by Ben Schnayerson, originally published in Nica News 18 (November 1998)

	Tipper Gorein Vida Nueva on the outskirts of Ciudad Sandino, a district of the city of Managua. The wife of US Vice-President Al Gore visited Nicaragua to see firsthand what was needed and what needs to be done. Photo: Miguel Alcarez.

Walking among the exhausted refugees and the black plastic shelters of the Vida Nueva neighborhood, Tipper Gore, wife of US Vice-President Al Gore, was shocked by what she observed. "I will take the message back to the United States that these people have been devastated beyond the proportion that we could comprehend," declared Mrs. Gore. She was accompanied by an entourage that consisted of Nicaraguan major league baseball pitcher, Denis Martínez, and the US-AID administrative director, Brian Atwood. "These people need homes; they are living in temporary shelters," Mrs. Gore noted.

As illustrated by its name "New Life", the Vida Nueva neighborhood is to be the new home for thousands of people who lost their homes along the lakeshore of Lake Managua. Currently, some 1200 families are spread out on 25 acres of land on the outskirts of Ciudad Sandino, a district in the western portion of the municipality of Managua.

Some of these people have been living in this field of dirt and dead grass for up to 15 days. 500 more families are expected to arrive by next week, bringing the total number of families to 1700. Averaging five members per family, there will soon be 8500 distraught refugees trying to create a new life for themselves here.

The responsibility for the distribution of provisions for the refugees has fallen to the municipal government of Managua. It has been providing the daily supplements of food, water, and sanitary supplies, along with the black plastic and wooden pillars that constitute the shelters.

Most of the clothing has come come from private donations. To attend to urgent medical needs, volunteer doctors from the Red Cross and various other organizations have been administering penicillin shots and providing medicine for the abundant cases of conjunctivitis and fungal infestations.

Obtaining these provisions has been an absolute nightmare for most of these refugees. The families, whether they have as few as three or as many as 10 members, are each allotted the same quantity of provisions. This leaves many people without the basic daily needs.

They are forced to scrape by on any food that they can get their hands on. Moreover, with the continuous new arrivals, the government has been forced to cut down amounts in each allotment of supplies and food. "More and more people are coming in every day, and I think they need even more assistance," acknowledged Mrs. Gore.

The line-ups to obtain provisions is a much worse problem for the refugees. Since they don't know when a supply truck will arrive, people have to always be on their toes. Once a truck does arrive, the refugees come running over immediately and an endless line forms. They are forced to wait in the seething heat for a minimum of three hours. Those at the end of the line are usually left with nothing.

Some do not even make it into the lines for the deliveries. Having kids to take care of or being injured, they are unable to run to the lines. Others, are even unaware that a delivery has arrived at all.

At times, two trucks will arrive at the same time, one with food, another with supplies. This forces refugees to choose which is more important. "When food and materials arrive at the same time, you can't be in both lines at once, and people either have food but no materials, or vice-versa," said Elengia del Soccoro Salazar, a former resident of Managua's Santa Clara neighborhood.

These are common problems in refugee camps that are still in the initial phases. "In a major disaster of this type, you can never quite satisfy all of the needs, and in the early stages, you can never quite be as organized as you should be," commented US-AID administrative director Brian Atwood. "But I think this is probably one of the better equipped camps in the country."

The Managua municipal government is much more concerned about turning the Vida Nueva refugee camp into a functioning settlement. Dump trucks and bulldozers constantly plow through the city, while hundreds of laborers dig five-meter deep trenches for a drinking water system.

The municipal authorities in charge of Vida Nueva believe it will be possible to have potable water and electricity connected to all the houses within six months. Within a year, roads and sewage systems will be up and running, and, hopefully, every family will have a fully-constructed house within the next three years.

Another major concern of the government is that the people have work. Without work, many of the refugees will turn to stealing and other forms of crime in order to survive. Municipal authorities hope to have small factories set up in Nueva Vida which would produce the supplies necessary for the development of the town itself, such as water pipes and bricks. This would at least provide temporary work for the refugees.

With all of these problems and concerns, the refugees and volunteers welcomed the visit by Tipper Gore and Denis Martínez. A member of the Managua local government remarked, "[The refugees] understand that people from other countries are watching what is happening and that the international community is interested in helping out in their situation and desperation."

Everyone, from the volunteers, to the refugees, to the visiting delegates believe that the reconstruction of the refugees' lives will be a long road. It is pertinent for international aid continue beyond the emergency phase in order for the refugees to truly create a new life.