HAPPY HOLIDAYS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL

4 days till Christmas…. 3 fully constructed latrines, 17 to go. The process has been a whole lot slower than I had imagined. Although there are no real organizational issues, we have come across many problems with work ethic. It may have to do with the fact that this community is not my own, not being acquainted with everyone and/or that I am a young female. All I know is that getting the men to follow my directions is unnecessarily difficult.

For example, when I see the cement ratio off, I may ask to either add more water, sand or cement and receive a blank look and a reply that usually goes “We have always done it this way” (our way). It’s a constant battle to have to explain why the ratio has to be exact; I mean the last thing I would want is for the concrete to crack and someone falling into a latrine pit, right? A poopy way to go.

I asked a fellow water volunteer who has had some experience building these latrines to hang out a few days at my project site. Honestly, I do not know if I would have had completed any latrines properly if he didn’t come give my volunteers some guidance. There is a basic manual (which we all use) to guide Peace Corps Volunteers through the process which apparently needs to be revised. I basically spent the majority of my time sharing my concerns with my friend and he would speak to the community members about it. He even had some trouble getting them to follow direction but according to him and other volunteers this is the way things are in the DR when it comes to construction of any kind. This is not meant to negatively judge anyone but it is part of their culture and frankly their education. So after the initial frustrations we accept it as it is and just smile and move along (sometimes I laugh hysterically, then move on).

Work stops on the 24^th then continues on the 27^th. We hope the first ten latrines will be completed by the 30^th, which will complete our work for the first community. We can then begin the second half of the latrines in the New Year in the second benefitting community. I would like to have all latrines constructed by the end of January, so I can finalize the legalization of my assigned community’s association and begin my search for funding to construct a library, since I have several boxes of donated books lying around in my host family’s home.

In between all of this, I continue working with the Peace Corps Health Supervisor, with the national health consortium project, which is still in the initial planning stages. The consortium is comprised of ten health NGO’s from all corners of the country that work with local rural health promoters as well as youth that need education on safe sex. These NGO’s are still a bit unorganized, so I’m working with the PC Health supervisor and creating a team of business volunteers to tackle administrative problems. Each NGO has an assigned health volunteer whose primary concern is to teach them basic health practices and such. Hitting in both directions with the help of PEPFAR funding, we all as a team feel that this could be a very successful sustainable health project.

At the moment, most rural health promoters and youth are taught and managed by volunteers, which is great but not sustainable. Peace Corps has been in the DR for 50 years now, since its start. I don’t think this represents our work negatively per say, however if PCDR ended tomorrow, projects won’t necessarily run sustainably. Communities are still in need of a lot of guidance. The consortium calls for many leadership roles and many new responsibilities. The plan is for the health side of PCDR to begin allowing these organizations to pull their own weight while we sit back and supervise. Volunteers will then have more room to pick up new projects in issue areas that are not getting as much attention.

If I do decide to stay in country and serve a third year, this will be my main project as Executive Director of the National Health Consortium. It’s a really exciting opportunity and most certainly a big challenge. As you may see, my plate is a bit full at the moment, however this is how I like it…I have a big appetite for this kind of stuff. So cheers to all my friends and may this New Year open windows/doors to many opportunities.

-M

MY CREW

THE BEGINNING....LATRINE PROJECT

Let’s Count Down Now…..10 More Months

Yeesh… Ten months left? Really? Honestly very little has been accomplished within the last 16 months. Granted I’m way more knowledgeable in various new areas, which might be seen as pointless knowledge to many. I’ve come to terms with that. Hopefully whatever is next will need some expertise in fields such as poopers and working with rural health promoters. Quién Sabe?

Last week was composed of my one year in service training as well as Thanksgiving. Both were fab. Training just helped us focus in on our current problems and come up with plans and tools for the remainder of our service. We were even set aside and asked if we were planning on extending our stay as volunteers. This is still something I think about regularly and is pretty plausible at the moment. 10 months can bring about a lot of changes, so I’m not really setting my mind on anything at the time. This IST definitely brought the remainder of our cohort closer. Good times!

This year’s thanksgiving was quite different from last. I participated in the cooking committee so as soon as we were done with IST I headed over with a few other volunteers to an Embassy Home and stayed with a Foreign Service family, who were AMAZING. They even treated us to massages the following day for the work we did. So unlike last year there was a lot of running around and setting up to do. This year was also so much better because our PC group has grown to be a family which made things feel more like home.

Starting Monday, my communities, volunteers and I will begin latrine construction. Finally everything has been organized in hopes of having a smooth and successful experience. We have estimated that up to 23 latrines can be constructed. This project may last until mid-January, so I’m crossing my fingers that everything goes well.

Pictures soon to come of all events.