, more information.
I will take away a lot of hope with me from my visit, but I am not blind to the terrible problems that still remain. In particular galloping urbanisation is doing nothing for the problems of drug addiction - glue sniffing is a major addiction among street children, as it depresses appetite and leads to temporary oblivion - and prostitution which is virtually the only way street kids can earn money. And as the government cleans up in one place, some of the problems simply migrate to another. La Chureca, the massive rubbish tip outside Managua, may have been covered over and turned into a resource of methane gas, but the families and kids who made a living there are still there, now tucked into concrete boxes but with nothing to do as their living at the tip has disappeared.
Win

some, lose some, same old story. The need for aid is still  present but the recipients of aid are changing and will continue to change over time as the country develops.