Un poquito sobre mi casa... A little bit about my house

The internet drought is finally over! Hurrah!!! For some reason my mobile internet stick wasn't connecting to the network properly for almost two weeks but it seems ok now.  And so, the first order of business is to describe my new house.  I can't believe I haven't posted any pictures yet so here they are.  I guess this is just a little sneak peak for my parents and Julie since they'll be here to see it in person in about a week!

So, mi casa is about five minutes off the main road that runs through Catacamas.  It's certainly not a very big house but that is totally fine with me considering I have to clean it!  There is so much dust from the roads that I have to sweep every day and all the dishes need to be covered with tea towels.  Right next door lives Doris, the administrative assistant for Diaconía’s Olancho office.  Her house is pretty much a bigger version of my house and she lives there with her husband Noé and her children Pedro and Alejandra.  It's nice having a family nearby, especially when Doris makes delicious soups and other treats. 

The view of the yard from my back door.
There are about three medium-sized mango trees and a few plantain trees too.

I am really thankful to have running water!  Noé works for our neighbourhood water board so I just pay the monthly fee directly to him.  It costs about 100 lempira or $5/month.  We get water every second day and that is more than enough to fill the pila and the large black tank above the house.  The tank supplies water to the sink in the bathroom and the shower.  The shower head has an electric heater to warm up the water as it passes through but it is often so hot here that the water is already hot from sitting in the black tank all the time. 

My pila!

I use the pila to wash my dishes and my clothes. Learning to do laundry was quite the experience and the first couple weeks I got friction burns on my palms.  I buy a 5-gallon bottle of water about every two weeks for cooking and drinking.  So far I haven't had many problems with the water.  I did get a little sick for two days after accepting a coffee with milk from one of DN's micro-enterprise clients.  All in all, it was pretty minor and totally normal for foreigners. 

 

My house also has electricity which is great but it isn't always very reliable.  Our power grid supports a lot of communities around Catacamas and it doesn't really have the capacity to meet all the demand.  As a result, the lights often dim around supper time and sometimes the power cuts out completely for 30 minutes or more.  When the power is eventually restored it sometimes sends an initial surge of electricity which can damage stereos, computers, photocopiers, etc. 

The Diaconía office here in Olancho had to replace some of their equipment recently because of this type of wear and tear.  It is possible that in the near future DN will need to submit a proposal to install a solar panel.  This potential solution could offer more consistent electricity and support the development of sustainable energy sources.  One of the things we are praying for is that Diaconía might find a partner organization to sponsor this solar panel project.  Of course there are a lot of projects we would like to accomplish but I thought this one was especially intriguing! 

A view of the mountains from my yard. 

CRWRC's Evaluation of Diaconia Nacional

Sorry it has been so long since my last posting.  The last couple of weeks have actually been pretty busy which is great.  I am starting to feel a little more settled in my new environment and my position with Diaconía Nacional.  January 25^th to 28^th we were all busy traveling around the department of Olancho to meet with community leaders.  Every three years CRWRC completes a comprehensive evaluation of their partner organizations and these meetings are an invaluable part of the process.  So some of their representatives travelled from Tegucigalpa to see what Diaconía has been up to in these communities for the last three years. 
 

Each community meeting followed the same general format but it was interesting to hear their unique experiences, priorities and attitudes.  Honduran culture is very relationship oriented so, after the opening prayer, each person took the time to stand up, introduce themselves and describe their role in the community.  The next order of business was the history of the community – when was this area settled and what was it named after?  For the most part, the CRWRC workers had never been in that particular community before which makes it important to start with this fundamental narrative.   



Our meeting took place inside the
 Christian Reformed Church in El Carrizal



CRWRC is also very concerned about the future of the community and they asked a lot of questions about their plans.  When Diaconía starts working in an area the first thing they do together is write out the community’s major goals and vision for the next 5 to 10 years.   Ultimately, CRWRC wants to know their priorities and how Diaconía Nacional’s projects are helping to actualize these goals.   Some other key elements of the evaluation process involved themes of social justice and equity, the role of the church in the community, women in leadership positions, communal decision-making, and co-operation with other local church denominations.  



The Olancho evaluation team visited four communities: El Carrizal, El Guanabano, Escoto, and El Coyolar.  As I expected, the coffee project was an important topic for El Carrizal as the farmers have really benefitted from a few years of training in soil conservation and organic farming strategies.  It was very encouraging to hear the stories from Guanabano.  They highlighted the community’s effort to work co-operatively with the local Catholic church and their hopes for an even more productive credit union this year.  The meeting in Escoto dealt a lot with their plans for a water project.  Most of the neighbouring barrios have gravity fed water systems but Escoto struggles to power the pump necessary for their system.  El Coyolar was another great community to visit – especially since the King’s University’s Honduras Water Project team was there just last May!  The water project was completed only a few months later and the people of El Coyolar were very appreciative of Diaconía’s support. 



An individual from El Guanabano showing CRWRC staff
the results of his training with DN regarding the environment and agriculture.

 

The last question (and probably one of the most important questions) involved suggesting a hypothetical scenario where Diaconía Nacional would have to withdraw support from that community in order to meet the pressing needs of another community – how would the community respond?  Every non-profit organization faces the same unfortunate reality: limited resources to deal with a daunting list of needs.  It is really rewarding and engaging for the DN staff to work with enthusiastic communities but there is always a point where the people need to take ownership of their own development plans.  The mission statements of CRWRC and Diaconía both illustrate the importance of honouring and developing the potential of individuals and their communities.  The goal is to equip people to recognize their strengths, support one another, and ultimately take action to work for a better future.   

In response to this scenario, all the groups communicated their desire to continue working with Diaconía Nacional.  However, a few leaders reverently stood up, expressed their sincere gratitude to DN and then graciously admitted that there are a lot of communities in worse situations.  Essentially, these admirable leaders recognized their needs in a larger context and committed to maintaining their development plans should DN have to withdraw its support.  That may have been one of the clearest indications that the work of CRWRC and Diaconía Nacional is genuinely empowering individuals and transforming their communities.



Our lunch in El Coyolar was interrupted
by a sudden downpour so we all had
 to squeeze in underneath the porch roof

 

DN staff member, Isai Moreno, with a parrot from
 Escoto that was unable to attend the meeting...