Projects, Projects

Today was Carneval, better known as Mardi Gras in the United States. I got sucked into a series of meetings so I wasn’t able to participate in the celebrations, which include dancing, costumes, and throwing lots of eggs, flour and confetti. I still have egg and flour plastered in my hair as I write this and await my turn to bathe in the tuuj, the Mayan sauna. Tomorrow I will get up early to bus into the regional capital of Sololá, to accompany a group of community leaders as they hand in an application that I helped to write to an institution that supports schools. They are from a small village deep in the mountains where the schoolhouse has no desks or seats so the children are receiving classes on the cold dusty concrete floor. Let’s hope that this situation is resolved soon!

Girls working on an assignment in Chirijsacasiguan.

Smile!

Meanwhile I am also talking with the schools that I worked with last year about the projects we will tackle in 2008. All my schools are interested in developing vegetable gardens, which is very exciting for me. The parents also seem keen to participate, and tell me that they want to use the gardens to experiment with new crops. They have little experience with market vegetables, as they only grow the traditional corn and beans. I am also offering the schools the possibility to do an infrastructure project. One school wants rain gutters and a water tank so they don’t have to haul water from afar. Another wants to build a small playground with swings and other equipment to give the children a place to play. A third wants to build a small school kitchen so the mothers have a place to prepare the school snack (right now they are cooking it on a campfire out back.)

I’m also collaborating with a local NGO called AGEMA (Association for the Generation of Corn) on a reforestation project, and the development of a scholarship fund for the children of campesinos (no, school is not free here). It feels good to be busy, especially given that I did almost no work at all in October and November of last year. Such is the life of the Peace Corps volunteer…harvest time and town fair roll around, and suddenly you have LOTS of free time. At least I got to pick some corn and ride a Ferris wheel! I am also antsy to accomplish something tangible because I have already served ten months of my two year term…the time is racing by. The next 6-8 months will be crucial to the development of sustainable projects.