Where: Tierra Blanca churchyard
When: Wed, July 7, 3 p.m.
Who: Chela, Holly and Saul (Cedesa), 33 women, 2 men, 15 children and various dogs.
We waited for over a half hour for Jesús, since he was to report on the various projects we discussed during the last meeting, but since he did not arrive, we started the meeting at about 3:45 p.m. Lucia was chosen to coordinate and take roll. All who attended last month’s meeting plus four more people were present.
A delegation of five people from the community of Cinco Señores came to find out about the community development projects in Tierra Blanca. That community consists of about 15 families, 80 people, across the river from Juan Gonzales. We were going to discuss their concerns at then end of the assembly but the meeting was cut short by a major downpour.
Pending from last meeting: Jesús was going to help Tierra Blanca take a census in preparation for government and ONG applications regarding 1) a health diagnostic 2) a bridge 3) cisterns and 4) dry toilets, but he was unable to do so on the previous Monday that he came because of afternoon rains. He did get a water sample from the well but it has not yet been analyzed and he did some preliminary interviews with some families and was able to draw some preliminary conclusions about the incidence of cancer in certain family lines (see attached report).
While awaiting the arrival of Jesus, Chela mentioned some investigations we have been doing with the Instituto de la Mujer (for breast cancer examinations) and CASA, which does health work in the communities. Several people mentioned that there are more men than women who are dying of cancer in Tierra Blanca. We then mentioned the Secretary de Salud and the Midday Rotary Club (Holly said that Laura is in touch with several MD doctors about various symptoms and conditions). Chela emphasized the need for hard data, not just hearsay evidence in order to deal with the health problem.
We discussed doing genealogical research for the health diagnostic at the same time as the census, and promised to bring a questionnaire within two weeks with which to start the process.
At this point it started to rain, and we all huddled under the tree but within a few minutes it started to pour. We ran into the chapel but it was a very hard downpour and Chela was worried about crossing the river. We jumped into her truck and started down the hill toward the river but got stuck in a rut in the middle of a torrent and could not see the road. After several attempts, we got out of the rut, and with wheels spinning and the truck lurching over hidden rocks and holes, we headed toward the ford, even though we couldn’t see it. At the bank of the river, Chela just aimed toward what looked like a shallow part with plants growing above the water, and we made it across! The rest of the way was easy in comparison.
We did not have time to schedule the next assembly, but we will set the date and time (August 4, 3 p.m.) when Saul and/or Jesús take the genealogical questionnaire to Tierra Blanca within the next two weeks (by July 21).
It turns out that Jesús’ car got stuck in the river near Cruz del Palmar, and he could not reach us by phone since Telcel does not have coverage in Tierra Blanca.
So, rainy season has really begun. It appears that we will have to use the footbridge to get to the next assembly at Tierra Blanca – we can park the truck in the community of Espejo (next to Vivienda de Arriba), walk across the river and then to Tierra Blanca. Saul will investigate the location of the footbridge.
We also want to look into getting USAcel telephones since all the phones in Tierra Blanca and Vivienda are USAcel, which has much better coverage than Telcel in the rural communities of the region. Several contacts in Los Torres and Capaderillo and our suppliers (sand and herreria) have USAcel, which provides free calls among USAcel phones, though the rate for fixed lines and Telcel is higher. Holly agreed to investigate and consult with Laura and John about getting USAcel phones.
SUPPLEMENTAL REPORT on Tierra Blanca Health Issues
On July 15, Chela, Saul and Holly met with Jesus Guiterrez at CEDESA. Jesús reported that according to his informal investigation (questionnaires filled out at the June 2 assembly), going back three generations, there are 14 distinct families in Tierra Blanca, of which ten have a high incidence of lung cancer, and two have a high incidence of other types of cancer. He also mentioned that there is a carcinogenic spore that is known to be associated with tombs that contain mummified remains – thus the legends of “curses” befalling tomb-robbers in Egypt and other places. We started work on a questionnaire that would enable us to trace genealogical incidence of cancer (family trees) but ran out of time and Holly agreed to work on it on the weekend so that we can test it, and Jesús and/or Saul can deliver it on or before Wednesday afternoon, July 21.
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