IVLP ALumni Voices: Claudia Rivera
by Lynare Robbins
Claudia Rivera, Director of Educational Services for Chiminike Children’s Museum from Honduras was a part of an International Leadership Visitor Program (IVLP) on Promoting Social Change through the Arts II that came to Miami in September 2019. The program was coordinated by the Mississippi Consortium for International Development and facilitated by Global Ties Miami. On her experience on being selected and having participated in the IVLP program, Claudia says, “As an IVLP I had memorable moments during our stay at Miami, however, there was one that left a significant imprint and it was the live performances organized at Global Ties Miami facilities.”
Claudia is referring to an evening during the program where an Artists Reception was held at Global Ties Miami’s headquarters for musicians, singers, dancers, rappers and more from the IVLP group to showcase their art. Claudia says that showcasing each of their individual artistic skills brought members from the IVLP group closer together. “That night meant the building of a stronger bond among the 18 participants because at artivists, everyone was eager to share with the rest of the group our different skills since the beginning of the tour.”
A little over a year later from her memory in Miami, Claudia is back home in Honduras reflecting but also taking care of herself during the pandemic. “I am from Honduras, and since my country is one of the poorest of Latin America, the quality and access of our health system have been very limited over the years, therefore we are struggling very hard with the pandemic.” According to Claudia, by June 16th this year Honduras had reported 10,299 positive cases and 336 deaths. “We have been on lockdown since March 16th, the first two weeks was a total lockdown, nobody was allowed to go out from their houses. During the last two months and a half we are able to go out once every two weeks just to get food from supermarkets and medicines from drugstores.”
Claudia explains that people are permitted to go out using the last digits of their identification numbers. She says that despite the challenges posed, there is still hope. “Honduran people are full of creativity and we have seen fabulous ideas emerging to face the problems caused by Covid-19. People are innovating their minds to get an income.” Claudia provides as an example a case where a group of women, called “Flash Girls,” created a delivery business operated only by women who are dedicated to running errands, shopping and customer deliveries. “There are many other similar stories like this one, that keep us staying positive even though the challenging times we are living.”
Claudia shares that social distancing has been difficult for her since she is an affectionate and social person. “At the beginning I got somewhat sad because I was not able to hug and kiss my loved ones, visit them or have the usual family and friends gatherings we usually have during the weekends. But then I realized that we must stay safe and healthy in order to enjoy the future.” Claudia adds that good health is important to keep on working on dreams and plans. “As a daughter of a doctor I learned, since I was a child, that I must follow the doctor’s orders. I rather like to focus on the concept “physical distancing” instead of “social distancing”, because I feel that this pandemic has brought me closer to my family and friends.”
Since the pandemic Claudia has been spending her time as a mentor in a 5-week course called “Innovation and Problem-Solving in Uncertainty.” The course is an initiative promoted by the U.S. Embassy in Honduras and Impact Junkie, which is focused on mentoring impact-driven entrepreneurs. “I have also been invited to participate as a co-author of an article for an educational magazine, the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), in which I share experiences using shadow theater and storytelling to teach about bullying, illegal child migration and child trafficking.” The article is prepared by the STEMazing Project from Tucson, Arizona and OAS. “Additionally, I am working with a Project Team with the Inter-American Teacher Education Network (ITEN) from the OAS in a collaboration project between four countries- Colombia, Costa Rica, Honduras and the United States, related to promote teacher training processes in each country.”
With the many innovative and positive projects that Claudia is spearheading during the pandemic, it seems like she is indeed “taking the doctors orders.” Global Ties Miami wishes her much luck in her creative endeavors.
