Finishing the Project

On Monday March 16th, I had tried to hold a work day. We were over halfway through building the last 6 latrines. Only 2 people showed, of the 36 workers there should have been and over the last several weeks I had been running into this problem consistently. Nearing the end, families were getting tired. It had been several months of hard manual labor. That afternoon I called an emergency mandatory meeting and had a chat with all of the project families. I asked them who the project belonged to, and we again talked about how this was not Amber's latrine project, that this was Playona's project. The health committee started this project before me and they would continue it after me.

I clarified that the project was not about who has spent more hours working for who, but about improving the health of their children, their families, their neighbors and friends. We reflected on the trainings where we learned that the issue of child malnutrition and illness was a serious life-threatening risk in the community. I asked them to think back to the health seminar and picture the health goals they set, and we talked about how even if your family has a latrine, unless your neighbors do too, you and your family are still at risk.

I explained to them that they were the one large scale, completely successful composting latrine project in the entire country of Panama and that other communities were looking to them to be an example. Their eyes widened to hear that the failure of composting latrine projects in Playona would not just affect them, but the entire Comarca, the entire Darien, and the entirety of Panama. I told them I didn't want to blame anyone, that I understood that everyone was busy and had a lot of responsibilities, and we were all tired. I asked them for more communication and more participation. If the planned work days were bad for their schedule, we could change them, but they couldn’t continue to plan work days and just not show up for them. Without better communication and renewed motivation, the project would fall apart.

At the end of the conversation, the usually boisterous and argumentative, always shouting group of Emberá were quiet. They agreed with what I was saying and decided to commit to finishing this round of latrines within the week. The next day, 15 workers showed. Wednesday, we were back down to 3. Thursday, what ended up being my last day in site, there were 7 workers. I wasn't sure my conversation had worked. Thursday afternoon I was asked to leave my site due to security concerns in the region. I left the project in the hands of the Health Committee and reviewed what needed to be done in about 5 minutes before I had to leave. 

In the following weeks, I was evacuated from my site and relocated on the other side of the country. When I was escorted back to get my stuff, and to explain to the community why I no longer lived there, the latrines had not been touched in my absence and my health committee was nowhere to be found. In the shock and confusion, one of my latrine owners came up to me and said, "Amber, what happens with the project now?" All I could do was tearfully apologize and say that it was up to them now, that I could no longer be a part of it.

When I came back for my goodbye party in May, I had no idea what to expect. I had been able to communicate very little with my community in my months away. While the women began cooking my goodbye meal, I walked over to my house where a bunch of my guys were finishing my latrine. It had been half built when I left in March. That morning, they put the finishing touches on my latrine and proudly showed off the other completed latrines, as well as the 22 post-construction surveys I had left with them. I was speechless. They put aside their family feuds and community politics to work together to finish the project for my goodbye party. I have never been so proud of them. They did it. I was not even there, I was barely able to call them during my time away, but they made it a priority to get it done so that I could be sure to see them. 

My Health Committee president, Victor, told me, "You worked so hard on our latrines, I just wanted you to be able to use yours one time before you left!" My counterpart, Atilio, said, "We are serious about the project. We want you to take pictures of our latrines and show your bosses that we are committed and dedicated to the health of Playona. It's super important." And my second host dad, Jorge, said, "I am sorry that you have to go. I was looking forward to having time to hang out with you and have you teach me how to make sandwiches in your last couple months. But I am very grateful that I had the chance to build my latrine with you. Thank you."