Meeting in Embarcadero

We arrived on Saturday in Embarcadero at about 11 am. We drove two vehicles, a Hyundai Santa Fe and a Toyota four wheel drive pick up. When we got to the river, it was not much more than a mud puddle, but the folks in the Toyota convinced us to leave the rental car behind and climb into the pick up to cross the muddy depression. During the rainy season (December & January) the water flows nearly as deep as the wooden footbridge on the left. Access by vehicles is often limited to the village because of this unpredictable drainage. 

Once we crossed the mud puddle and made our way into the village we were greeted with smiles and hugs, mostly from women and children because we learned the men were in a Co-Op meeting in the school house. We were able to walk around and visit and get a look at the latrines our team built in January. The folks of Embarcadero had built a third latrine near the church. I put a 

picture of one of the latrines on my last post. We were very encouraged by the way the community has embraced the value of the ecological, composting latrines. They prevent pollution of their water source and provide fertilizer for their crops. 

A little later in the afternoon we were able to hold a meeting with the

 

folks of the community in the school house pictured here. Our

discussion covered three primary topics. First we wanted their feedback on the latrines and we wanted to hear what they felt would be best for their community.

Men and women from the community expressed their appreciation for the latrines and also related that because

 of the education offered last Januray's visit, they no

 longer wanted to use the "Pit Latrines" because they understood that those would contaminate their wells. They are eager to enter into a partnership that will provide a "Composting Latrine" for each family in the village. When you include the church and the school, this will require the building of approximately 25 more latrines.

The second topic we discussed was the logistics of our on-going partnership between William Jewell College and the village of Embarcadero. Our goal in this partnership is best expressed through the phrase: 

"Communities engaging for the purpose of healthy change through partnering, learning and practicing."  

As we discussed ideas for our next trip to Embarcadero we arrived at the following model. A group of no more than 15 will travel to the village in January of 2010. They will sleep in the school building and each participant will be "adopted" by a different family for meal times eating what the family eats, when the family eats. Our group will cover the expenses of the extra meals and lodging in the school building. This plan helps meet our goals a number of different ways. Students will truly be immersed in the local culture, also we will be very close to our work sites as we build more latrines. Also because we will be right there with them we will have so many more opportunities to get to know them and learn from them. Building these relationships will be a great benefit to both of our communities.

Finally we discussed the best way to move forward in our plan to construct latrines and engage the folks of Embarcadero in the process. We talked about the need for resources to build the latrines. Materials for each one costs about $300 USD, which translates to just over 5,600 Lempiras. The average annual income for an agricultural worker in Honduras is only $450 per year or 8,500 Lempiras. They are committed to providing labor, along with our teams. We are also negotiating how housing our students can also be seen as an investment in the project. Each family will also plan and prepare the ground for the site of their family's latrine. 

In the coming months we will be raising funds for this project, but in our discussion with our partners we both agreed that we want both groups to contribute equally to the project. It is important that we continue to support and encourage their community as they strive for healthy change. 

Tim McNeely is serving at Proyecto Alcance in La Masica and teaching school in San Juan Pueblo. He is works with David and Dialis Romero, who have been our partners for the past 5 years. Tim will continue to visit Embarcadero every 3-4 weeks and keep our communication current as we move forward in our planning. Tim will be instrumental in getting supplies and building materials to our partners as we move ahead on this exciting project.

More next time about the great potential this project holds for participants from William Jewell.   Mucho Gusto - Jeff

Time and Detail

Today is world environment day. Everyone in our office decided to 'not motor today'. I live two miles from work so this was doable. First decision, walk or ride a bike. I have a bike but haven't ridden it in some time. Walking was the better option. It took 40 minutes and the weather was comfortable so no problems there. Second decision, what route to take. I chose the less hilly route. No one stopped to offer me a ride which is good because I would have accepted (to be gracious). I walked a route that I also drive on occasion. The slower pace allowed time to see the houses, yards, etc. The closer proximity allowed me to see details that are lost when cruising past from the street at 35 mph. When I drive, I move so quickly that all that is in between my home and work is compressed. The walk decompressed what is in between here and there. It was not possible to take things for granted because I had to step over them or duck beneath them. There is remarkable diversity in the mere two miles between here and there. In the two miles, I met only one human being; a man loading tools in his truck for the work day. We nodded in acknowledgement but did not speak. In this respect, I was as alone on the walk as I would be in the car. I know this is something I could do more often. But will I? Eight hours from now, I walk home.

Village Partners... Continued

FRIDAY  Our day started at 4 am traveling to KCI where we would board a 6am flight to Houston, and on to San Pedro Sula Honduras by 11 am local time (Noon CST)  Our driver, WJC Chaplain, Dr. Andy Pratt, braved the early morning hours to take Campus Minister, Jeff Buscher, Chemistry Professor, Dr. Lori Wetmore, and Alumni Mark Buhlig to the Continental gate and send us on our way.  ( Photo - Latrines built by our group in January ) Our flights were both early, in fact the pilot on one flight joked, “So the next time you are delayed you owe us 20 minutes before you can start complaining!”  Upon arrival something totally unexpected occurred – 2 out 3 bags arrived – somehow mine did not make it.  They knew it was missing before we got to the counter. Mmm?  Anyway we submitted a claim and they indicated it would be delivered to our hotel the next day?  We’ll see how that goes.  I was truly surprised because over the last 5 years we have never lost a bag on this leg of the trip.  As I write this I realize that our video camera and my medicine is in that bag… I’m sure it will arrive tomorrow… Now that I'm posting this note - Everything arrived just fine. In fact the good folks of Continental delivered my bag to our hotel in La Masica - Three hours away from the airport. Thank goodness, another day in those clothes would have been challenging. Renting a car was an adventure: Avis said their car was not working, so she took it on herself to send us next door to “Econo-Car” Where they rented us a Hyundai Santa Fe for the same price we were quoted by our friends at AVIS. We signed some papers and we were pleasantly surprised with a shiny new Hyundai. It had a few dings and scratches, but it will be ideal for touring this part of northern Honduras. The important thing is that the AC worked just fine. We then exchanged our cash and made our way to La Masica. Following Thursday’s earthquake the drive was not too bad. There were back ups at the Bridges. The bridge near El Progresso was the worst damage we saw.  As we approached the bridge there were some cracks in the highway. We crossed on the good bridge and made our way toward San Juan Pueblo where we would stop in and pay a visit in the colonia where we have built homes and a church over the last 5 years.  It was great to see the families that we have worked with over the years, including the high school student – Rosita, who our CSM group sponsors by sending funds for her school supplies each year.From there we drove another 15 minutes into La Masica where our base of operations… Hotel Media Luna  (Half Moon Hotel) stood waiting for our arrival.  After a few minutes of tracking folks down at Senior Antunez Hardware Store, we finally found a fellow that could hook us up with keys for the rooms.  And we got settled in for the night.  I have to stay up and wait for Donette, Tono, and Dani to arrive from Guatemala. They finally arrived around midnight.   One question we are working on during this trip...  How do we appropriately assure that our partnership with the village folk of Embarcadero is intentionally reciprocal and can we ask our partners to be vulnerable with us by telling us their story. And then how do we communicate the big picture of our Village Partners Project?  I look forward to re-connecting with the folks in Embarcadero tomorrow – For now I think our friends have arrived, I’ve got to give them their room keys.  More Manyana - Jeff

Earthquake in Honduras

We woke up this morning to news of a major earthquake in Honduras. The 7.1 earthquake had its epicenter about 80 miles off the coast of La Ceiba - one of the cities we have visited many times during our Jewell trips. Because of the severity of the quake, the effects were felt far and wide, killing one boy so far, and knocking down bridges. Many of the cities and places mentioned in this AP report are right where we were just a few months ago, and where a few folks from Jewell are scheduled to head tomorrow morning.

We do not have word yet how this has effected our friends at Proyecto Alcance or at the village of Embarcadero.

Choral Competition

William Jewell College Department of Music and Center for Justice and Sustainability announces a choral composition competition. We are seeking submissions with a text that speaks to issues related to the mission of the Center, which states:

William Jewell College establishes the Center for Justice and Sustainability in order to develop in its students the commitment, competence, and confidence to address significant societal, economic, and ecological challenges facing society.

Go here to find out more about the details of this competition.