Written by Michelle Cascio
Though 20 talented communications students will be greeted with “ciao!” in Italy this spring break, another group will hear “hola!” inNicaragua.
Andrew Baker, director of the Institute for Church and Family at Harding University, will take a group of students from all majors to Nicaragua to film documentaries this spring break. This trip was intended as an alternative to the other spring break trip the communications department is spearheading, which is at the Harding University campus in Florence, Italy.
The Italy HUF trip will mostly focus on documenting the life of students participating in the overseas program. This is to try to promote the different overseas programs available at Harding. The Nicaragua trip, however, is focusing more on documenting the conflicts arising in the country.
Since the trip to Nicaragua is primarily a communication major based trip, only mass communication students will get credit, though it is open to anybody.
“We planned it to be an international trip so students could use their majors as experience in mission training in an international context,” Baker said.
Baker chose to document events in Nicaragua because there are a lot of discrete, yet worthy, stories to be told in the country. The accounts he has chosen to highlight range from personal conflicts to challenges the Nicaragua faces.
The three stories that will be documented are of special interest. The first story is about Albia, a woman who lost both her arms from the elbows down. Baker said he wants to tell how she traveled to the United States for prosthetics and now has to readjust to society with her new additions.
The second story is about the effects of when Nicaragua’s first lady declared there will no such thing as an orphan anymore. The story will focus on what will happen to the orphans and where they will go.
Lastly, Baker mentioned the number one indication of malnourishment is lack of6-year-old molars. He wants to share the story of a dentist who invented molars that can be implanted in poverished children. This dentist is revolutionizing the movement against malnourishment in Nicaragua, he said.
“You want to tell stories where the message of Jesus is making a difference in people’s lives,” Baker said.
Communication major Logan Skidmore agrees with Baker. He applied for the Italy trip but is seriously considering switching to join the efforts in Nicaragua.
“I feel like the stories told [in Nicaragua] would be more about improving the human condition than [the stories told in] Italy would,” he said.
Skidmore says that is what is important to him—helping people improve their way of life. He also says you don’t have to go overseas to make a difference.
“You don’t have to go overseas to find a kid that needs clothes, [or] to feed a mother that can’t feed her children,” he said. “Those people are here in the United States as well. I think a lot of people forget about that.”
The trip will cost a total of $1250, or $500 plus 3 credit hours for a communications student who is getting credit. Anyone is welcome to apply for this trip.
