Thursday, February 4, 2010

rutas san jose.

Feliz 2010!

As much as we all enjoy the holidays, I'm so relieved they're finally over. There is just so very little to do work-wise during December! Now that school is back in session, I'm starting to talk with school directors here in Poaquil about doing HIV/AIDS workshops. I've given 2 thus far, and really enjoy them. The activities and information in the workshop are extremely well planned (and fun!) particularly because almost everything is very interactive. My sitemate Kate and I are starting in about a week and a half in the Instituto, one of the best schools in Poaquil's aldeas. Tomorrow morning, I'm headed to Saquitacaj, the biggest aldea, to meet with the director there. Kate and I are also planning to start doing world map murals in the schools, which should be a ton of fun for us as well as the kids.

Because of school starting back up, I've had plenty to take care of with the scholarship fund, Friends of Poaquil. These kids are so fantastic - unbelievably hardworking, and so ambitious! It really makes me realize how easily I've had everything. Petrona, the local woman in town I work with on this, continually describes these kids as fighters, and I couldn't agree more. The kids and their families are dealing with plenty of hardships in addition to the hardship that is life itself in rural Guatemala. One lives at the church, as both of her parents have passed away. Another has an absent and alcoholic father. Another has a mother whose leg was severely injured in the "time of the violence," during the civil war here, and a huge chunk of the family's income goes to her medical bills. The kids have bright futures through the education they are recieving. Instead of planting crops and grazing cows, one of the recipients will start a further education school next year to become an agricultural expert. I'm in the process of writing a solicitude, with many more details about these wonderful kids, that will get emailed to the vast majority of you. Former volunteers that lived and worked in Poaquil, as well as with the scholarship program, are doing a great job of fundraising in the States, but I know some of you have expressed interest in getting involved. Long story short, if anyone is interested in donating to Friends of Poaquil, your money will be going directly to benefit one of our 5 recipients of this year. School tuition, uniforms, school supplies, PE uniforms, etc. We're also planning to start a basic food supplementation program to the families of the recipients - a well nourished student will study and learn far better than a desnutrido, or malnourished, one. Technically, the scholarship fund is what Peace Corps calls a 'secondary project' but I'm finding far more work and enjoyment with Petrona and the kids right now. They're an inspiration.

Rachel, my other sitemate, and I are getting ready to start bi-monthly training sessions with families from CIACEP, a coffee co-operative here in town. We're doing these training sessions as preparation for building estufas mejoradas, or improved stoves, for the families. Most homes here in the actual 'town' of Poaquil have these stoves, but they are few and far between in the rural aldeas. The women cook over open fires, almost always with an infant strapped to their back, increasing the already high risk of respiratory infections. Respiratory infections and diarrhea are the two biggest causes of death in Guatemala, and both can be so easily prevented. Our training sessions are going to cover everything from nutrition to stove building and maintenance. Rachel is about to submit a grant request to USAID for the funds to cover the materials of the project. One of the biggest components of a grant of this kind is community involvement. These training sessions are a necessity, as well as the family's complete involvement in the project from start to finish. Most families can't afford to simply build a stove - they cost about $150, the average one month's salary. Therefore, they donate things such as time, expertise, food and the readily available materials.

I'm really excited that things have picked up, and I'll hopefully be seeing some of these things come to fruition in the very near future.

And just to let all the nay-sayers know, I CAN cook. Who knew? I'm past boiling water and scrambling eggs, albeit not too far.

Saludos,
Martita