Stoves for Guatemala

Friday, March 18, 2011.

One highlight of the day was the health fair. Mary and I took pictures ("fotos") of the villagers. See a sample above. Our intention was to charge 1Q, about 13 cents U.S., for each foto as a donation to the school. The first family, about 6 in number and dressed in their finest, posed proudly. When told of the price, they fled. We quickly adjusted; the fotos would be free. Also at the fair, we displayed two methods of water purification. One was a carbon-based filter capable of producing 5 gallons of potable water per 12 hours. The other verion was called WAPIS. It is a system to determine when heated water is pasteurized. A glass capsule contains a wax that melts slightly above the temperature of pasteurization, but short of boiling. The capsule is on a string. The capsule is put in water that is being heated. When the wax melts and flows to the bottom of the capsule, the water is pasteurized. By the string, the capsule is removed. When cooled, the wax is again solid and capable of re-use. This process saves precious wood fuel by not unnecessarily reaching full boiling. Also at the fair, we displayed and sold reading glasses for 3Q, and toothpaste for 1Q. One of our local workers said that he thought the most valuable contribution we were making was the instruction of why and how to brush teeth. The typical Guatemalen diet appears heavy in sweets. Missing teeth are prominent in the early twenties.

After the health fair we had several ceremonies. With the church filled with an estimated 100 people, we were greated with two prayers, one in a form of chant with background recorded music. We heard appreciation from the primary and secondary school principals. Secondary school students performed a skit thanking our volunteer efforts. Two secondary students sang. We presented the school with some money raised at the health fair, and we were presented with gifts of woven pouches that were hung from our necks.

The ceremonies continued down at the school where the new wall and computer lab (the space exiists, but no computers are yet available) were celebrated, as was the new latrine. Everyone was happy and appreciative.

We spent the next several days as tourists in Panajachel and Antigua. Any travel guide can do better at describing those areas than I. The 2011 Guatemalan service trip is history. I have invited others on the trip to contribute comments and pictures. Check to see if anything gets posted.

Adios.

Thursday, March 17,2011.

Construction continues. It is clear now that we will not be able take up the shower installation in the church. That will have to wait for another team apparently.

Clinic visits also continue.

The highlight of the day is that women from the team visited women from the community in the ChiChi market. There are two markets each week--Thursday and Sunday, with Sunday the larger. One of the team members participating in tht event will write that portion of the blog. Check back later.

I would like to note a few random comments about the Xecopol community.

During installation of the stoves we were able to visit homes. The typical layout is that of a "compound." Living quarters are separate from the kitchen area, which is in a separate small building. Work areas also appeared to be in separate small buildings or sheds. The kitchen areas I saw had wooden beam ceilings, or tile. In any event, in the "before" installation condition there were openings in the ceiling to allow smoke and heat to escape. The openings were not directly up, but were to one side or the other in order to prevent rain from coming in. The fire is set on the floor with three stones in a triangle to provide for some sort of cooking surface. I did not see one in action. The walls and ceiling were heavily sooted, and there was a strong odor of burnt material. It was easy to see the vast improvement a contained, vented, fire would make. In one home we were introduced to the mother and her 9 children, all of whom were grinning from ear-to-ear after the installion. A fire was started immediately. It was an emotional moment.

Transportation is worth a few comments. In small communities, travel by foot appears to always to be an option. This is even with large loads to carry by both men and women. A large load of firewood, for example, is carefully packaged with twine or rope into a stack 3 or 4 feet high, 1 1/2 feet wide, and 1 to 1/12 feet deep. That stack is then wrapped with rope that has a pad that hits the carrier at the forehead. The load is lifted to the back, with the back, neck and head bearing the bulk of the load. Bent forward, they walk for miles and up the steepest grades. The load might also be avacados, as the harvest season seems to be happening. Bicycles are prevalent for individual travel. In somewhat larger communites, tuk-tuks (sp?), three-wheeled golfcart-like vehicles, are favored. In larger cities, actual taxicabs may be found. Transportation from rural areas to various-sized communities appears to be by pick-up trucks that function as taxis, with the passengers seated on the edge of the truck bed. "Chicken" buses, converted and redocorated school buses primarily, are prominent within larger communities and from community to community. Getting from city to city we were most often on the Panamerican Highway. It runs north-south generally from the U.S. through Central America. It was in generally good condition, but there was clear evidence that it suffered great damage in the 2010 hurricane, as repairs were still being made. Other major roads in the area also suffered great damage. Getting out of Panajachel for several months after the hurricane involved ferries and chicken busses rather than the preferred use of private vehicles for commuters working further to the north.

Animals. Walking daily from the church to the school, we construction guys pass several loose dogs and two tethered cows. The cows graze in a different 100-foot area each day, soetimes in a corn field that has not been planted yet for 2011. They are skinny, but appear contented. I am told they are brahmin cattle, suitable for a dry climate. We have seen 6-8 of them at a cattle sale, also skinny. The dogs are everywhere. They root about, well-behaved, searching for food. I understand they belong to a family and appear healthy, but also skinny. I am also told that some families have pigs and goats. although I did not seen any. At the homes I saw, chickens were plentiful, and some caged wild turkeys were kept. I saw one cat at Pastor Sebastion's home, and Mary saw one that apparently had mousing duty at a home with a corn bin.

Wednesday, March 16, 2011.

Those of you trying to follow this blog now know that this is not a daily publication, even though it is dated that way. This is due to limitations of time and energy.

Our daily routine begins with the alarm about 6:15. 7:00 is breakfast, and 8:00 we try to have the transport leave. We break from work about noon for a simple sandwich and a piece of fruit. Balogna and cheese on white bread, lightly toasted, with an apple is typical. The end of the workday varies with the tasks in progress. Because the trip takes 30-40 minutes, we all wait until the last task is done. This occurs sometine between 5:00 and 6:00 P.M. This schedule has taken a toll on all of us. On one trip back to the hotel after 6:00 P.M., Heather was in a discussion from the front of the bus to the rear about the location of certain drugs or equipment necessary for the next day of clinic visits. The discussion lasted 30-45 seconds and was loud enough for all to hear. Seconds after the discussion, Suzanne turned to the rear of the bus and asked with some concern: "Where is Heather?" Loud laughter followed. Suzanne and Heather were seated next to each other. Dinner follows between 6:30 and 7:30 P.M. This team has an endless appetite for meetings to plan for the next day. These occur after dinner. Normally, the "team" day does not end until at least 8:30 P.M. At 6:15 A.M. the next day begins.

Trips like this must be expected to come with things happening that are not planned and not pleasant. We have experienced one pickpocket event with the loss of some cash and credit cards. Even notifiying the credit card companies was a challenge. The calls were passed from one to another, and just when it seemed the correct person would be at the other end of the line, the call would be dropped-the process would start anew. One of the team members also fell on an uneven section of a dock and suffered a nasty cut on the forehead. Not every tourist travels with a doctor with a surgical kit and a staff of nurses, but this one did. The hotel kitchen prepared boiling water. Ten stiches later the patient was back with the team, enjoying dinner and live music.

The highlight of the day was family planning for both men and women (separately of course). Suzanne will write that portion of the blog. She says it will probably not be ready until after our return. Check back later to see the addition to this date.

Today more patients were seen and work progressed on the construction projects. The new latrine is nearing completion. The walls are up, as well as a tin roof. The stool is set and flushes. The concrete is not set suffiently to allow use yet. The stool drains to a plastic pipe that passes undergound approximately 100 yards to a shaft like a well with approximately 4 feet wide and 45 feet deep. The shaft was dug by hand by some local workers. A wooden scaffold was built above the hole for the shaft. The clay-like soil was picked at and removed one bucket at a time. As the hole grew deeper, a man was lowered by pulley and rope. Buckets of soil were sent to the surface. I am sure hundreds of OSHA regs were violated, but in the Guatemalan way the work got done. At the bottom of the "well," sand was encountered. When in use, the solids and fluids from the stool are drainged to the shaft. The liquids percolate through the sand at the bottom and the solids accumulate. Theoretically, this could be pumped periodically. I do not what the actual practice is. Throuhout Guatemala we are advised that toilet paper, etc., are not to be flushed in the toilet. Plastic trash containers next to the stool are provided. Our American habits are hard to break, but we have granted each other one mistake.

Tuesday, March 15, 2011.

Instruction with the children continued with the school grades and classes that had not been covered the first day. Our instructors are very excited about the reception from their"students."

Health care and nutrition training also continued. One component of our efforts includes time for clinical visits with our doctor participant, Dr. John, now retired and living near Chicago, but formerly of the Mayo Clinic. Dr. John participated in the health and nutrition training, but also kept an eye out for the possible need for medical attention as people came through the training programs. He spotted a case of conjuntivitis (sp?) in a participant. The patient was amoung friends and neighbors, so she was willing to share her experience. Dr. John was able to explain the problem, the treatment, and the importance of face, hand, and eye cleanliness--a teachable moment. There were at least two other such occurances outside of regularly-scheduled clinic hours. A probable broken arm was identified, as well as an ear-wax problem.

During normal clinic hours groups of pre-identified patients were seen. It often happened that the patient would bring other family members whom were thought to need medical attention. Thus, 20 scheduled patient visits may turn into 35. The examination process was different from your normal doctor visit. Because of the dominance of the local dialect, two tranlslators were normally necessary. History and symptom questions were presented in english by nurse or doctor. This was relayed in spanish to the local dialect translator, who spoke to the patient. The answers would come back in reverse order. We had only one local assistant who spoke all three: english, spanish, and the local dialect. Patients who needed specialized or follow-up care were referred to a clinic. Heather was raised in Byron, Minnesota, and worked as a nurse at the Mayo Clinic. About two years ago she came to Guatemala on a service trip. Within approximately six months, she moved here to work for a clinic that is run by a non-profit from Texas, which is affiliated with the United Methodist Church. The clinic serves the public and has surgical facilities. It has five offices in the area, two of them are recent start-ups. It also coordinates with 20 to 25 service groups each year. She was able to stay with us the entire work period of this trip. Her work was invaluable.

Work on the construction projects continued. The crew working on the wall had an especially difficult time wrestling with the door installation. It seems the door was up and down from the hinges at least a dozen times. It seemed like there were more than three dimensions to keep track of. We now understand why pre-hung doors are such a good idea. Without a wood chisel or a belt sander, we had to be innovative. Much like the locals, we had to work with the equipment we had.

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.

Sunday, March 13, 2011.

Most of Sunday was relaxed. There is a large market in town every Sunday, mid-morning until mid-to-late afternoon. It occupied almost the entire town with, I would guess, more than a thousand stalls. It draws large crowds of locals and tourists. It is reportedto be the largest open market in Central America. One can buy food, produce, clothing, jewelry, crafts, etc. The sellers are very persistent. We all think we got bargins.

In mid-afternoon, we met at the hotel for planning for Monday, when the work begins. Here is how the planning looks.

After planning, we broke into groups to rehearse the programs for the school and community that relate to health and to pack 65,000 vitamins for adults and children into individual 90-day dose packages. Those will be distributed during the week.