I think today is my sister’s anniversary, Happy Anniversary!
Hmmm…. Well in the last month, we have completed our 10th eye surgery with in which between the 10 we have gotten the prices reduced by close to $3,000. Good stuff.
My stove project has come to a crawl right now because the only truck of the mayor’s office broke down, as well as the trash truck. So my transport for the materials is based on these two, so that has made things hard (impossible, without doubling prices). I only have three communities left to finish off, so I hope I get there in the next few months, I am ready to finish this project, it’s very time consuming.
Oh yeah, so we are trying to apply in our community to make our water system better so that everyone can have water. A fund came open in Spain, but we only had a week to get all our ducks in a row after it came open, but we made the deadline, although maybe with not as much quality as possible. We find out in the beginning of August, very exciting. Its over a 35k project and will affect over 2,750 people. We are also trying to collaborate con WaterCharity (watercharity.org) to put water in the parish medical clinic in the main town that provides two days a week and weekend service with free medicine for not only our municipality, but the surrounding one’s as well (Some 30,000 people). They average 35-40 consultations a day, charge 3 dollars a consult, and the prescribed medicine comes free (general medicine and dentistry…the doctors are really good guys).
Let’s see, we are trying to raise another $200 to reach the goal of $400 dollars to buy a megaphone to post at the top of a building in the middle of our canton(village). It is a really long (4-5km) town going down a ridge, so it’s hard to get announcements out for whatever reason, so we’ve decided that’s the best way to go. They are going to put in all the manual labor, and I have some leftover donation money, but that still leaves us 200 short (amplifier). This will be in coordination with the community event boards that are contemplated in the Community House fund on the website below.
Also, we are soliciting help supply paint and stuff for some local painters to do a map of the village at the entrance and to spiffy up the Community House with murals of cultural stuff, after we finish with the Peace Corps Partnership grant and repaint the thing!!! As far as the donations go to the partnership, HOLD ANYTHING you were going to donate! Supposedly as of today we have filled the cuota, but I can't verify til Monday. VERY EXCITING, if you were going to donate and haven't got around to it, wait a few weeks, we have a few things that will be coming up.
In other news, our Patron Festivals of Santo Domingo (Saint Dominic of Guzman) for my community are coming up in the first week of August. Preparations are ongoing…very exciting.
On a darker note, we had some deaths in the community, back to back actually. One was my counterpart’s mom and one was my neighbor’s grandson. Very sad. The photo will be my last words on that.
On a closing note, I have been coordinating with the scholarship committee to give the high school students tests on deciphering their career path/vocations. The exams took FOREVER to grade and put in order, but then we gave the results and now we are going to invite a group of professionals for a type of career day to talk with them all so that they can make educated decisions and all that jazz for careers. I hope it all pays off.
July 4 went well and we had our Peace Corps soccer tournament where my program had a very strong showing. The little house where we stay when we are in the capital, not for Peace Corps, then threw us a very nice little hamburger hot dog party that was SUPER tasty.
So yeah, that’s what I got right now, kind of here and there, but a little bit of info on everything.
“I have said it already, I am convinced that the way to build a new and better world is not capitalism. Capitalism leads us straight to hell.”
Hugo Chavez
Making the new entrance to the store next door
The other part of the entrance
The Mass where all of the Diocese came to San Pedro to celebrate the end of the Year of St. Paul
People in the street
Our doctor at the Parish Clinic
A patient of the dentist at the parish clinic, haha
Our pharmacy
People waiting.
We had an awards ceremony for the important donors and contributors to our scholarship program here.... This is Aaron´s, the previous PC Volunteer, parents receiving a painting by one of our scholarship students
Aaron receiving a plaque from of our scholars
The honorees left to right, Linda Redman, Aaron Redman, Charles Redman, Tony Gasbarro (Project Salvador), Sergio Orellana (Mayor), Padre Tino, Mirna de Barillas (board member).
No comments:
Post a Comment