Vacation combines relaxation with inspiration
Mayor Gregor Robertson and his family venture to remote region of Nicaragua to volunteer
When you are the mayor of one of the finest cities in the world — an oft- bestowed title on Vancouver — where do you go when you want to get away from it all?
For Gregor Robertson, it’s to a sprawling garbage dump in a remote corner of Nicaragua where he recently spent two weeks volunteering with a local non- profit delivering food, bicycles and a few dozen soccer balls to impoverished children and their families.
Robertson’s spring break trip to Jiquilillo, a fishing village on Nicaragua’s Pacific north coast, was kept a closely guarded secret at City Hall, with staff citing safety and political reasons for maintaining a strict silence.
But with his safe return to B. C. last week and back on the job, Robertson stole a few minutes between meetings to share some of the details of the experience with The Sun.
“We had an incredibly good time,” he said of the 12 days he spent in the region with his wife, Amy, youngest daughter Terra, 18, and a small group of Vancouver friends, including Mike Magee, Robertson’s chief of staff, and his family.
It was, in fact, Magee’s idea to head south this year. He was familiar with Nicaragua, having worked in the then war- torn country in the 1980s and early ’ 90s with various non- government organizations.
The country has since moved beyond civil conflict, but remains among the poorest in all the Americas.
Magee returned last year with his son, Aedan, to offer support to a local humanitarian effort initiated by former B. C. school teacher, Don Montgomery. Through his business, Monty’s Beach Lodge, a modest surfer destination outside of Jiquilillo, Montgomery works with the community to build and support various projects, including schools, an orphanage, community garden and health clinic.
To that end, guests of the lodge are encouraged to get involved in community volunteer work during their visit. Magee and his son found themselves daily helping to prepare and deliver food to hundreds of children who live in the El Limonal community on the edge of a massive garbage dump in the nearby city of Chinandega.
El Limonal was created after the devastation of Hurricane Mitch in 1988, and a subsequent volcano eruption that killed and displaced thousands of local villagers. Its residents survive by scavenging through the dump, digging down into the mountains of garbage in search of precious metals or anything salvageable that can be sold or repurposed.
It proved a powerful experience for father and son.
“You would think that it is going to be a super horrible, dramatic sad day,” Magee said of spending time in the dump. “But it’s not a brutal experience at all. It’s quite the opposite.”
Indeed, Magee came back so inspired by the community connections Monty’s was making, “it motivated several other families to go this year during spring break with our kids, who are in their late teens, and experience it first- hand,” Robertson said.
It’s not the first time Robertson has travelled to a developing country. But it was new for him to partake in a so- called “holiday with purpose” or, as it’s better known in Nicaragua, “humanitarian tourism.”
The concept combines a traditional vacation experience — beach, sunshine, adventure, etc. — with volunteer work.
In this case, Robertson rolled up his sleeves to help in a community garden project and two construction projects, including a school built from two- litre plastic water bottles filled with sand.
He also met with Nicaragua’s environment minister, who made the trek out to Jiquilillo after learning of the mayor’s presence in the country.
The Vancouver families worked together to purchase and prepare a community meal for the residents of El Limonal, and helped to distribute more than 120 bicycles and a few dozen soccer balls to local families.
The goods were donated by companies in Vancouver and transported to Nicaragua through a charitable division of the international shipping firm, Gearbulk.
Volunteer tourism experiences are becoming increasingly common among Canadians looking to contribute their time and experience to aid those in need around the world.
But critics of the concept say volunteer labourers take paid work opportunities away from those in greatest need and don’t always deliver what they promise.
Robertson acknowledged it’s important for people considering this kind of vacation to do some research first before getting involved.
“There are certainly examples where it is not making a difference in the community and is keeping tourists busy thinking they are contributing,” he said.
He feels certain that was not the case in this most- recent trip.
“Nicaragua is trying to build a more humanitarian and environmentally conscious tourism industry that connects more directly with local communities and helps take care of their significant ecosystems, in contrast to trying to attract big, foreignheld resorts … They want to see a new model,” he said.
That the group left with “completely inspired, insightful kids,” according to Magee, was icing on the cake.
“Vancouver is at a very affluent end of the global spectrum. Much more of the world lives with very few possessions and infrastructure, so it’s important for all of us to have perspective on what we have here and how we can share and support and learn from diverse communities around the world,” said Robertson.
“The earlier in life, the better for directly experiencing more of the real world out there.”