3rd Mtg of the SMA Midday Rotary Cruz del Palmar potential water Project

Record of Event pg 1 of 1
3rd Mtg of the SMA Midday Rotary Cruz del Palmar potential water Project


Where: Cruz del Palmar Community (40 mins from SMA)
When: Mon 22nd March 9am-10.40
Who: Laura Stewart (Rotary), Rafael Cruz (trainer from Los Torres) & by 9.30 29adults, approx 50/50 men/women. (7 kids, plus interested onlookers – kids from the primary school).

Purpose: 4 Day Pilot – building a cistern & collection system at the Cruz del Palmar Primary school.

Record of Event
I arrived on time at 9am to find Rafael (the trainer) & around 8 people gathering for the Pilot. By 9.30 there were 29 people, all occupied in the first steps of the construction.

They all asked where Holly, Chela or Elena were, they are nervous when it’s only me, because my Spanish is limited, but we managed to convey all we needed to.

The wire was laid out with the mesh on top & the wire on top of that, there were more people than tools, so one of the guys went to get a grinder & they cut off a strip of the mesh & made more ganchos (hooks), so that everyone could work on this task.

The “crocheting” begins at one side of the roll, by row, & ends at the other, with 4 diamonds of wire mesh “crocheted” in each square of mesh.

Everyone was in good spirit & all eager to learn.

There was a strange “bucket of water” ritual going on at the primary school, it took me a while to work out why there were kids criss-crossing the courtyard carrying buckets of water, in what seemed to be a random way. Turns out, these kids were all going to the toilet, & they needed to first take the bucket & fill it at various taps & mini tanks, then carry it to the toilet, to use to flush, then carry the water back to the mini tank, & the bucket back to the classroom.

I remembered how we as kids used to ask to be excused so we could get some time out of the classroom, & was giggling to myself that so many of these kids were doing the same, then it struck me that many of these kids probably don’t have toilets at home, & so save their “routine” for school.

I don’t know if there were more bucket carriers than usual because they were interested to see what was going on in their playground, many did decide to detour close to the action!

Rafael was very organised & had everyone occupied. I took a few photos, & bid them a successful mission, & headed off to their neighbouring community – Vivienda de Arriba, who were beginning their Pilot at their primary school today too.

One reason for the good turnout - it had been decided by the people at the previous assembly that whoever participates in the training will be on the list of the people to receive their cisterns first.

I noticed Analaura had the attendance list in the records book.

Next visit will be on the last day of the Pilot, 25th March at 9am
Photos on this link: http://picasaweb.google.com/lauramex/CruzDelPalmarWaterProject?feat=directlink