November 25th is the national day of non-violence here in Nicaragua. The UCA – San Ramon, a local farming cooperative consortium, took advantage of this day to host a non-violence fair and invited us to host a table.
Guest speakers at the fair discussed violence as a social problem and encouraged open discussion of violence related issues. The UCA theater group also got the audience involved in a game designed to provide information about the different types of violence.
A local musical group and two local dance groups performed and the UCA invited community members to sell their produce, coffee, and other products. Mixed in with these for-sale items was a wealth of information and resources related to violence.
The Teach for Health program assistants put together a poster with information about the community health promoter program to spread awareness. They also contacted the local Ministry of Health who agreed to donate a box of condoms for us to pass out during the fair, along with informational handouts we compiled from previous promoter workshops and from the resources of UCA – San Ramon.
A local news group covered the event and even interviewed the program assistants! We were able to watch the interviews and the report of the event that night on three local channels.
An amazing estimated 300 people attended the event. It was a wonderful opportunity to provide support and open up discussion of the many types of violence that can affect the lives of people here and around the world.
.jpg "ferria de la no violencia")
