Two Sides of the Same Mountains - Pico Duarte

  Pico Duarte is the highest point in the Caribbean and feels like an oasis of quiet and cold. Set 3000meters above sea level it escapes the claustrophobic dome of heat and humidity that traps the majority of Dominican cities in a cloud of deafening noise and general discomfort. Recently I spent four days with a guide and some other volunteers hiking up into the best vacation I’ve taken in this Caribbean paradise. The hike starts in a small campo outside of Jarabacoa called, La Cienega. After a night spent in the park office you spend the first full day climbing through a changing forest starting along a stream  lined with bamboo with sketchy bridges patched with old bathrooms signs. After passing through mixed palms with a lush humid tropical feeling, the pines start to appear and the breezes smell sweet of honey and pine.

Just before reaching the first camp we passed the head of the Yaque del Sur, one of the larger rivers that flows through to the south of the country. It was here that I started to realize where I was geographically and started to feel and see the connection between the park we were in and the highway that has a giant bridge crossing this same trickle of water along the southern coast of the country.

The reward for climbing 18km is a well-developed camp fully equipped with flushing toilets and running potable water. The sleeping bunk is a wooden long house and the kitchen could easily hold fifty cooking fires – certainly ready to accommodate the hundreds of Dominican visitors that come up around Christmas time.  Before an early bed time, we relished in the simple pleasures of cold fresh air, warm drinks, and good company.   

The bright city lights of La Vega and Santiago shined in the early morning darkness as we climbed through the 4am fog of day two. Recognizing I was making space with each step between me and all the stress associated with the heat and commotion down below powered the trudge to the top. We made it just before the sun rose over the crest of the mountains. Hiding out until sun rise our guide Manolo sat protected from the wind behind the statue of Senor Duarte and the Dominican flag.  Arriving was cold and windy, but true to the Caribbean, the sun rose and burned off the clouds unveiling a 360 degree view of the sun-kissed tops of the Cordillera Central.

Walking back down the mountain on a seemingly new path in the daylight reveals the skeleton of an old-growth pine forest and the beginnings of the next generation. The result of a forest six years back is breathtaking views for miles and miles as all the trees growing lush aren’t much higher than six or seven feet. We reached the ridge leading to the valley with our camp and could see our destination about five hours before our arrival. The valley was the ultimate prize after a long downhill hike, complete with clear running rivers, sunning rocks and little waterfalls.

The natural cycle of forest fires and re-growth reminded me we were in a park where accidental human caused forest fires are frowned upon. The Dominicans running the park and in charge of tours understand this sentiment and the value of protected areas, but folks living just on the other side of the range still practice slash and burn agriculture. The village I live in sits in the Southern foothills of the exact same mountain range. Farmers climb up into the mountains in search of more rain for their bean crops. I’ve had several conversations with farmers and kids alike as we hike in the hills behind my house and look at the beautiful scenery scarred by acres and acres of burning in preparation for planting. While they recognize the beauty and see the contrast with the burned areas, many feel that they should have a right to plant and use the land in the park which borders the farthest reaching farmland. It is hard to understand why anyone would want to burn such a lush and pure treasure, but when it comes to producing food to feed families I often feel like I don’t have a right to argue. The benefits of national parks and conservation sites are obviously huge and important for a country so rich in natural beauty, but sometimes I wish the economic benefits were more direct, and easier to understand and explain.

Yay! Latrines are happening!

After months of fundraising, organizing, and preparations, we’ve actually started building latrines. It’s exciting and almost hard to believe its happening; this project was once just a thought in my head and I was so easily lost in all the steps to get to this point that I think I lost touch with the reality that one day physical construction would begin. Before I continue, I want to thank all of the generous donors, old friends, and family members, who donated to the grant needed to make this happen, and also to the Post Crescent for publishing an article to help raise awareness about the project.

As planned, we started with a little workshop to talk about the importance of hand-washing and proper hygiene techniques. Each of the families receiving a latrine attended and made a simple hand-washer that will be attached to their latrine once they are complete.

After the workshop, we ran into a bit of a challenge collecting sand. The community was responsible for the collection of the sand needed to mix with the cement for the floors of the latrines. However after discussing exactly how much sand was needed, we decided that 10 trips to the river for each person with their donkey or mule was just a few too many and that a truck was necessary. As trucks are hard to come by, we relied on the local political leader for the use of the municipality truck to lug sand from the river. We jumped through several political hoops to make this happen: passing a week working to obtain an environmental permit to take material from the river that we ended up not using because it expired before the trucks tires were fixed, then waiting another week for new tires to be put on, a few more days since the driver only wanted to work on the weekend so he could be paid extra for working on his day off…etc, etc.

Luckily, despite being down a few extra pesos and a bit behind our roughly planned schedule we had most of our sand and everyone came with their animals and wheel barrows to bring it back to their homes.  While it certainly would have been easier to have just bought the sand from the hardware store, sand was part of the community contribution – and important part of the process that intends to allow local ownership to a project funded primarily by Americans. 

Next we had the grand delivery of almost all the materials from the hardware store. Everyone showed up to unload the truck and take a look at all the goods. We are storing everything at a community member’s house – a gracious sacrifice as his living space has since been taken over by all of our tools and materials.

We spend the next week measuring out the holes that each family has to dig out for their pit. But first you have to make a cement/rock lining at the top of the latrine to ensure stability. Also, we inserted the PVC tube that acts as a vent and insect killer for the bathroom. After filling in this ring at the top everyone began the arduous task of digging down 10 feet with a diameter of just over 3 ft.

Checking out the Progress...

Diggin' Deep

Meet Mariano: The local jack of all and every trade:

While none of the housed were mounted in the first week – Mariano (local carpenter/mason/health promoter/great friend who is working for very cheap to build the latrines) finished one caseta to have a model to work from (pictured above).

Post Crescent Newspaper Article Link - Project Donation Information

http://www.postcrescent.com/article/20110201/APC04/110131124/Peace-Corps-volunteer-from-Appleton-looks-for-an-assist-from-hometown

Dancing Baby

Learning to dance and walk at the same age...no wonder so many booties around here shake it in a way I just cant get down.

Carrot Harvest!! Jan 15, 2011

Finally picked some of the first veggies from the backyard garden! Tasty treats as well as great motivation for the local kiddos to get going on their own garden space. Thanks to the above helper for building my chicken proof fencing!

La tranquilidad de enero --- A Calming January

There are many spanish words, that translate obviously into English, called cognates. Such words are easy to remember and were of great use to me the first few months in this country. But then there are those that translate nicely, such as tranquilo – meaning calm or quiet, or tranquil – but mean so much more when used in Spanish. Tranquilo is one of these words for me. For example, when asked “how are you” in English, would you ever answer with “Oh, I’m calm” or  “I’m quiet” or “Oh, I’m here feeling tranquil.”? Probably not. But a common response on a lazy Sunday afternoon to the same questions gives the answer of “Aqui, tranquilo” or “Tranqui” if you are speaking with a hip teenager. There is a state of being that seems to be so much more relaxed here, especially in the rural "campo" areas that just doesn't exist back in the States. With all of our connections and access to facebook, email, cell phones, and all the new Apple products, we are rarely just hangin' out and tranquil is the last word I would use to describe the thoughts, worries and to-dos that constantly run through the average American's head. I'm not saying all Dominicans are live care-free lives and Americans are crazy worry-worts...maybe the difference is just in the way free time is often spent outside sitting in the shade gossiping versus reading the news on the internet indoors. I've posted a few photos of a few tranquilo afternoons and evenings I've been fortunate to enjoy the last few weeks.

 While I do miss the seasons, and a taste of winter when I was home for the holidays was nice...it actually kind of changes here too. The pictures above show what my little town looks like now...much drier than a few months ago. Given it hasn't rained in over a month, most of the green is gone and turned to brown. Several of the trees have lots their leaves as they go into the dormant-dry period which is similar to the cold-winter season. It felt a bit like fall on this walk as we tramped through brown leaves that had fallen to the ground in previous days. There's been some windy afternoons bringing rain-threatening clouds; 70 degrees and breezy has been feeling a bit crisp.

Explanations for Donations!

7 January, 2011 

Aside from being a splendidly relaxing break from the trials of Peace Corps life, my visit to the States over the holidays gave me some new perspectives on fundraising for the projects I am trying to complete here in the D.R. Talking with friends and family about donating to a “latrine project,” was tough practice in trying to sum up a few months of work in a short conversation. And I realized quickly that despite how accustomed to the way of life in the rural Dominican Republic, people back home have little to no idea about living conditions and the ensuing needs in the community I live in. It is easy to forget to say that there isn’t a plumbing system when you use a pit toilet for the bathroom several times a day. That being said, as I proposed donating money to a “pit toilet” or “latrine” project in rural Dominican Republic, I was somewhat unprepared for wide variety of responses I received. While some were very supportive and wanted to know more information right away, others were appalled at the thought of giving money to build toilets. I attribute both my unpreparedness and their reactions to a fault of proper and more thorough explanations about the project. So I am dedicating this post to descriptions of everyday life in the campo I live in as well as a more detailed version of the proposed “latrine project.

Community Need

For starters, the rural community I live in consists of about 500 people and does not have a plumbing system; none of the families have running water inside their homes and all bathrooms are pit toilets outside of the home in the back yard (imagine a permanent porta-potty). However, not everyone has access to a sanitary bathroom (yes latrines can be clean, not smelly, and very sanitary). As soon as I began visiting the homes of my neighbors in the community, the lack of access to proper bathroom facilities was evident. One day after spending a couple of hours at one household, I casually asked to use the restroom. The mother glanced at her husband and two adolescent children, all speechless and displaying quiet looks of embarassment... and then she explained my options: I could hike up the hill into the fields, or walk down to the stream, as these are their two available bathrooms. These are the options for 30% of the families in this community.        

An example of an old latrine that doesn't work anymore because it caved in due to improper construction techniques and  improper use and maintenance.

Community Priority                                                

  Improving access to sanitary bathrooms is a priority for this community because without them the health of the entire community is sacrificed. About 25% of the families in Las Auyamas do not receive water from the new aqueduct system; they gather water for drinking, washing, and cooking from the stream that winds through town.  However, frequent repairs to the aqueduct can take weeks at a time, leaving the entire community dependent on water from the stream.  The homes of Las Auyamas are oriented around the stream, and those who don't have a latrine are using the bathroom within the drainage system of the same water the entire community relies upon. Families without latrines are also at increased risk of fecal-mouth contamination as there is no sanitary separation between bathroom and everyday living spaces. Additionally, the lack of running water makes the habit of washing hands after use of the bathroom challenging. Without the knowledge and skills offered during the workshop portion of this project many families will be left without the opportunity to make handwashing a household habit.

Community Direction and Involvement

Several members of community identified the need for sanitary bathrooms during interviews completed at the beginning of my service. The concern has been vocalized and shared with me since the day I arrived in site. My neighbors, Rosa and Jose were the first to propose a latrine project during a discussion we had about sharing my latrine when I moved into the house next to theirs since they don't have one. With their help, we formed the Committee for Sanitary Bathrooms in Las Auyamas to try and organize the people in need of latrines. While the committee is made up primarily of families who don't have bathrooms, their are also several people who have latrines attending meetings simply to show their support for the group's initiative.                                                        

 Members of the community have been influential in planning the logistics and preparing resources for the project. One member of the Committee, Lurino, has been responsible for communicating and working with the mayor to help with transport of the sand. Another member, will be providing an entire room in his home to store materials for the duration of the project. Each beneficiary will be closely involved in the implementation of the project, as they are providing the manual labor for the actual building of the latrines. The Committee has also agreed to assist the families who do not have capable workers available for the manual labor needed to complete construction.                                         

  The masons for the project are two local health promoters, Guitarr Arnaut and Mariano Jimenez. They were the local leaders of an externally-funded latrine project completed five years ago. They have been responsible for planning the material list and organizing the timeline of the project. Having built over 50 latrines in the past, they provide first-hand experience in dealing with the challenges and logistics of latrine construction. As health promoters, they understand the importance of educating the beneficiaries on the proper use of the latrine and hygiene practices. They will be partially responsible for organizing and implementing the workshop portion of the project. 

My latrine out back at my house...similar to the latrine project proposed in this post.

           

Community Contribution

     A combination of manual labor, payment for the masons, and the collection of sand accounts for a community contribution of 39% of the total project cost.   Each family will provide three people for 4.5 days of unskilled manual labor. These laborers will spend 2.5 days digging the pit for the latrine and 2 days assisting the mason with the cement work and construction of the latrine house. At RD$250 a day, this equals RD$67,500. The community is also responsible for collection and transport of sand from a nearby river. A community member, Lurino de la Rosa, has arranged for the mayor to help transport the sand with his truck from the river to each of the families' homes. The equivalent cost of sand if we were to buy it is RD$7,950. The mason assisting the building of each latrine will recieve RD$800, the community will pay RD$500; for 20 latrines a total contribution of RD$10,000. While the partnership will cover transport costs of materials from San Juan to the storage site in Las Auyamas, each family willl be responsible for transporting materials from the storage site to their individual homes. The total community contribution is thus 39% of the total cost, or RD$85,450 of RD$218,620.       

Project Implementation

The first phase of the project is the educational workshop to be given through the meetings of Committee of Sanitary Bathrooms in Las Auyamas. Attendance at one of two meetings will be mandatory for the beneficiaries to receive their latrine. The workshop has three main objectives: 1.) Provide information on proper use and maintenance of their latrine; 2.) Discuss proper hygiene practices and provide instruction on making a simply hand-washing device; 3.) Create a site visitation and building schedule. At this meeting we will also review the responsibilities of the families for the preparation and building of their latrine. Guitarr Arnaut and Mariano Jimenez are responsible for presenting information on the proper uses and maintenance of the latrines. Then they will assist me in a presentation about the importance of proper hygiene and handwashing techniques. We will provide information about the routes of transmission of common illlnesses, and how they can be prevented simply by washing hands after bathroom use. To encourage these behaviors we will guide a session on creating and installing simple handwashing devices made of gallon jugs and string to be used with the new latrines. Lastly, we will create the preliminary site visit and building schedule with the masons and the beneficiaries.                                                                                            

The second phase of the project includes the collection of materials, site verification and preparation for building day. In this phase the families will be responsible for collecting sand to be transported to the building sites. Lurino is in charge of organizing the transportation of the sand from the river to the sites with the help of the mayor's truck. Guitarr and I will be visiting each of the families homes to verify where the latrine will be built. During this visit we will also discuss and review the proper-use information presented at the workshop with the family.  I will be responsible for travelling to the hardware store in San Juan to order materials which will be delivered within 24 hours to the storage site in Las Auyamas. Community member, Ortinio, will be responsible for storing the materials in an extra room in his home until each of the families is able to come and retrieve them. Once their site has been approved, each family will be responsible for transporting their materials to their own homes. Finally, the family can begin digging the first part of the pit for their latrine so it is ready for the masons to line with cement.                                                                                                                 

 The third phase is the construction of the latrines. The families will be responsible for providing three laborers during the construction of the latrines. Mariano and Guitarr,  the masons, will be working together on each of the latrines, moving to two or three different sites each day. The families and the masons will be responsible for following the schedule and communicating needs to ensure that the assistants are present on the days the masons need them.     

The final and fourth phase is follow-up visitations. One month after their completion, Guitarr Arnaut and I will be visiting each of the sites to ensure the proper use and care of the latrine. We will be checking to see that only bathroom waste is being placed in the pit, and that everything is in working order. During these visits we will also discuss with the families the effectiveness of the hand-washing device, verify its use, and review the importance of proper hygiene.

Project Sustainability

Families receiving latrines will have gained knowledge about proper bathroom hygiene and how to maintain a sanitary restroom for their household. They will understand the importance of personal hygiene and be able to construct a hand-washing device that can aid in the convenience of washing hands regularly. With the building of 20 new latrines, the community will be provided with the opportunity to live healthier, more sanitary lives. The community has shown their commitment and willingness to improve health by participating in local health promotion activities and meetings organized by the health promoters from Plan International as well as the meetings of the Committee for Sanitary Bathrooms.  The information presented during this project supports the efforts of Plan International and the community members' desire to live healthier lives.        

The Committee for Sanitary Bathrooms in Las Auyamas is responsible for organizing logistics such as transport of materials and building schedules. Through this experience, the beneficiaries will learn valuable organizational and project management skills that may be utilized in future community projects.                                                                                                          

The sustainability of the physical structures of the latrines can be assured as the masons for the project live in the community and have previous experience with construction and maintenance of latrines. We will be using the same design used in a project from five years ago, where all of the latrines built are still in use. The masons are committed to visiting the homes of the beneficiaries one month after the construction of the latrine to ensure its proper use and functionality. Lastly, the beneficiaries of the project will gain first hand experience in the process of constructing and maintaining a latrine.

Still interested? If you, your friends, or any family members are in a position to donate (there is no minimum, and every bit is appreciated!) please stop by the below website, which is a direct link to a descriription of the project and directions to donate to the community's effort. From there, one can also access other Peace Corps projects all around the world in search of funding.  https://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=donate.contribute.projDetail&projdesc=517-407