La fiesta grandisimo!

A skit: a happy family in their "house" (of raised arms) with a new latrine

On June 1st,  we celebrated the completion of the latrine project with about 500 community members. Together,  we've built 70 pit latrines! (Unfortunately one of those got buried in a small landslide from the steep  slope above;  we're considering how to replace it.) The project is now  done ; this month one of my remaining tasks is to visit each family, check in on their latrine (are they using it? Is the seat covered? Do they have a convenient place to wash hands? Does the family have concerns or questions? ) and also take a photo of the family next to the latrine.

Princely brothers Nicolas "Responsibility" Flores and Norberto Flores

On our big celebration day,  all  families participating in the program were invited.  Organizing the party was a big endeavor,  but members of the latrine committee took on most of the burden. Several days before the event,  we gathered to chop firewood and erect a tarp shelter (our first tarp collapsed in heavy rain before we finished putting it up,  but happily the second attempt was more successful). That same day,  Ken arrived for his third visit to Panama.  On the eve of the party,  women marinated 120 pounds of chicken which would accompany 200 pounds of rice. They also prepared 100 gallons of "chicha,"  a traditional drink made from corn and sugar.

Tito, Ken, and Mikaela

On the big day, the highlights were presentations by each of four different work groups (families that had worked together on construction,  organized by a member of the latrine committee.)  Each group presented a flag with slogans about health and community values,  along with choreographed songs and dances. 

traditional "jegi" dance

One group presented a skit about the advantages of latrine use (compared with going in the bushes)  and used as a prop a toy model latrine that they'd constructed in the same manner as the real deal. 

Model latrine. They're saying "Oh, it's so heavy! I can't carry it!" (in jest)

A father and son sang a song in my honor,  about "Begui,  the beautiful woman who works hard."



There were also games such as eating an apple which was hanging on a string. The best ideas came from the community members: they really took it and ran with it.  I felt so proud and glad that others were there to witness the day.  The local officials were all present,  who had donated food for the event. It was a day to celebrate,  as one group's flag said, both Tradition and Progress.

"Sanitation, Tradition, and Progress."

Group flag captions: "Taking care of the Environment: Health, Responsibility, Friendship, and Punctuality."

The flag says: "Caring for the Health of our Children. Friendship, Cooperation, Responsibility."

 And in more general terms that's precisely where the Ngabe tribe seems to be: considering what they will keep from the traditions of  the  past while embracing the opportunities of the modern world. In the most broad terms, I hope my presence here, and that of the other Peace Corps Volunteers in this region,  empowers present leaders and children,  the leaders of the future, to navigate the difficult choices between Tradition and Progress to better the health and opportunities of the Ngabe people. That's a big goal: and I  think that building latrines here,  with your support,  is one possible step towards that end,  both for the experience that locals gain in project management and for the health benefits that latrines can bring. Thank you.

More traditional dancing!

Presenting certificates of appreciation to project coordinators

In other news, my boyfriend Ken and I enjoyed his nearly 2 week trip here: we went out to Bocas del Toro province on the Carribean side of Panama.  One area of Bocas, Isla Colon, is a huge tourist center and we spent a few days there enjoying restaurants and beaches.

We also got to get off the beaten track: There's indigenous people too, in the same tribe, but some parts of the culture and cusine are very different because they live closer to the sea. We visited friend and Peace Corps colleague Patricia in a village where she's working on similar water and sanitation issues to what I'm working on. The village is on a small Carribean island and is accessed through a dock hidden deep in mangroves.

One dock for the town- complete with a government-project sidewalk

Houses in this area are typically built on stilts (in my area, none are- usually dirt floors).

Trying out a local delicacy: banana "puddin' "

Patricia took us out for a paddle in a traditional dugout canoe, called a "cayuco" here.  In the shallow waters of the bay, we saw coral and neighbors were fishing for dinner.

This boat is made from a single tree.

Another highlight was enjoying our friend's special brownie recipe made with locally grown, organic cacao (chocolate). If you'd like to try some Bocas chocolate, look in a specialty grocery store for the Equal Exchange Panama Dark chocolate bar- it comes from the same agricultural cooperative that many villagers belong to. On another island nearby, there's a large Black population that speaks a unique dialect of English, descendents of Jamaicans and others who moved here generations ago to work at United Fruit Co. / Chiriqui Banana, a huge employer in the region.

This mural depicts different ethnicities that form this part of Panama. And also roosters, apparently.

Now that latrines are winding up, I'm working on organizing educational talks about HIV/AIDS in several neighboring communities during the end of July and maybe into August. It's a growing issue in the Comarca, the indigenous region where I live, and my larger community is something of a hot spot for HIV, unfortunately. These talks will probably be my last big thing to do here, my last project. We will be talking about "What is HIV/AIDS?" "How is it transmitted?" and "How can it be prevented?" I'm using some funds from Peace Corps Panama Friends' annual calendar sale to buy materials and snacks.

Condom demonstrations in a previous workshop with 9th graders at the local middle school

I hope to receive a "follow up" volunteer in August: my replacement who'll be here working another two years in my community!  We'll be here together for about a month and a half before I take off for Portland, OR in October. (During that time they'll stay with a host family, before moving into my house when I leave.)  It's not entirely certain if we'll get anyone, or who they'll be, until the training process (near Panama City) is complete and they come out here.

Lots of photos are in my Picasa albums: Ken's trip is here and the latrine photos are here.

Ready to Inaugurate

We've completed the concrete work for 70 latrines- more than originally planned for. This month people are constructing their outhouses and we'll hold an inauguration celebration on Saturday, June 1 with a chicken dinner, skits, games, and presentations. Thank you for all your support!  Here are some photos of the first finished latrines, built in a wide variety of styles. You can see the pride of the families in the work we've done together, in each picture. For more photos, click here.

Jedigo and family

Humberto and family

Beki and family

Emiliano, Cecelia and family

Luis and family

Trina and family

the Guary Baptist Church

Rosalina and family

Hilaria and family

Beni, Federico and family (my neighbors)

Mikaela, her mother Cheya, and family

Rufina and family

Bella, Moises, family, and turkey

More and more latrines!

Hello friends! We are well underway on pit latrine construction. We've made 41 out of 66 latrines- the concrete base and the seat- in about 3 weeks. People have been putting in a lot of work! Soon they will begin to construct their outhouses. Several other Peace Corps volunteers have come out to help for a few days of work- I thank them for that! In all, the work has been advancing more rapidly than I'd expected. We want to get much of the work in before the dry season ends in April.

The slab is cast beside the hole and will be located on the hole a week or more later.

Writing "Cuerpo de Paz,"  which means Peace Corps, on the finished slab

The participants are divided into several work groups that advance semi-independently. In some work groups, the men work on making the concrete floor slab and the women focus on the patient, fine task of making the seat. The concrete latrine seat or commode is made on-site using a technique called "ferrocement". The seat is sculpted with mortar and chickenwire on top of a mold: a cloth bag filled with sawdust or rice husks. It's a little tricky but in every work team there are several people that've truly gotten the hang of it. The technology is very replicable and accessible, and teaches new skills and confidence while saving money, compared with a manufactured seat bought from the hardware store.

preparing the formwork

plastering with concrete

Moises plasters the seat

 

This seat is nearly finished: putting the finishing touches on the inside before mortaring it to the slab.

 In Ngäbe culture, certain tasks are "men's work" and others are "women's work." Men cut and burn fields to prepare for planting, do heavy work and house construction, and make woven hats. Women wash laundry, cook, care for children, and make clothing and crocheted bags. Both genders share in planting the fields, weeding and harvesting the crops. It's interesting that even in the new task of making the latrines, the groups have decided what is men's and women's work. The latrine seat requires patience and attention to detail, similar to making handicrafts. I'm glad that the women are finding the confidence to work on a construction project!



Another feature of Ngäbe society is that work is very communal. Friends and extended families traditionally work together on agriculture, and we've adapted that idea for working with latrines. The ideal outcome of the project will be when the newly trained households share their experience with neighbors to encourage more people to make latrines.

Huecos

Tomorrow (February 20) is an important day for us here in my little village. The building-supply store will be bringing in materials for our latrine project on their trucks. We will be making 64 concrete latrines for families, plus one for the community meeting-house and one at a church. Due to the generous support of many, the project is becoming a reality.  I am focusing entirely on this project for the months of March and April, and we hope to be completely done by the end of May.

All this month people have been working on digging pits. The clay soil doesn't have a lot of nutrition for growing crops but it's great for making pits- most people have made latrine pits between 2 and 3 meters deep (10 feet). That's really deep. Just about everyone has their pit done, due to great work by the organizing committee while I've been absent for much of the month of January. There's some potty humor in talking about latrine pits, or "huecos" in Spanish : "I'm here to see your hole."  That causes giggles for sure.

In January both my boyfriend Ken and my parents made visits to Panama! The visits were a very special time and there's a lot more to say, but these pictures will suffice for now. You can see more recent pictures by following the link to my Picasa account on the right hand side of the page.

I am also looking forward to my 30th birthday on February 24th, a milestone for sure! Mom and Dad brought me some packages of balloons, though I'm not sure what I'll be doing on the day itself. At least, as a Sunday, I have the day off from making latrines. Mechi, meanwhile, is looking forward to her first birthday next month, however I don't know that the cat has a lot of potential for future growth and development. May I, you, and the people of my Panamanian community grow in many ways this year!

Ken, I, and Mechi

My neighbor Beni tries on Ken's winter clothes: good for some laughs

friends from church and my parents

I and my parents, Clare and Sharon M.

I, Mom, Dad, and my neighbors Federico and Beni's family in front of my house.

Mom sucks the juice out of an orange, Panamanian-style, with young friend Bei