Day 29 - Thursday 6/30/2011

Our time in Roatan is winding down. McWane, Shannon, and Karen (Shannon’s wife, who joined us last week) returned to Flagstaff today. Josh will stay another 10 days to assist Mercedes with video documentation for her research project. This trip has been fascinating, intense, physically tiring, and rewarding as we gained further knowledge and understanding of the island's issues and culture. The next phase is to organize and analyze all the information and data gathered, then develop proposals for future collaboration with the many communities, individuals, and organizations we have met.

Day 28 – Wednesday 6/29/2011

Today the volunteers from the colonia came through in full force. One of the women who had been unable to come on Tuesday had rounded up two other women and their children and met us at Pastor Ubence's church, ready to work. In total there were three women and about ten children. We were also fortunate to have the help of one of the older boys from the photography group. We all met up at around 9am and headed to the site of the 2nd check dam, which we decided to place about a hundred feet above the first dam. We started by explaining the steps involved in constructing the dam, discussed safety, and then dove into our work. Within a few hours the volunteers and their children had rounded up most of the rocks we would need and the ditch had been cleared out to make room for the rocks. With the sun beat down upon us, we made numerous trips to the two pulperias (convenience stores) across the street from us to by water and other refreshments. The team learned the precise method for filling plastic baggies full of drinks, tying a knot in them in just the right spot, and biting off one corner of the baggie to get at the delicious liquid inside. We were again grateful to Ricardo's pulperia for storing our tools in his home/shop and loaning us the large steel pipe that we used to bend the rebar. We were also grateful for the drinks he provided to the team and volunteers.

The rock shown above was stubborn and unwilling to move, but with pick axes, crowbars, and a lot of effort the team and volunteers were able to overcome its strength. The space left behind was refilled with a much larger rock, which would help to reinforce the sides of the dam.

By around 130pm the group and team had completed the project. We all felt extremely proud as we gathered around to take this photo.  Afterwards, we gave a bag with rice, beans, plantains, salt, and manteca vegetal (vegetable lard) to each family represented. The women told us that they enjoyed learning how to build the dam and made sure we had their phone numbers stored in our phone, emphasizing that they were at our disposal if we ever needed them. 

It was a good day.

Day 27 - Tuesday 6/28/11

Today, we built a check dam. We had hoped to have three or four volunteers that could work with us and see how the dams are built, but two canceled and the other two didn’t show up. No worries. Fortunately, one of the missionaries who is visiting from Georgia asked Enrique if he could help out with our project. We are immensely grateful for his help! The site we chose was located at the top of the road that ends below the 65,000 gallon tank. It was a prime spot with exposed PVC and deep cutting from erosion. As we worked, people gathered to see what we were doing. The owner of pulpería Ricardo, which was located across the street from the dam site, came out to check things out. At first, he told us that he could only help out a little because he was very busy, but I guess he was motivated by what we were doing and ended up staying with us and helping us dig and haul rock. Most endearing for us was the help we received from a group of about seven or eight children who lived in the area. As we began digging into the ditch, the kids stood above us, watching curiously. Mercedes asked two children standing nearby, a seven year-old girl and a chubby little four year old boy, if they wanted to help. Soon, all the children were running from one end of the street to the next looking for rocks, piling them into a wheel barrow we had borrowed from another neighbor, and dropping load after load by our work site. Their strength was impressive. We sincerely could not have gathered up as much rock in so short a time without their help. The entire process took about four hours, but we should be able to get the next one done in about two hours or so. We dug the dam trench, laid out the chicken wire, reinforcing it with rebar and placed long, large stones equally spaced along the trench. We have some great pictures of Josh Schwarzeneggering a few a baby boulders into their new home in the dam and children hauling rocks up the road.

It was very tiring work, but a check dam is now in place. The primary purpose of the structure is to slow down the water as it pours down the colonia valley during the rainy season. Hopefully, this will aid in reducing erosion cutting and help to cover up the exposed water line. We need to get together with either members of the patronato or LW4R to get updates on the effectiveness of the check dams. If it works, we can plan to do some more in future trips. If not, we’ll have to go back to the drawing board.

Later in the day, Mercedes went back to the colonia to work on the youth project. Unfortunately, Josh and McWane were a little undone by all the heavy lifting they had to do, so they stayed back to rest after a fairly brutal day’s work, which meant, unfortunately, that there won’t be any film footage of today’s photovoice project. The pictures that the kids are taking do not cease to amaze, nor does their ability to provide interesting analysis. Each week, Mercedes rounds the children up after a photo shoot to discuss the pictures they have taken and revise future plans with the kids. We learn A LOT about the colonia this way. One of the things we learned today through the kids’ pictures is that there is a house with a windmill on the roof that generates (though, apparently, cannot store) enough energy to power a television. In a country where electricity is 40-60 cents per kw hour (in Flagstaff we only pay 9-11 cents), that can potentially make a big difference. The kids are coming up with some interesting ways to use the photos and to transition to video. I look forward to what they come up with in the future. 

From Mercedes:

Today was day four of the photovoice project. The first hour or two was rough because I was still trying to recoup my energy after a morning of really hard work under the sun. Their only instruction today was to go out and take pictures of the things that they like about the colonia. We split into two different groups and off we went. Karen Clark went off with me and my group.

Because I am neither Honduran nor a resident of the colonia, I want the topics that we focus on to be driven by the kids as much as possible. The challenge is helping kids access this information and think critically about their environment. I have tried to scaffold the exercises I have them do in order to train their eyes and make them think a little more about composition. I think it is working because the pictures they take get more  and more interesting, as does their analysis. This weekend, I will have them choose their favorite pictures and do write ups on them. I had hoped to have them do that last week, but there just wasn't time.

I had not originally intended for children younger than 14 to be involved in the project, but I have a few children who quietly inserted themselves into it, and have become interesting additions. One little boy, in particular, a skinny little six year-old with a mean wink who haunts the neighborhood surrounding pastor Ubence's church, has started to become my second shadow. Everyone says the same thing about him: ese nino es muy travieso (that child is a troublemaker). But when I gave him a camera today and let him go free, I was amazed not only by how quiet and focused he became (Karen, Shannon's wife, commented about how serious his face got when he was taking pictures) but by the beauty of some of his pictures. One of my favorites is a picture he took of five children lined up at the counter of a soda/candy shop. The same was true for another little girl who has adopted herself into the group. Despite her young age, she has taken some truly beautiful pictures. Of course, these younger kids can't really verbalize the meaning behind these pictures. I just accept that they will take beautiful pictures and that the folks who view them will get it.

Day 26 - Monday 6/27/11

McWane went to the store to collect chicken wire, rebar, and some supplies for building the check dams. After collecting the supplies McWane went to the grocery store to collect groceries for the home and for the people that may be helping with the check dam.

We spent the first half of the day strategizing and doing data entry at the hotel. Then, in the afternoon, we hiked over to the colonia to collect the last of the trash bags that McWane distributed for the trash assessment. We decided it might not be a bad idea to list each item individually just to get a snap shot of  consumption practices in the community. It was actually an interesting exercise. We learned that people tend to have certain staples in their homes:

• Maseca corn flour
• Manteca vegetal (vegetable lard)
• Plantains
• Cubes of chicken or beef stock
• Rice
• Salt
• Sugar
• Instant noodle soup

We also learned that a lot of people are not composting, and they should - especially given how poor the soil is in Roatan. We complain a lot about having to do the trash analysis, but the reality is that it has given us some interesting data and a good excuse to go back and see people and neighborhoods we've already interviewed and see things we may not have picked up on the first time. In addition, three foreigners tramping around begging for trash tend to attract a lot of attention and curiosity, which boosts visibility.

Trash collection and assessment from house #10 below.

Day 25 - Sunday 6/26/11

Today, we got a much needed break - and not just a day to relax at the apartment, cooking and chatting between bursts of paperwork and testing. It took us a while to get in gear, but, finally, at around 10:30 in the morning, we hopped a taxi to West End. We spent about an hour goofing off in the water, which was just the right temperature. Then, on the recommendation of some other colonia do-gooders  that we bumped into when we arrived in West End, we rented some kayaks. Unfortunately, they were too small for Josh, who paddled his way back to shore after capsizing three times in the first ten minutes:) McWane and Mercedes went out just past the coral rocks that surround the beach and took some pictures. In a few spots, the coral was so high that our kayaks scraped the tops (I know, I know that's really bad for the coral). From the boats you could tell how beautiful it had to be under the water. Every now and then, I got a glimpse of a massive growth of brain coral or beautiful purple coral. Had we had time, I'd have rented snorkle gear and jumped in. McWane says the reef truly is a beautiful sight. We only got to spend about four hours in West End before we had to hustle back to shower and attend a meeting of the patronato of Policarpo. It was just enough time, however, to perk everyone back up and get us excited about our research again. 

McWane was able to complete water testing on a sample from the creek that flows through the colonia as well as the water sample taken from house #11. Sample below.

 

Day 24 - Saturday 6/25/11

McWane and Mercedes went to the colonia to collect trash from 2 seperate houses. When they got back to the apartment McWane started sifting through the trash and weighing different categories. Josh and Mercedes went into the colonia to do the youth project with the kids. McWane did calculations for the water tank, water system, and e. coli testing on water samples. Picture of the e. coli test shown below.

The water testing for house #11 shows a concentration of 1.47 califorms per milliliter of water. This is not necessarily harmful for the person drinking the water, although it can indicate the presence of other bacteria that may be present.


From Mercedes:

Today was day three of the photovoice project. We mostly did housekeeping. We spent the first hour and a half or so uploading pictures from the camera and saving them in folders. Those who had time named their pictures in order to be able to identify them more quickly in the future. In the next class, they will add the date to the title. It took as long as it did because the computer directions are in English and most had never uploading pictures before. In fact, a few of the kids had no clue how to operate the mouse. Thus, the time we spent uploading pictures was well worth it because the kids got to work on their computer skills. After that, I showed the kids a few YouTube videos from that had been posted by similar projects. One was about a project in Kenya that gave cameras to children so that they could document what it was like being caretakers for ill and indigent parents/guardians. The other was a video produced by a Keiser-Permanente project that documented aspects of city life that discouraged people from making healthy eating and living choices. I showed these videos to give our participants concrete examples of how to tell a story, send a message, and effect change through photography. We followed this with a discussion about the things that they liked and disliked about life in the colonia in order to get deeper into the issues that we want to focus on.

Day 23 - Friday 6/24/2011

Now that we had been on the general tour of the island, it was time for the up close and personal touch. A local island woman who is working in bilingual education and conservation took Josh, Mcwane and Mercedes on a walking tour of the island. The team bused to Coxen Hole where their friend took them to interview some of the older black islanders who remembered what island life was like before Hurricane Mitch. They had a chance to try some more of the local fare, and met with some important community leaders. One of the people they interviewed was the Police Chief of the Roatán police force.

After Coxen Hole they made their way to Flowers Bay, where they had a chance to sit with three older islanders sitting in the shade of a gazebo. The men were very friendly and open about the history of the island, including an anecdote about how Flowers Bay invented “The Mccoy,” a famous Roatan dish. One of the men at the table cut a cluster of coconuts from his tree, cut them into cups and let us have some fresh coconut water. It was delicious and well appreciated.

The team wished a good day to the men and moved on to the Patronato of Flowers Bay. He welcomed us to sit at a table on the beach of his business and the team interviewed him over the sound of the water lapping on the shore. He gave the team insight into the needs of his community and places of real concern where they might be able to help.

Finally, the team took a taxi to Punta Gorda, a 45 minute ride. Our guide walked the team to Englishtown. This small community hosts a small school that is still under construction. The roof of the current kindergarten classroom leaks terribly and the rest of the school building is without any covering.

The rest of Punta Gorda showed signs of need, as well. The community is divided into several barrios, or neighborhoods. McWane, Josh, Mercedes, and their host walked along the beach and saw some fishermen. Then, they went to the Punta Gorda community center and talked with the community leaders about their issues.

The team ended the day with a final taxi ride to Coxen Hole and a bus ride back to the hotel. It was a tiring day, but an eye opener full of information and possibilities about the future of the island.