Quilalí
Encyclopedia
Quilalí is a municipality
in the Nueva Segovia Department of Nicaragua
. It is the sister city of the City of South Haven, Michigan.
Para informacion en espanol, incluyendo citas de la alcaldia, vease: Quilalí en espanol
Peace Corps
Has been active in Quilalí for several decades, both before and after the Nicaraguan Revolution
. The following contains information from an excerpt from a Peace Corps Partnership Project completed by a past Peace Corps Health Volunteer, who lived and worked in Quilalí from March 2009 - March 2011. Most information, is from the Ministry of Health statistics compiled by the Health Center in Quilalí. Other information come from the Mayor's Office as well as UGAQ, a local farmer's union:
Community Background
Situated in a high mountainous region of Nicaragua
lies Quilalí, the remote, large municipal head in the department of Nueva Segovia
. It is 264 km north of Managua and 80 km east of the departmental capitol of Ocotal
. The town has a population of more than 13,000 inhabitants but in the entire municipality itself, there are nearly 30,600 people. The pueblo is made of 17 barrios laid out in a cobblestone grid around a central park and 54 rural communities. The people in Quilalí make their living primarily in basic grains farming (corn and beans) as well as coffee cultivation.
In contrast to all its soil riches, the people of Quilalí are poor. Unemployment
and underemployment
are high and continue to grow as the global economic slowdown sinks in deeper. Many people work in the homes of others earning a dollar a day, all that the other families can afford to pay them. Even those with coveted government jobs go months without receiving pay as the government has no money to pay them.
Goods are also more costly here than in other parts of the country. The town is isolated from its economically prosperous neighbors by rough terrain including mountains and rivers that swell to overtake the highway during rainy season, making transportation of goods to the town costly.
Families also tend to be large. According to the Ministry of Health, nearly twenty percent of the population is made up of women of birthing age. This, among other factors such as job scarcity and lack of culturally appropriate family planning methods, leads many families to have upwards of 5 children with only one parent working. The scarcity also causes many children to quit school early to help their families by finding whatever small jobs they can.MINSA Nicaragua
Not all families in Quilalí suffer. The people who belong to the national ruling government party, the Sandinistas, have more opportunities for employment. This is important because the local ruling government party in Quilalí is the Constitutionalist Liberal Party (Nicaragua)
. This means the local government provides jobs to one political party, while the national government provides jobs for the other. It also makes Quilalí one of the only towns where Sandinistas do not control local politics.
Festivals
Quilalí celebrates all the Nicaraguan holidays as well as some uniquely Quilalí events. As with all Nicaraguan cities, they celebrate their Patron Saint
. In Quilalí, the Patron Saint is Saint Joseph
, and his corresponding saint day is March 19th. For the week before the 19th and the weekend afterwards, the town celebrates with pilgrimages to communities within Quilalí as well as the traditional hípica, or horse parade, which is traditionally held the Sunday after the 19th. Bull rings, Ferris wheels, and make-shift bars are all common sights at the Quilalí fairgrounds around the 19th.
Another Quilalí celebration takes place in the largest rural community within the municipality, San Bartolo. San Bartolo hosts the annual Corn Festival, where all things corn are celebrated, including tamales, puddings and of course, corn alcohol. All these foods are found for sale by local cooks and are judged by two or more judges (this fellow Peace Corps volunteer included). The alcohol tends to be judged by all willing male participants. The festival also features floats prepared by the local high school, a soccer tournament, and a dance benefiting the graduating class.
Baseball is also widely popular, especially during the Quilalí Municipal Championships.
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
in the Nueva Segovia Department of Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
. It is the sister city of the City of South Haven, Michigan.
Para informacion en espanol, incluyendo citas de la alcaldia, vease: Quilalí en espanol
Peace Corps
Peace Corps
The Peace Corps is an American volunteer program run by the United States Government, as well as a government agency of the same name. The mission of the Peace Corps includes three goals: providing technical assistance, helping people outside the United States to understand US culture, and helping...
Has been active in Quilalí for several decades, both before and after the Nicaraguan Revolution
Nicaraguan Revolution
The Nicaraguan Revolution encompasses the rising opposition to the Somoza dictatorship in the 1960s and 1970s, the campaign led by the Sandinista National Liberation Front which led to the violent ousting of that dictatorship in 1979, and the...
. The following contains information from an excerpt from a Peace Corps Partnership Project completed by a past Peace Corps Health Volunteer, who lived and worked in Quilalí from March 2009 - March 2011. Most information, is from the Ministry of Health statistics compiled by the Health Center in Quilalí. Other information come from the Mayor's Office as well as UGAQ, a local farmer's union:
Community Background
Situated in a high mountainous region of Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
lies Quilalí, the remote, large municipal head in the department of Nueva Segovia
Nueva Segovia
Nueva Segovia is a department in Nicaragua. It covers an area of 3,123 km² and has a population of 211,200 . The capital is Ocotal.- Municipalities :# Ciudad Antigua# Dipilto# El Jícaro# Jalapa# Macuelizo# Mozonte# Murra# Ocotal...
. It is 264 km north of Managua and 80 km east of the departmental capitol of Ocotal
Ocotal
Ocotal is the capital of the Nueva Segovia Department in Nicaragua, Central America.-Description:Ocotal is the capital of the Nueva Segovia Department in Nicaragua with light industry and crafts. The main agricultural production is coffee. The city, which has a population of 31,932 , is located...
. The town has a population of more than 13,000 inhabitants but in the entire municipality itself, there are nearly 30,600 people. The pueblo is made of 17 barrios laid out in a cobblestone grid around a central park and 54 rural communities. The people in Quilalí make their living primarily in basic grains farming (corn and beans) as well as coffee cultivation.
In contrast to all its soil riches, the people of Quilalí are poor. Unemployment
Unemployment
Unemployment , as defined by the International Labour Organization, occurs when people are without jobs and they have actively sought work within the past four weeks...
and underemployment
Underemployment
Underemployment refers to an employment situation that is insufficient in some important way for the worker, relative to a standard. Examples include holding a part-time job despite desiring full-time work, and overqualification, where the employee has education, experience, or skills beyond the...
are high and continue to grow as the global economic slowdown sinks in deeper. Many people work in the homes of others earning a dollar a day, all that the other families can afford to pay them. Even those with coveted government jobs go months without receiving pay as the government has no money to pay them.
Goods are also more costly here than in other parts of the country. The town is isolated from its economically prosperous neighbors by rough terrain including mountains and rivers that swell to overtake the highway during rainy season, making transportation of goods to the town costly.
Families also tend to be large. According to the Ministry of Health, nearly twenty percent of the population is made up of women of birthing age. This, among other factors such as job scarcity and lack of culturally appropriate family planning methods, leads many families to have upwards of 5 children with only one parent working. The scarcity also causes many children to quit school early to help their families by finding whatever small jobs they can.MINSA Nicaragua
Not all families in Quilalí suffer. The people who belong to the national ruling government party, the Sandinistas, have more opportunities for employment. This is important because the local ruling government party in Quilalí is the Constitutionalist Liberal Party (Nicaragua)
Constitutionalist Liberal Party (Nicaragua)
The Constitutionalist Liberal Party is an opposition political party in Nicaragua. At the legislative elections, held on 5 November 2006, the party won 25 of 92 seats in the National Assembly....
. This means the local government provides jobs to one political party, while the national government provides jobs for the other. It also makes Quilalí one of the only towns where Sandinistas do not control local politics.
Festivals
Quilalí celebrates all the Nicaraguan holidays as well as some uniquely Quilalí events. As with all Nicaraguan cities, they celebrate their Patron Saint
Patron saint
A patron saint is a saint who is regarded as the intercessor and advocate in heaven of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or person...
. In Quilalí, the Patron Saint is Saint Joseph
Saint Joseph
Saint Joseph is a figure in the Gospels, the husband of the Virgin Mary and the earthly father of Jesus Christ ....
, and his corresponding saint day is March 19th. For the week before the 19th and the weekend afterwards, the town celebrates with pilgrimages to communities within Quilalí as well as the traditional hípica, or horse parade, which is traditionally held the Sunday after the 19th. Bull rings, Ferris wheels, and make-shift bars are all common sights at the Quilalí fairgrounds around the 19th.
Another Quilalí celebration takes place in the largest rural community within the municipality, San Bartolo. San Bartolo hosts the annual Corn Festival, where all things corn are celebrated, including tamales, puddings and of course, corn alcohol. All these foods are found for sale by local cooks and are judged by two or more judges (this fellow Peace Corps volunteer included). The alcohol tends to be judged by all willing male participants. The festival also features floats prepared by the local high school, a soccer tournament, and a dance benefiting the graduating class.
Baseball is also widely popular, especially during the Quilalí Municipal Championships.