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- Education - Health Insurance - Aguas Negras |
| Hilda |
We're trying a new format this month, (now that I'm in control) so let me know what you think. There have been several complaints that this is late, but probably the monthly report will come out regularly within 8-12 days from the end of the month. It takes a while to prepare...
Things continue to roll along with the morning and afternoon programs. The program structure has changed around slightly. Previously, there were three teachers that worked in both the morning and afternoon programs, as well as myself who worked in the afternoon. i.e. there was 3 teachers in the morning and 4 in the afternoon. This has now been changed. Now, we have a new volunteer teacher, Rita, in the mornings (who is really great, possibly the best teacher) as well as one of the previous three, Silvio, teaching in the mornings. So there are just two teachers, but there are less students in the morning, ranging from 15-20 children on any given day. Also, there are often volunteers in the morning, whereas in the afternoon, there rarely are. In the afternoon, there are the two remaining teachers, Leonel and Manuel, and myself teaching. There are about 30-35 students in the afternoon. Now, the teachers have to prepare for the classes for one hour each day. This has not gone over too well, but hopefully the teachers will get used to it. Now the education program runs from 8:30 to 10:30 with 10:30 to 11:30 reserved for preparing the next class. In the afternoon, the classes run from 2 until 4:30 with the preparation hour being from 1 to 2.
The scheduled start of June First has slipped, due to the upheaval and changes in the education program. In the next few weeks I have to put a visual presentation together to explain the program to the volunteers/workers in the barrio. The visuals are ready, I just have to put things together. Next, we will have small meetings with groups to explain the program. The insurance program will allow volunteers and workers in the Barrio's various community projects to start saving money in groups that can be used to buy medicine from the community pharmacy project. For each cordoba (local currency) they put, FOG will match it with 4. They can also withdraw their original money at any time if they need it for something else. But, for medicines they can use the whole thing. The 4 cordobas is paid back with volunteer labour in the barrio's projects. This is our skeleton initial credit project and although subsidized, it will pave the way to future credit projects (we hope).
The sanitation project has yet to be started. My priority right now is to find an engineer or engineers to help do an study. The engineering study can then be used to help Stuart look for money back in Canada. Also, I am trying to find funding here for the engineers or to find local engineers who are willing to trade engineering work for computer support.
Hilda is one of the four nuns who lives here in the Barrio. She is from Costa Rica and is basically the "grandmother" of the bunch. She is always giving you cookies or chocolates or something at the house. She cooks for the nuns and takes care of the house. Also, she teaches a knitting and crochet course in the Barrio. Her birthday was just this past week and we had a small party, just before Stuart left. We sang "Happy Birthday" in English and had cake and ice cream. Just like at home....
This section is for the personal views of the editor - kind of a "day in the life" of the project, so that people can connect to some of the things in the project descriptions. So, I'll start this month with a typical day from the month of May (since I finished my Spanish classes):
Usually, I get up around 6:30 am, and have a bath. We have running water in the backyard and there is a shower stall with three walls that is about 4 and a half feet high. But, the tap is naturally at my feet, so we use a bucket and bath ourselves with a bucket and a bowl. After my bathing, dressing and eating - usually fruit (if we have any), yogurt, beans and rice and/or eggs. At about 8 my day will usually begin. Some days, I have to go to Cantera or Oxfam to help them with their computer woes. In each of these contracts, we give computer support in exchange for popular education classes (from Cantera), fund-raising support (from Oxfam) and local contacts (both). Four mornings of the week I have English classes for 90 minutes as well. So, my days are busy. If I have time in the morning, I go over to the morning education program to see how things are going. Supposedly, I am the coordinator in the morning, but I have not had time to do much coordinating there yet. Lunch is cooked for us every day (although we cook our own breakfast and dinner), usually rice and noodles or rice and beans. Our housekeeper (Mrs. Nubia) works from 8-4 and does laundry and cleans the house for us. After lunch, I head over to the Comedor (Dining Hall), where we have the supplemental education program. From one o'clock until two, Manuel, Leonel and I prepare for the class at two. We prepare problems sheets of mathematics and sometimes visit the parents' houses or sometimes prepare activities for all the children - games or the like. Class with the children is from 2 until 4 or so. At 4, we break off from the math and Spanish homework and play games. Usually Frisbee and/or baseball. At 4:30 or so, I go home and rest a bit. Maybe make supper. Some days I have English classes at 6 or at 8 o'clock. Often we have visitors, the most common ones being the children of Mrs. Nubia. Often, Eveling, Gisel and Xochil come to play catch or cards. Sometimes Everth and Omar come to play cards, chat, or to pretend to hold us up. Often, my evenings are reserved for email and typing up reports or various things like that (in between my English classes). At this point, I just trying to figure out which things are the most important so that I can drop a few things to make my life more manageable...
Skills needed for the education, computer, health or other programs:
Civil Engineers, Computer Analysts, Teachers (Math, Spanish,...), Psychologists, ...
Please email for details.
naturally, we still need money for the projects. One thing we would like is to find funding to hire Rita full time for $100 US per month.
Also, we will also need money to fund the Aguas Negras engineering study. Any help with these things is appreciated - no donation is too small.