Photos

Guanábana, my new favorite fruit

Porcupine-type creature

Building a latrine floor slab with a view

A completed latrine floor slab

Pirri

Building a floor slab

Damián opening a mamé (similar to a cross between a melon and a papaya)

A black and white walking stick

Jyósi hauling a 3" tube for a river crossing, the Pacific Ocean in the background

Pedro Justino and Angel working on an air escape

The exception to the rule.

I´m in the thicket of both the Water System and Latrine projects, with excellent macheteros. I´m actually busy on a daily basis, enjoying it all. The water system now has all of the pipes laid from the source to the community, about five kilometers in total, roughly 800 6-meter pipes. We´re now finishing the numerous river-crossings, cementing the pipes, and testing as we go. I hike to the community just about every other morning, they feed me, we organize ourselves, and then hike up into the hills carrying what we need. Yesterday I received a place of rice with thick reptile arm and leg pieces covered in a cocoanut and tomatoe sauce - iguana: the best meal I´ve had in Panama - surprisingly tender skin and meat, and the hardboiled iguana eggs were excellent as well. Every day except Sunday roughly 10 to 25 people are working, coordinated by atleast two members of the Water Committee, and there is more than enough motivation for them to work smoothly without me. There were a few days of frustrating struggles with air pockets that build up and become stuck at peaks in gravity flow systems, blocking the water if enough pressure is formed. A device exists that releases the air and not the water, but the cost is betweem 20 and 80 dollars and getting to the closest place that sells them would require a two-day trip. We eventually cured the problem areas with screw cap slightly untightened at the peaks, letting the air escape and leaking only nominal water - once the system is running normally, no more air should enter the system so we can completely tighten the screw caps. That required a bit of critical thinking, which has been severely lacking from my time here - it was very welcome. The most exciting aspect of the air problem is that a few of the community members were able to understand the root cause and how the solution works. Purchasing such a large value of materials here enabled us to receive significant discounts, so at this time it looks like the funds will be able to reach further than anticipated. Also, the politician who committed to supply the source structure materials came through in a timely manner, which is very rare.

The latrine materials arrived this week via an old US military cargo truck owned by the hardware store, which is just about the only type of vehicle that could haul everything up to the community considering the condition of the path. There´s now about a week for everyone to carry their own supplies (40 liters of sand, 40 liters of gravel, a 42.5kg sack of cement, two 1¨x3¨x12´ pieces of lumber, and two 30-foot bars of reinforcement steel) from the community center to their homes, which is about 2km down a precarious path in some cases. There were originally 15 participants in the project, but one has failed twice to meet deadlines so we´ve dropped him out of fear that the materials would end up being wasted on a permanently-incomplete latrine - the community is not used to real deadlines, so this is a good lesson, just like I learned in school when trying to hand in an assignment after the due date; the unused materials will either be used for a latrine for another family in need or for a garbage disposal location that the Health Committee has been wanting for the community. We have three days set next week to complete the latrines - Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Three Coordinators will make their concrete floor slabs with me on Thursday so that they are all clear on the process, and then Friday and Saturday two groups of three will work each day, each led by one of the Coordinators. Three the first day, six the next day, then five the last day (6 minus the ex-participant). Then a week for them to build the walls out of palm leaves, wood, mud & straw (waddle-and-daub), or zinc sheet metal before they receive the zinc roof sheets. This project also has surplus funds, so we may be able to complete another round of a few more latrines in the community. The governor of the province seems to be realistically set to provide the fiberglass seats as committed, which will be another exciting instance of the government coming through for the rural poor.

To all of the donors to these projects: I have not yet received the list of donors, so I don´t know who to thank. I will, in theory, eventually receive said list, and will then be able to shower you in thanks from the communities and me.

Donating to Peace Corps Projects

UPDATE: MY PROJECTS HAVE BEEN FULLY FUNDED, SO THE BELOW LINKS ARE NO LONGER ACTIVE. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT.

As you may know, I have been serving in the Peace Corps in Panama since August 2007. I have been concentrating my efforts within two rural communities called Limón and Pedregoza - I live in Limón and Pedregoza is a short 30-minute hike to the east. I have been working with a committee of locals within each of the communities to identify and plan a Community Water System Project in Pedregoza and a Community Latrine Project in Limón - I consider these projects to be, in many ways, the culmination of my Peace Corps service. Large cost components of these projects are being carried by the locals themselves (mainly through free labor), while government officials within the province have agreed to provide part of the materials. The remainder of the project cost is being coordinated through Peace Corps´ Office of Private Sector Initiatives (https://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=resources.donors.contribute.donatenow), which has placed the project details online for potential donors to review and make tax-deductible contributions online. I am contacting you to invite you to make a tax-deductible contribution to these projects.

There are very few things in life to which I am more averse than soliciting funds - so let´s not view this email in that light. If you have ever felt interested in participating in a project geared to reducing poverty in the developing world, this is an excellent opportunity. All contributions - 100% - go to the materials needed for the project; no part goes to pay any person, no part goes to any bureaucracy, no food, no parties - none of that. All funding goes to water/sanitation improvements for the rural poor of Pedregoza and Limón. I have spent over a year getting to know these communities and ensuring all aspects of sustainability are covered, i.e., when I leave Peace Corps these projects will continue to benefit the communities. In the case that we finish a project under-budget, the funds go to projects of other Peace Corps Volunteers. I am personally in charge of all accounting (which I have to report back to Peace Corps), which hopefully comforts you. So if you have been hesitant to donate to large, bureaucratic organizations serving the developing world, here is a prime opportunity to ensure that your donations goes to our world´s poor and not bureaucrats. Unfortunately, this opportunity will be open to individual donors like you only through the end of this month (that´s just two weeks), at which point the support of NGOs in the USA will be sought.

That said, feel no pressure or guilt as a reason to donate. Think of this as an opportunity to collaborate directly with the rural poor of Panama through my Peace Corps service. Take advantage of that opportunity if it moves you - my neighbors and I certainly hope it does! Please spread the word to anyone you think might be interested.

PROJECT DETAILS:

COMMUNITY WATER SYSTEM - La Pedregoza, Republic of Panama
Donate online: https://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=resources.donors.contribute.projDetail&projdesc=525-104
Project details and budget attached as Pedregoza Water PCPP.doc
Technical/design information is available

Located in the foothills of Panama's Cordillera mountain range is a community that is home to 234 Spanish-speaking Panamanians. Each of the 54 families presently spends an estimated 80 minutes retrieving water from unprotected water holes in the area—a task typically delegated to women and children—with five-gallon buckets that were originally the containers of chemical compounds. A survey of homes completed by the locals showed one third of the community's children under the age of five suffering from diarrhea. Meetings to discuss a possible water system within the community produced nearly full community attendance and a strong Water Committee was created and charged with leading this Community Water System Project.

This projects aims to construct a gravity-based water system for the community. The system will be fed from a nearby hill, using a seepage collection structure that catches the flows from two natural springs. From the source, water will flow through over four kilometers of PVC pipe to two community tap stands—one at the primary school and another at the center of town. The project is designed to enable the construction of a reserve tank and connections to each house in the future. In addition to the construction activities, a critical component of the project is capacity development within the community to ensure sustainability of the project.


COMMUNITY LATRINES - El Limón, Republic of Panama
Donate online: https://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=resources.donors.contribute.projDetail&projdesc=525-105
Project details and budget attached as Limón Latrines PCPP.doc

A village in the province of Cocle is home to 245 Spanish-speaking Panamanians living in approximately 55 homes. The community is accessed via a sixty-minute walk from the nearest paved road and has no electricity. Community members spend their days on sustenance farming or sewing traditional hats to sell.

A survey of this community was conducted by the Health Assistant and PCV in January 2008, and included the issue of sanitation. The survey data shows that roughly 25% of homes have no latrine. Of the latrines in the community, 25% are used by more than seven people, with the highest number of users being 16. Additionally, 26% of the latrines being used are in dangerous condition or have a full pit. No latrines in the community use the appropriate technology of a moveable floor slab.

This project will introduce the sustainable, appropriate technology of moveable floor slabs to this community. Moveable floor slabs will remove the primary factor that motivates the over-use of latrine pits: the cost of building a new floor slab for a new latrine pit. The moveable slab can simply be moved from the full pit to the new pit.

The homes with greatest need—those without a latrine—will be included in this project, which provides the materials for a total of fifteen latrines.



Andrew T. Hable
Water Resources and Environmental Engineering Volunteer
Peace Corps-Panama

"Red by black: friend of Jack. Red by yellow: kills a fellow."

The Central American coral snake. Venomous: "The venom of coral snakes, like that of cobras, acts on the nervous system and causes paralysis; the mortality rate among humans who are bitten is high." Hiking from my community to the road (an hour hike) I almost stepped on this one. By no means the first I´ve seen.

River shrimping

A neighbor of mine and I went "river shrimping" in a local stream. Just after sunset we hiked up a few kilometers of stream with a flashlight in one hand and a machete in the other, searching for the light's reflection off the shrimps' eyes. We saw a 6-7 foot boa constrictor slither out of the water, countless giant spiders. My favorite part may have been scaling the cliffs of two waterfalls, about 20-30 feet each - reaching from roots to vines. The bounty was delicious, needless to say.

Projects

Working with a committee of locals from the neighboring community with no access to safe water, Pedregoza, we've completed a project plan for the first phase of a community water system. The project will include the small catchment structure at the source springs in the hills and about five kilometers of 1.5" and 2" PVC pipe to the community center and school, providing two communal water outlets. We have managed to find the 400 dollars for the source structure locally, from a national legislator who represents the area. For this "Phase I," the estimated $9,000+ in labor will be provided by the community, while the 8,800 dollars for the pipeline will be provided from the USA. Peace Corps will put an "ad" online with the ability for anyone to make online donations - I'll post the link here and send a mass email as well to give anyone interested the opportunity to contribute to the project. But, thankfully, we have secured the commitment of an NGO, Waterlines, to fund whatever has not been donated after a week or two up to the entire 8,800 dollars. So the project is secure, and we plan to begin as soon as the Washington, D.C. bureaucracy processes the request and funds. We hope to begin in January and have tap water in April. The construction of the source structure is nominal and in the shade, but burying five kilometers of pipe with nothing but shovels, pick-axes, and sweltering heat will take some time. The committee I'm working with is really well organized and has planned to split the 60 local workers up into three 20-person groups, with each group working two days each week. I feel confident letting the committee run itself and make decisions, and the community has continuously shown its commitment to work. We'll see how things go in February.

The latrine project in my own community is finalized as well. The project will consist of 15 latrines, going to households with no latrine. This project is being led by a small group of locals, including the new president of the health committee. I've had a bit more trouble finding cooperation and ambition in my community than in Pedregoza, but the new president happens to be my closest friend in the community so we work together well. I have had to play a slightly heavier role in planning this project, setting deadlines and requirements. For example, the participants will have to have the latrine pit dug before they receive the materials for the latrine floor slab (set over the pit), and will then have to have the walls built before they receive the roof (zinc) sheets. I hate to treat them like children, but there are too many cases of a pile of materials being given to a household for building a latrine, and then a year later the household has a pile of materials and no latrine. This project will also be financed through online donations, with a different NGO as the main donor - we have the 1,500 dollars secured. We should begin around February and be done in a month or two.

For the latrine project, we took two trips to the provincial capital, totaling 10 dollars in travel for the committee - a very significant expense, going to the Ministry of Health, District Mayor, Provincial Governor, and a "social investment" Fund of the Presidency with well-prepared requests (individual letters and budget), but have received nothing but a commitment of plastic latrine seats (which weren't a part of our request). Pedregoza had slightly more luck in these efforts, but not much.

Photos: Jesus and me (above), the tarantula that continuously returns to my house (above), two of my roosters and two of my hens, the path to Pedregoza, a praying mantis, a sloth.

Designs

I am finishing up the water system design for a neighboring community, and realizing how expensive it can be to build a properly-designed water system. Materials are coming out to cost about 20 thousand dollars. Ensuring that there is equity in service, that each house has sufficient pressure, requires larger pipe sizes that carry with them a much higher price. I am going to look at a few alternatives, because I am not sure how feasible it would be to fund the ideal solution.

We're also finishing up a proposal for moveable latrine floor slabs, which would be a new technology for the community. Currently, the community members would need to construct a new concrete slab to be used with a new latrine pit. With moveable floor slabs, when the pit is full, the slab can simple be relocated to a new pit, saving a significant amount of money. The cost of building a new slab for a new pit currently is the main reason why latrine pits are overused, i.e., continued to be used even though the pit is full.

Taking a break in Colombia for now.