Butterflies and Sexual + Reproductive Rights

Last Monday we dressed up at butterflies and paraded around Corinto dancing, singing and promoting Sexual and Reproductive Rights. It was actually not embarrassing at all, just fun. I loved being a butterfly. We decorated a trailer with balloons, streamers and tons of colorful posters celebrating our Sexual Rights. A DJ mounted the trailer with us and as the tractor pulled us around town, he played popular reggaeton and Latin music hits. We bumped and grinded and gyrated (just kidding…we danced) to the music while Xiomara gave mini charlas on the importance of knowing your rights. She spoke about each individual right and about teen pregnancy here in Nicaragua. Yesterday an article came out in one of the country’s newspapers saying that 27 out of every 100 pregnant women are teens. 27 % of all babies born are carried by teenage girls.

Anyway, we made our way through the streets with our butterfly masks, doing a vuelta in the park and ending in front of the office of Asociacion Huellas Juveniles (ASOHJUV-Youth Footprints Association). That was where Carolina explained what ASOHJUV is and then she passed the mic to me…uh oh. For some reason whenever I have a microphone in my hand, I automatically think I’m being really cool and smooth…like all the time. So I got up there and did a comical game show host act, calling up volunteers to participate in a dance contest and to answer questions about sexual and reproductive rights. We handed out diplomas of appreciation to the school that participated and the Casa de la Mujer (Women’s House) to thank them for their support. Then the tractor pulled us back to the hospital, dropping off our DJ and a few of the students along the way. This morning I was a bit worried because we did not have the students nor the music confirmed. It looked like it was going to rain and our posters were not sticking to the trailer. Then all of a sudden, it just got pulled together. It turned out to be a fantastically fun and successful event. And who gets to say that they dressed up as a butterfly and danced on a float for their work? Yup…Community Health Workers, Kids and Peace Corps Volunteers; that’s who.