Grant Updates
In the past 2 months I solicited funding for 4 different projects.
Luckily, I have received 3 of the 4 grants I applied for already! I have received funding for my youth sex-ed class, and two individual grants for community members to take a communication class.
The one grant I did not receive was unfortunately the one I wanted the most. Our healthy stove project will have to wait until October when more funding comes in.
However, great news that all the grants will be eventually funded!
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Friday, April 23, 2010
This past weekend I traveled to the deep southwest of the country (11 hour busride because there are no direct roads from the north) to the province of Barahona. There, I met my youth group from my American church, which just happened to be doing a service project during their spring break here in the DR!
While I traveled over 20 hours on bus just to be with the youth group for 24 hours, it was definitely worth it! Not only did I get to see a totally different part of the country (while I like the landscape of the north more, I may like the culture of the south better), I also had an opportunity to tour a batey. Bateys are Haitian communities traditionally employed by sugarcane companies. Up until 20 years ago, bateys were basically slave plantations in which Haitians were forced to work the sugarcane in inhumane conditions. Currently, bateys are the poorest, most marginalized communities in the DR (although are no longer ruled by sugarcane companies). Many of the “Haitians” in the communities are not actually Haitian; they are people have never been to Haiti and were born in the Dominican Republic. However, many of their Haitian ancestors never were registered, and thus, they do not have identification either. Without identification in this country you are unable to attend school past the 8th grade, cannot vote, cannot participate in many social service programs, etc. As well, military checks are ubiquitous in the south, as Dominican police do not want Haitians entering the country and moving east (toward the capital). Without identification, these Dominican batey workers cannot travel freely within the country without being declared illegal. Suffice it to say, these Dominican-haitians live in poverty and fear.
My youth group is actually working in different bateys this week, so we got to meet many of the community members they will be working with. Not surprisingly, for all the discrimination the batey people face, they are the friendliest people I have met in the DR (and that is saying A LOT; everyone is friendly here). We worshipped with them on Sunday, singing and chanting with hand-drums establishing the rhythm. We sang songs in English, Spanish and Kreyol. As Pam Emslie said “these people have made our songs sound infinitely better!”. The bateys have much more visible “culture” than my community in Guayabo. I think this is a product of the rich Haitian culture which is much more prominent than the Dominican culture.
Also, the bateys are needier communities; I felt guilty looking at these children with skin infections and malnutrition (which you do not find in my community). I hope to have the opportunity to go back to some of these bateys (which is definitely possible because there are lots of peace corps members already working there!). Hopefully I can do a bit of health promotion in the future!
Other Updates:
• I made a great corn chowder and calzones (with dough from scratch!). Both were delicious and definitely do-agains.
• One of my host family’s dogs died yesterday of poisoning (from the mean neighbor). Absolutely awful.
While I traveled over 20 hours on bus just to be with the youth group for 24 hours, it was definitely worth it! Not only did I get to see a totally different part of the country (while I like the landscape of the north more, I may like the culture of the south better), I also had an opportunity to tour a batey. Bateys are Haitian communities traditionally employed by sugarcane companies. Up until 20 years ago, bateys were basically slave plantations in which Haitians were forced to work the sugarcane in inhumane conditions. Currently, bateys are the poorest, most marginalized communities in the DR (although are no longer ruled by sugarcane companies). Many of the “Haitians” in the communities are not actually Haitian; they are people have never been to Haiti and were born in the Dominican Republic. However, many of their Haitian ancestors never were registered, and thus, they do not have identification either. Without identification in this country you are unable to attend school past the 8th grade, cannot vote, cannot participate in many social service programs, etc. As well, military checks are ubiquitous in the south, as Dominican police do not want Haitians entering the country and moving east (toward the capital). Without identification, these Dominican batey workers cannot travel freely within the country without being declared illegal. Suffice it to say, these Dominican-haitians live in poverty and fear.
My youth group is actually working in different bateys this week, so we got to meet many of the community members they will be working with. Not surprisingly, for all the discrimination the batey people face, they are the friendliest people I have met in the DR (and that is saying A LOT; everyone is friendly here). We worshipped with them on Sunday, singing and chanting with hand-drums establishing the rhythm. We sang songs in English, Spanish and Kreyol. As Pam Emslie said “these people have made our songs sound infinitely better!”. The bateys have much more visible “culture” than my community in Guayabo. I think this is a product of the rich Haitian culture which is much more prominent than the Dominican culture.
Also, the bateys are needier communities; I felt guilty looking at these children with skin infections and malnutrition (which you do not find in my community). I hope to have the opportunity to go back to some of these bateys (which is definitely possible because there are lots of peace corps members already working there!). Hopefully I can do a bit of health promotion in the future!
Other Updates:
• I made a great corn chowder and calzones (with dough from scratch!). Both were delicious and definitely do-agains.
• One of my host family’s dogs died yesterday of poisoning (from the mean neighbor). Absolutely awful.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Sickness. The way people react to sickness here in Guayabo is very interesting.
Yesterday, I awoke with a mild fever that progressed throughout the day and peaked at about 4pm, with 102 degrees. I slept most of the day in my bed and didn’t see anyone but my host mom that brought me occasional tea, etc. While I felt crappy, I knew I wasn’t going to die, and I knew that resting, drinking water, and taking advil were the best remedies. However, at 5pm was my nutrition class. Obviously, I wasn’t going, so my host mother spread the word to the other community women that “Leigh esta media enfermita” (Leigh is mildly ill). By 5:30 I had about 10 community members in my 1 room hut (meanwhile, it is also pouring rain) coming to see me. My mother pulled chairs into my shack and made coffee for everyone. Soon, it became social hour with little children running around with Florencia in my shack, screaming over the general chatter of the community members. I, meanwhile, was sweaty and unshowered, lying in bed dazed, not talking. Community members kept rotating in and out to see “how leigh was”. I had many people recommend I go see the doctor..or should they bring the community doctor to come see me? No, no, no—it’s just a fever (that I’ve had for less than a day!). I do not need to see a doctor.
Here in Guayabo, it is believed that the sick need company and need to be showered with love and local remedies (lots of tea with weird things in it). It is also believed that pills/injections cure everything and that viruses need to be evaluated by doctors. Hmmm…
All very different from the American mindset that sick people need peace and quiet!
Yesterday, I awoke with a mild fever that progressed throughout the day and peaked at about 4pm, with 102 degrees. I slept most of the day in my bed and didn’t see anyone but my host mom that brought me occasional tea, etc. While I felt crappy, I knew I wasn’t going to die, and I knew that resting, drinking water, and taking advil were the best remedies. However, at 5pm was my nutrition class. Obviously, I wasn’t going, so my host mother spread the word to the other community women that “Leigh esta media enfermita” (Leigh is mildly ill). By 5:30 I had about 10 community members in my 1 room hut (meanwhile, it is also pouring rain) coming to see me. My mother pulled chairs into my shack and made coffee for everyone. Soon, it became social hour with little children running around with Florencia in my shack, screaming over the general chatter of the community members. I, meanwhile, was sweaty and unshowered, lying in bed dazed, not talking. Community members kept rotating in and out to see “how leigh was”. I had many people recommend I go see the doctor..or should they bring the community doctor to come see me? No, no, no—it’s just a fever (that I’ve had for less than a day!). I do not need to see a doctor.
Here in Guayabo, it is believed that the sick need company and need to be showered with love and local remedies (lots of tea with weird things in it). It is also believed that pills/injections cure everything and that viruses need to be evaluated by doctors. Hmmm…
All very different from the American mindset that sick people need peace and quiet!
I’ve felt very confident about my status as “health promoter” recently. Not only have my classes been very successful (my youth group was actually excited/participated in our lecture on reproductive organs that included lots of graphic drawings), but I’ve begun to be consulted about health issues outside of the classroom. I’m growing confident in my knowledge and abilities and it seems that other people see this as well! This past week, I helped a community grandmother organize all her medications into a manageable schedule (think: 6 different daily medications with different doses). I felt very capable organizing a color-coded calendar (since she is illiterate), categorizing the various medications into doses, and educating her family members how to properly aid her. Also, I recently had a middle-aged neighbor come to me asking advice on losing weight. We’ve decided to start a walking group, involving not only other mothers but young women in the community (who do not exercise enough). I plan on starting out with rapid walking and slowly increasing the pace/using weights in the coming months. I’m super excited about this (because I definitely need to be exercising more too!).
More and more I have realized my purpose as a Peace Corps member in my community of Guayabo; my role is motivator, encourager and occasionally, backseat driver. While most of the projects I participate in are all created and undertaken by the community, I have found that I typically help the community develop the actual plans. I ask important questions, set dates and send reminders. I make sure the plans follow-through. For instance, the aqueduct. My community has wanted to remodel the water system for much time now. They know the exact steps; asking for assistance from the government, securing an engineer, making a budget and soliciting money. Then, one might ask, is the water system only being addressed now? Well, it was a simple matter of setting a date to go to city hall. I bothered and communicated between the water committee until we agreed upon the date to go. And look how the meeting went- very successful (and not because of me). I’ve found that occasionally the community needs encouragement and needs someone to direct them (because they all have their separate, busy lives). People are much more motivated when they think an outsider is controlling an activity (because they want to please me or think I’m more intelligent or want to “take advantage of what the American has to offer”). I accept all these reasons—the more participation, for whatever reason, the better!). However in reality he best part about my role is that I play such a small role (in the scheme of things); when I leave the community, they will be sustainable due to their determination, energy and intelligence in the projects they carry out. To conclude, it’s exciting to see internal community development from an outsider’s point of view; I’m very pleased with how my community takes on projects! Truly, I’m an adult cheerleader. Hooray Guayabo!
While I support the community, I also have found myself in the role of acknowledging individual accomplishments of community members. In the past month I have had more opportunity to spend time one-on-one with community members. I celebrate in seeing others achieve personal goals; whether it is tutoring a 30 year old completing her GED, watching my little brother learn for to spell, or hearing about a woman’s dream to open her own hair salon, I have found myself encouraging others in ways I don’t think they have been encouraged before. Living such hard lives in the rural countryside, many people here are raised half-heartedly by parents (the parents not having enough time, money or patience to have the parenting style that we support in the US). Dreams and goals that are encouraged in the US are not necessarily encouraged here. I hope that through my encouragement people will have more motivation to achieve their goals. We will see!
Wildlife Updates:
• Florencia killed her best friend, Esperanza (a small chick)! They were playing and Florencia bit too hard. RIP Esperanza (ironically named “hope”).
• I was showering and had a small lizard crawl into the shower. I thought it would be interesting to touch. Well, to my dismay, I touched the lizard—its tail fell off and it bit my finger! Imagine my surprise..no blood thankfully!
•
More and more I have realized my purpose as a Peace Corps member in my community of Guayabo; my role is motivator, encourager and occasionally, backseat driver. While most of the projects I participate in are all created and undertaken by the community, I have found that I typically help the community develop the actual plans. I ask important questions, set dates and send reminders. I make sure the plans follow-through. For instance, the aqueduct. My community has wanted to remodel the water system for much time now. They know the exact steps; asking for assistance from the government, securing an engineer, making a budget and soliciting money. Then, one might ask, is the water system only being addressed now? Well, it was a simple matter of setting a date to go to city hall. I bothered and communicated between the water committee until we agreed upon the date to go. And look how the meeting went- very successful (and not because of me). I’ve found that occasionally the community needs encouragement and needs someone to direct them (because they all have their separate, busy lives). People are much more motivated when they think an outsider is controlling an activity (because they want to please me or think I’m more intelligent or want to “take advantage of what the American has to offer”). I accept all these reasons—the more participation, for whatever reason, the better!). However in reality he best part about my role is that I play such a small role (in the scheme of things); when I leave the community, they will be sustainable due to their determination, energy and intelligence in the projects they carry out. To conclude, it’s exciting to see internal community development from an outsider’s point of view; I’m very pleased with how my community takes on projects! Truly, I’m an adult cheerleader. Hooray Guayabo!
While I support the community, I also have found myself in the role of acknowledging individual accomplishments of community members. In the past month I have had more opportunity to spend time one-on-one with community members. I celebrate in seeing others achieve personal goals; whether it is tutoring a 30 year old completing her GED, watching my little brother learn for to spell, or hearing about a woman’s dream to open her own hair salon, I have found myself encouraging others in ways I don’t think they have been encouraged before. Living such hard lives in the rural countryside, many people here are raised half-heartedly by parents (the parents not having enough time, money or patience to have the parenting style that we support in the US). Dreams and goals that are encouraged in the US are not necessarily encouraged here. I hope that through my encouragement people will have more motivation to achieve their goals. We will see!
Wildlife Updates:
• Florencia killed her best friend, Esperanza (a small chick)! They were playing and Florencia bit too hard. RIP Esperanza (ironically named “hope”).
• I was showering and had a small lizard crawl into the shower. I thought it would be interesting to touch. Well, to my dismay, I touched the lizard—its tail fell off and it bit my finger! Imagine my surprise..no blood thankfully!
•
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
So this past week was holy week but there didn’t seem to be anything holy about it. I assumed there might be daily church services, prayer time, etc., but the only religious service I know of was Sunday morning mass (45 minutes long!). Basically, “semana santa” (holy week) is a week of vacation used as an excuse to get together with family and party. Alright by me! Lots of eating was done, and I was inspired enough to make an eggplant parm (fresh eggplant from the garden), and fried green tomatoes with a pesto spread. I also made homemade mochachinos, consisting of coffee, cocoa, evaporated milk and spices. Everything = pretty good.
While I was bored at the beginning of Holy Week (with no classes to prepare for), guests soon arrived later in the week and the fun began. There was a birthday party for a woman turning 60, and daily domino playing. I also went to a nearby river with my host family where we played in this gigantic waterfall! Pictures posted. There was also a large pig butchered and eaten – fresh fried pork skin (I chose to abstain). During lunch, I saw my host father gnawing on an ear…
Florencia has been growing and growing, for the better. Last week she was very sick, not eating, crying and pooping everywhere. But, things have changed for the better! She now sleeps through the night, goes to the bathroom outside, drinks milk and recognizes her name! It’s amazing how fast these animals grow and mature. My host mom is great with her, which really helps. Florencia has also begun to play, not only with us, but with other animals. She has a new best friend, Esperanza, who is a baby chick rejected by its mother (and subsequently being raised by us humans). You can often find them both playing in the kitchen together; its incredible really.
Other very exciting news! Our rebuilding of the aqueduct is becoming a reality! I know I have written quite a bit about our semi-functioning aqueduct, but I will repeat what we have accomplished so far (and what our eventual plans are).
So, our aqueduct was built by the community 20 years ago with the poorest quality PVC pipes you can imagine. While this amateur aqueduct has helped the women avoid the problem of a lack of running water in the houses (before they traveled to the river to wash everything), the pipes are deteriorating and often break (leaving the community with water for hours). Furthermore, the aqueduct was built without engineer supervision, so the pipes literally hang on vines 10 feet above the river at some points (definitely not as efficient as it could be).
Where I come in: As a peacecorps volunteer, redoing water systems are generally projects that can easily get funding (lots of organizations provide funds for building acqueducts). While my community appreciates the classes I am giving, they also like material projects that provide function. So, as of 2 months ago, I began meeting with my community water committee to talk about possible upgrades for the aqueduct (committee of 3 community members).
Steps we have accomplished so far: We went to visit the local city representative to ask for help from a government engineer. Our meeting with a huge success and the representative granted us permission to use the engineer! Then, just last week, the engineer actually followed through with his aqueduct surveying (and came on the day he said he would!). He told us that it was a miracle our system is still functioning because typically, PVC pipes of the best quality rarely last 20 years (and we have the worst quality). In the next 2 weeks, the engineer will write up a report about the acqueduct, including important measurements and pieces of advice, and will meet with the community to present his findings. He is also going to prepare a budget for us (which will help me immensely!). Then, we will solicit funding in the form of grants (I don’t assume the system to cost more than US$3,000).
Probably the most exciting thing the engineer shared with me (he has had 15 years of building rural water systems and often works with peace corps volunteers) is that our new aqueduct with include a main holding tank in which we can put chemicals to purify all the incoming water into the community. Imagine, purified running water in all the houses (a health promoter’s dream come true). Currently, we do not drink purified water.
Well, everything seems to be running extremely smoothly (which is exciting but makes me nervous). I will be sure to update you with more details when the engineer returns.
Until then, enjoy the coming spring!
While I was bored at the beginning of Holy Week (with no classes to prepare for), guests soon arrived later in the week and the fun began. There was a birthday party for a woman turning 60, and daily domino playing. I also went to a nearby river with my host family where we played in this gigantic waterfall! Pictures posted. There was also a large pig butchered and eaten – fresh fried pork skin (I chose to abstain). During lunch, I saw my host father gnawing on an ear…
Florencia has been growing and growing, for the better. Last week she was very sick, not eating, crying and pooping everywhere. But, things have changed for the better! She now sleeps through the night, goes to the bathroom outside, drinks milk and recognizes her name! It’s amazing how fast these animals grow and mature. My host mom is great with her, which really helps. Florencia has also begun to play, not only with us, but with other animals. She has a new best friend, Esperanza, who is a baby chick rejected by its mother (and subsequently being raised by us humans). You can often find them both playing in the kitchen together; its incredible really.
Other very exciting news! Our rebuilding of the aqueduct is becoming a reality! I know I have written quite a bit about our semi-functioning aqueduct, but I will repeat what we have accomplished so far (and what our eventual plans are).
So, our aqueduct was built by the community 20 years ago with the poorest quality PVC pipes you can imagine. While this amateur aqueduct has helped the women avoid the problem of a lack of running water in the houses (before they traveled to the river to wash everything), the pipes are deteriorating and often break (leaving the community with water for hours). Furthermore, the aqueduct was built without engineer supervision, so the pipes literally hang on vines 10 feet above the river at some points (definitely not as efficient as it could be).
Where I come in: As a peacecorps volunteer, redoing water systems are generally projects that can easily get funding (lots of organizations provide funds for building acqueducts). While my community appreciates the classes I am giving, they also like material projects that provide function. So, as of 2 months ago, I began meeting with my community water committee to talk about possible upgrades for the aqueduct (committee of 3 community members).
Steps we have accomplished so far: We went to visit the local city representative to ask for help from a government engineer. Our meeting with a huge success and the representative granted us permission to use the engineer! Then, just last week, the engineer actually followed through with his aqueduct surveying (and came on the day he said he would!). He told us that it was a miracle our system is still functioning because typically, PVC pipes of the best quality rarely last 20 years (and we have the worst quality). In the next 2 weeks, the engineer will write up a report about the acqueduct, including important measurements and pieces of advice, and will meet with the community to present his findings. He is also going to prepare a budget for us (which will help me immensely!). Then, we will solicit funding in the form of grants (I don’t assume the system to cost more than US$3,000).
Probably the most exciting thing the engineer shared with me (he has had 15 years of building rural water systems and often works with peace corps volunteers) is that our new aqueduct with include a main holding tank in which we can put chemicals to purify all the incoming water into the community. Imagine, purified running water in all the houses (a health promoter’s dream come true). Currently, we do not drink purified water.
Well, everything seems to be running extremely smoothly (which is exciting but makes me nervous). I will be sure to update you with more details when the engineer returns.
Until then, enjoy the coming spring!
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