Monday March 14, 2011

We intended to be on the road, fully loaded with necessary equipment and supplies, and fed, by 8:00 A.M. We were rolling by 8:25, or so. We are already calling this phenomon "Guatemalan time." Things are a bit relaxed in terms of time here.

At right, we posed for our group portrait. We are grouped in front of church facilities, which served as our home base for educational and medical activities. It lies within several hundred yards of a public school, which is the site of our construction efforts.

The trip from the hotel to the service site was an adventure. It is supposed to take approximately 30 minutes. This itself is surprising because I think at most the trip is 4-5 miles in length-winding, bumpy, dirt roads. On this trip some road construction caused us to take a "back way." It took about 40 minutes.

We were greated and by Pastor Sebastian, who is not only the head of the local Methodist church, but also one of the leaders in the community.

In the morning, members of the group conducted health and nutrition training at the school for students from 1st to 3rd grade. The same group members conducted the equivalent training in the afternoon for students in the secondary school.

In mid-morning, we received delivery of ten stoves for donation to the comminity. These stoves are concerte and designed to be used in a vented manner indoors. This type of stove replaces open fires indoors that are vented through small openings in the ceiling. The open fires are safety hazards, cause indoor pollution with related health damage, and are relatively expensive to operate. The replacement concrete stoves use 1/3 the fuel, vent the smoke outdoors, and are safe. A wire protective shield around the venting ducts keeps hands away for the dangerous heat.

Later in the day, the families who received the stoves were given training about installation. They would also receiving instruction about its use and nutrition. The families were chosen with the help of a social worker to assure the donations would go the maximum use. This project has historically donated about 40 stoves, 30 of which have been in this community. At the end of the day the stoves were removed by the families to their homes.

The construction crew started two projects.

First, the school has about 400 students and three flushable toilets. We are adding a fourth. This involves, first of all, digging a level foundation area. It sounds easy, but the soil at this time of year is like concrete. With the help of some hired local construction help, the soil was broken up by hand with picks. When reduced to large-grain sand consistency, the gringos moved in to shovel the "sand" out of the hole. The sun was out and the temperature warm. This was very challenging. The foundation area is approximately 6 feet by 8 feet in size. At its deepest point approximately 3 feet of soil was removed , and at the lowest point, about 6 inches. Steel corner posts were cut and painted by the gringos.

Second, the school wants a computer lab. This involves constructing a new wall in an wxisting classroom. By the end of the first day, the steel studs were in place.