New country, new decisions. It took me 4 minibuses, 5 hours, the slowest driver in the world and ushering away a heard of cows to get to the border with Honduras (which seemed a little devoid of traffic as there was no personnel manning the immigration desks) after which I got to Copan Ruinas in a swift 30 minutes.
Leaving Guatemala meant that I didn't have to see the election campaigns anymore, which was nice. The elections are coming up on September and vegetate you go there are billboards, painted Walls and even painted rocks. Most people I spoke to re educated enough to know it's all a bunch of lies - to the degree that the current president & his wife split up so that she could run for president for their party, thereby not disobeying the rules.
I was very sad to leave Cabanas though. The weather seemed to have changed to more regular rains, even some during the day with overcast skies, meaning the temperature was more pleasant. I had started feeling at home in my little room in Lucy's house, and was always extremely grateful for her open-mindedness about my lack of religion (even people who were religious and didn't go to church had a hard time understanding that I didn't believe in God). Two of the three weekends in spent in a little village in the hills called El Arenal with a new friend, Rafita.
They were so great with my stomach situation. I had these cramps and the kept on getting worse. It was pretty painful but Rafita's family went out of their way to try and find different medicine that would make me feel better, which eventually one of them did!! I think it was a simple case of travelers diahrroea and after being careful about my food intake for a little I went back to normal. I bought them all cake the second weekend I was up there! I did, however, come out with a new life skill - being able to tortilla (yes, in Spanish here they use it as a verb). Theyre different from wheat tortillas, mug smaller and thicker, but theres a special clapping technique to make them. I've perfected it by now :).
Something I've noticed talking to women here is that a) a lot of them suffer from depression, but they're very aware of it being a medical condition that you can get treatment for and are not afraid to be open about it. B) almost everyone has/had several relatives in the US, some with papers and some with not.
The next week, my first full week, saw me in the recycling center on Monday morning, cooking classes Tuesday and Thursday mornings, and keeping the library open on Wednesday and Friday. All of the afternoons of that week I was teaching a beginners computer class to these cute kids, the oldest of which was 12. It was tough, coming up with what to teach, then coming up with the Spanish for it! But they all seemingly understood all of my instructions, and by the end they were googling all kinds of stuff, and even using it in their free time!! That gave me such satisfaction, especially because they wanted to do it, and if they were still a little insecure they'd just ask me what the website for google was. At the end we had a little ceremony with certificates for the group, and they all hugged me and sad they didn't want me to leave. That really touched me actually. Some of those kids would be great for sponsorship, and id love to help out once I have a steady income again.
Working in the library and seeing the kids come and reads books made me realize how low the level of reading is. The 11 year old kids still read books for 6-7 year olds and they only learn the alphabet in elementary school. It was a little shocking considering I'm used to kids reading 200 page books by the start of their teens!
The second weekend I was back in El Arenal making a local dish (a little like the way we make burritos) called garnachas, which were really good, and something else called chepes, which is basically fatty corn dough (of course corn!) with black beans (of course!) boiled. I was given a lot of these but I never warmed to the taste. On the sunday morning I headed back to Cabanas as I'd been invited to a family gathering by Annie at a place with a swimming pool, the latter being extremely welcome in the heat. I had a great time especially hanging out with Annie, her husband and her kids, all of whom are just lovely! I don't think anyone could have made me feel more like a member of the family.
My last week was more irregular than the 2nd. We bought materials for big advertisement signs for the recycling centre and put a base coat on. Tuesday we went to one of the local schools to build a wall with plastic bottles, a technique everyone at asivesca wants to practice so they can make houses and benches out of them in the future! It was very interesting to see the public school and it's resources, or lack of it. The principal couldnt have cared less that we were there, and there wasn't much control around. Teachers teach for the moony rather than the kids, and even up to 15 years of age they finish school at 12.30 in the afternoon. And when a teacher can't make it, the whole class is off for the day. They have uniforms, but it's voluntary up to 12 or 13, and kids who don't have one to wear aren't allowed to participate in some of the activities. I feel bad for those kids, as they seemed pretty nice when we were doing the wall.
On Wednesday I had a minor heart attack as I'd accidentally formatted my memory card (what camera doesn't WARN you that you're about to erase your photos!!) and spent the rest of the day recovering my photos, successfully luckily enough. Thursday and Friday were excursion days out to two reserves, both with local guides. The first guide was in training and he seemed a bit nervous, me being his first foreigner to guide around but he was very knowledgeable about the area and the reserve had an easy, well-constructed path. I thought it was very enjoyable and would do it as a tourist. The next day we went to do some bird-watching. I was hoping to get a nice photo of a motmot, which is the national bird of Guatemala and has this beautiful tail. We desperately tried to find some for photo ops but no luck. Annie's husband, Yemo, was super nice and he offered to take me out again on Sunday to make sure I'd get a shot and not leave disappointed - we went out in the pouring rain but it was a successful trip.
My last few days with asivesca and in Guatemala were coming up so on Saturday morning I went with Annie and her husband to Zacapa, a town bigger than Cabanas, about an hour away with a big market. It was nice to see, though I think preferred Cabanas. But im seeing a trend in Guatemala of having massive churches painted in white in every town.
And then it was my last day already! How the 3 weeks flew by. In the morning we managed to finish painting one of the 3 signs which turned out really nice in the end. Heading over to Annie's place for my final dinner I was surprised by some other local volunteers, my hosts and Rafita along with Annie and her family with a surprise party! I was so touched by all their lovely words, and occasional tears. it was with a heavy heart that I go on the bus at 6:30 the next morning to head off on my next adventure. But i hope to be back there at some point soon enough.
Tuesday, 5 July 2011
Wednesday, 22 June 2011
ASIVESCA
ASIVESCA is a small NGO, set up in the south-east of Guatemala, in the
semi-arid municipality of Zacapa. Its name stand for Asociacion de
Investigacion Y fomento del desarollo Cabañas, loosely translated as
Organisation for the promotion of development and research. It was
setp up in 2008 by a sociology-major then mother of 2 called Annie
Ruiz, and has managed to keep going with the help of some local
volunteers, though not nearly enough! They are currently focusing on:
education, environment and awareness. Under each of these umbrellas
they have several projects and activities:
1. A library (education), currently set up in part of Annie´s house,
though hopes are of having a separate building at some point in the
future. The town has never had anything of the sort before, and it is
mainly used by kids who come in to read books their parents cannot
afford, as well as some older students and adults who need specialised
research. In return, Annie asks for a small voluntary donation of 10
centamos (the equivalent of 1 eurocent). Smaller kids can have a book
read to them and others can even get help with their homework! Their
support network at school is abysmal, so its a wonderful chance for
the kids who really want to learn.
The library also has 2 computers in it (kind donations), one with the
internet and one with an encarta installed on it, as well as having a
printer. A lot of kids do not know how to use a computer and,
consequently, for homework will pay 10 quetzales (1 euro) to an
internet cafe to do it for them - keep in mind that this is more than
some people have to eat with a day. I did a week-long beginners
computer class to 5 kids (8-12 years of age) and by the end they were
searching google for games in their free time. What freedom for kids
who have so little at home!
2. Various other classes are held in the librry (education) such as
knitting. This is a way ASIVESCA is trying to motivate housewives
otherwise restricted by their husbands and glued to daytime TV to get
out of the house and do something for themselves. They have a class on
wednesday and thursday, making patterns and designs from books or
magazines with donated yarn. Hopes are to start selling some products
from September or so onwards, the proceeds of which would be for the
knitter herself, minus 5% for the NGO.
3. A recycling center (environment) - this is a building kindly lent
out to them for free, on the edge of town, and is open on mondays from
9-12 and then 3-5. They collect plastic which would otherwise be
thrown out on the streets. It is still very basic, and seems to have
had less response of late, but we are trying to increase awareness by
putting up big signs for now. Incentives for recycling are also there,
every trip being rewarded with a token for a notebook or book about
Guatemala donated by another organisation (Zootropic, who protect an
endemic species of lizard called the Motagua valley beaded lizard,
possibly one of the most endangered species of all lizards with est.
less than 200 individuals in the wild). Every time ASIVESCA is able to
fill a truck full of recyclables, they receive 1009Q (just under 100
euros) which they re-invest into improvement of the center. Taking the
idea of recycling a step further, they have been practising building
walls out of PET bottles with school kids.
5. They are involved with a partner organisation called Aliaza para el Desarollo Sostenible del Valle del Motagua. Alianza has a much wider span of influence, covering reserves in the whole of the Motagua Valley in the south-east of Guatemala. Currently they are trying develop of a tourism infrastructure, with an eye on university researchers (as there is such a high level of endemism in its bird, plant and reptile species) and archaeologists (there have recently been discovered constructions most likely of mayan origin).
6. Finally, for promoting awareness they do not focus on any
particular subject but they will hold talks about (for example)
recycling at schools, dental hygiene at the isolated villages in the
hillside, and joint educational talks about the beaded lizard with
Zootropic.
Lack of government interest and support has left ASIVESCA to their own
devices for funding, which is few and far between. One of their sponsors are organisations such as Fundacion Defensores de la Naturaleza, or another called JADE which was set up by the Dutch government. With the kind
donations they have received they have done as much as anyone could.
One of their current ideas is to get monthly funding for the library,
so they are able to provide a minimal reward to volunteers of 30Q per
3-hour shift, about 2.5 euros. The total amount they are hoping to
secure is 200 euros a month.
One of the other great support schemes they have is that of
scholarships. Through scholarships, kids who otherwise not have enough
money to buy the shoes for school are able to enjoy a more worry-free
childhood. The amount varies depending on the age and grade of the
recipient - from 380 US dollars a year in preschool to 811 US dollars
in high school (which boils down to 67 dollars a month). The good
thing about their program in particular is that you receive an exact
breakdown, to the dollar, of the costs (including health insurance!),
and Annie sends you personal e-mail updates every 3 months.
Futhermore, the recipients MUST visit the library to make sure they
study. There are currently only 3 scholarships ongoing, but the
ever-positive Annie thinks this is great already!
They are desperate for other donations of any kind, and they will soon
be putting a list up on their website. The library of course welcomes
any books in any language (though Spanish is most useful), the ladies
group ould love more materials (yarns, threads, magazines etc). Used
things useful for the reserves such as cameras, binoculars,
identification books, computers, printers, laberl makers, backpacks,
markers and other freebies you may throw away as junk are more useful
than you know!
Their website is still in the works, and once it is improved, all of
the information they have will be easily accessed, but in the meantime
I´ve attempted to fill the gaps.
If you are interested in donating your time (they consider any input
as extremely valuable), money and/or materials of any kind, feel free
to contact me (esterderoij@gmail.com) or Annie Ruiz
(anadelrosario.archila@gmail.com)
Making a PET bottle wall with a school. The woman in blue is Annie!
The library building of ASIVESCA
Knitting projects made by Annie (on the right) and her class
Me teaching a computer class in the library
The recycling center
semi-arid municipality of Zacapa. Its name stand for Asociacion de
Investigacion Y fomento del desarollo Cabañas, loosely translated as
Organisation for the promotion of development and research. It was
setp up in 2008 by a sociology-major then mother of 2 called Annie
Ruiz, and has managed to keep going with the help of some local
volunteers, though not nearly enough! They are currently focusing on:
education, environment and awareness. Under each of these umbrellas
they have several projects and activities:
1. A library (education), currently set up in part of Annie´s house,
though hopes are of having a separate building at some point in the
future. The town has never had anything of the sort before, and it is
mainly used by kids who come in to read books their parents cannot
afford, as well as some older students and adults who need specialised
research. In return, Annie asks for a small voluntary donation of 10
centamos (the equivalent of 1 eurocent). Smaller kids can have a book
read to them and others can even get help with their homework! Their
support network at school is abysmal, so its a wonderful chance for
the kids who really want to learn.
The library also has 2 computers in it (kind donations), one with the
internet and one with an encarta installed on it, as well as having a
printer. A lot of kids do not know how to use a computer and,
consequently, for homework will pay 10 quetzales (1 euro) to an
internet cafe to do it for them - keep in mind that this is more than
some people have to eat with a day. I did a week-long beginners
computer class to 5 kids (8-12 years of age) and by the end they were
searching google for games in their free time. What freedom for kids
who have so little at home!
2. Various other classes are held in the librry (education) such as
knitting. This is a way ASIVESCA is trying to motivate housewives
otherwise restricted by their husbands and glued to daytime TV to get
out of the house and do something for themselves. They have a class on
wednesday and thursday, making patterns and designs from books or
magazines with donated yarn. Hopes are to start selling some products
from September or so onwards, the proceeds of which would be for the
knitter herself, minus 5% for the NGO.
3. A recycling center (environment) - this is a building kindly lent
out to them for free, on the edge of town, and is open on mondays from
9-12 and then 3-5. They collect plastic which would otherwise be
thrown out on the streets. It is still very basic, and seems to have
had less response of late, but we are trying to increase awareness by
putting up big signs for now. Incentives for recycling are also there,
every trip being rewarded with a token for a notebook or book about
Guatemala donated by another organisation (Zootropic, who protect an
endemic species of lizard called the Motagua valley beaded lizard,
possibly one of the most endangered species of all lizards with est.
less than 200 individuals in the wild). Every time ASIVESCA is able to
fill a truck full of recyclables, they receive 1009Q (just under 100
euros) which they re-invest into improvement of the center. Taking the
idea of recycling a step further, they have been practising building
walls out of PET bottles with school kids.
5. They are involved with a partner organisation called Aliaza para el Desarollo Sostenible del Valle del Motagua. Alianza has a much wider span of influence, covering reserves in the whole of the Motagua Valley in the south-east of Guatemala. Currently they are trying develop of a tourism infrastructure, with an eye on university researchers (as there is such a high level of endemism in its bird, plant and reptile species) and archaeologists (there have recently been discovered constructions most likely of mayan origin).
6. Finally, for promoting awareness they do not focus on any
particular subject but they will hold talks about (for example)
recycling at schools, dental hygiene at the isolated villages in the
hillside, and joint educational talks about the beaded lizard with
Zootropic.
Lack of government interest and support has left ASIVESCA to their own
devices for funding, which is few and far between. One of their sponsors are organisations such as Fundacion Defensores de la Naturaleza, or another called JADE which was set up by the Dutch government. With the kind
donations they have received they have done as much as anyone could.
One of their current ideas is to get monthly funding for the library,
so they are able to provide a minimal reward to volunteers of 30Q per
3-hour shift, about 2.5 euros. The total amount they are hoping to
secure is 200 euros a month.
One of the other great support schemes they have is that of
scholarships. Through scholarships, kids who otherwise not have enough
money to buy the shoes for school are able to enjoy a more worry-free
childhood. The amount varies depending on the age and grade of the
recipient - from 380 US dollars a year in preschool to 811 US dollars
in high school (which boils down to 67 dollars a month). The good
thing about their program in particular is that you receive an exact
breakdown, to the dollar, of the costs (including health insurance!),
and Annie sends you personal e-mail updates every 3 months.
Futhermore, the recipients MUST visit the library to make sure they
study. There are currently only 3 scholarships ongoing, but the
ever-positive Annie thinks this is great already!
They are desperate for other donations of any kind, and they will soon
be putting a list up on their website. The library of course welcomes
any books in any language (though Spanish is most useful), the ladies
group ould love more materials (yarns, threads, magazines etc). Used
things useful for the reserves such as cameras, binoculars,
identification books, computers, printers, laberl makers, backpacks,
markers and other freebies you may throw away as junk are more useful
than you know!
Their website is still in the works, and once it is improved, all of
the information they have will be easily accessed, but in the meantime
I´ve attempted to fill the gaps.
If you are interested in donating your time (they consider any input
as extremely valuable), money and/or materials of any kind, feel free
to contact me (esterderoij@gmail.com) or Annie Ruiz
(anadelrosario.archila@gmail.com)
Making a PET bottle wall with a school. The woman in blue is Annie!
The library building of ASIVESCA
Knitting projects made by Annie (on the right) and her class
Me teaching a computer class in the library
The recycling center
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