The Epic Health Seminar, The Epilogue

The results of the seminar were apparent immediately. An hour after the seminar ended, more than half of the 27 families came out to help finish the first four. The brand new president of the health comittee, Victor, took note of the number of hours each person worked. That night he scheduled work days for Saturday and Sunday, and then sent my host mom, the Vocal, out to spread the word to everyone in the project.

On Saturday as I walked around the community I noticed that 5 rainwater catchment tanks had new covers on them. One woman showed me the new lid on her trash can. When I had lunch with my host family on Sunday, my host mom scolded my little brother for eating food off of the floor. In my 3 months living there, that had never happened. Just before I had to leave on Sunday we finished the handwashing station on the first completed latrine. 1 down, and 3 more oh-so-close.

I left on Sunday after the seminar to do a water committee seminar and to help Danielle build a composting latrine in Lajas Blancas, the next community down river from me. When I called my community to check in on Wednesday, Misael asked me when I would be bringing the latrine seat mold back. When I asked him why, he told me the following, and I was so shocked I couldn't breathe.

The new pastor of the church had attended my seminar and asked if we could build a composting latrine for the church. I told him yes, the one we built in his name could be there for the church. He asked if we could automatically put it in the next group since so many people would use it. To that I said no, because it was not fair to those who already have the work hours put in. He understood that, and we agreed that those who wanted could choose to put their hours or part of their hours towards the church latrine to help it make the top 5 sooner.

Apparently as soon as I left, the church discussed and decided they did not want to wait even that long. Last February they had held a big fundraiser to make a concrete church instead of the wood plank church with a dirt floor that we currently have. Pulling the funds from that, they bought the materials needed and have ALREADY BUILT another composting latrine for the congregation.

To anyone not a PCV the magnitude of that might not be immediately apparent. We focus on creating sustainable projects, things that the community can maintain and replicate after the Volunteer has left. Moiz and I succeeded. They built a composting latrine with their own money, their own tools, their own knowledge and experience, and they organized themselves enough on their own to do so.

In my creating change research, it told me over and over to create a strong beginning and define a strong ending, and the rest will fall into place. If that is not a strong beginning, I don't know what is. There are still many challenges and unforeseen frustrations ahead, but I'm not worried about it. Poco a poco, Playona will get there.