Tony DeCrosta (Rotary), Saul Juarez (CEDESA) and I
traveled to La Banda today to get the second project started for our Global
Grant 1422619. The pilot cistern in Juan Gonzalez is being completed this week.
We met at the community center in La Banda. After
introductions of everyone in attendance, we talked about the process that had
been followed by the persons in these two communities to finally come to the
top of the list of those waiting for the Rotary water harvesting project.
The
families involved have done other projects through CEDESA and COCIRA during
these two years which included dry toilets, stoves to replace open fire
cooking, backyard gardening, and bee keeping. I asked about why they wanted to
build cisterns and, in addition to concerns about fluoride contamination, they
discussed water quality as it related to the obligatory chlorination of the
SAPASMA well.
Next we discussed the importance of viewing this
project not as a onetime event to work together, but part of a lifelong process
of teaming up to make permanent and sustainable change in their community. This
project is just one more step toward improving many aspects of their lives
through their own initiative. Water without contaminants is just one step to
improving health. Nutrition, relationships, cooperation, and mutual assistance
by capitalizing on individual’s strengths are some of the future steps to be
considering.
It was decided that the pilot training cistern would
be built at the Primary School in Rancho Nuevo La Banda as it is equidistant
between La Banda and Montecillo de Nieto. Saul reviewed with the participants
their obligations by being a part of this project: 1. Participation in the
construction of the pilot is mandatory. 2. Each group must have a qualified
construction worker (albanil) on their team. 3. They must form work groups and
help build all cisterns within their group. Building the cistern independently
by the family only, is not allowed.
In Montecillo de Nieto, there are 8 families and they
will all work together as one group. That group consists of: Hilaria Ramirez
who is the person responsible for the overall communication within this group
and with CEDESA and Rotary as needed. Her telephone number is 415.xxx.3273. Ana
Gabriela Jiménez Jimenez is the “second” responsible and her telephone number
is 415.xxx.7486. The rest of the group are Liliana Jimenez Damian, Alejandra
Morales Jimenez, Angelica Jimenez Jimenez. Fabiola Pastor Ramirez, Maria Cruz Jiménez
Balthazar, and Mayra Mirela Pastor Blanca. They will report next week, who will be the
albanil to work with them.
In La Banda we will be building 10 cisterns in
addition to the pilot cistern. (Total for this mini-project is 19 cisterns.)
The Banda group will divide into two work teams as follows. Ma. De los Angeles
Ramirez Vasquez was elected to be the overall responsible person in
coordinating La Banda. Her phone number is 415.xxx.7246.
Group 1: Reina Ramirez Vasquez, group leader (phones:
415.xxx.0206 and 415.xxx.9420). The rest of the group includes Ma. Carmen Vásquez Ramirez, Concepción Vásquez
Caporal, Ma. Elena Ramirez Vásquez and Maria de los Angeles Ramirez Vásquez. The albañil to work with the group is Marcario Ramirez Robles.
Group 2 consists of Ines Ramirez Pastor, responsible
with no phone but borrowing the phone of Francisca Ramirez Blanca 415.xxx.3608.
The rest of the group includes Carolina Ramirez Ramirez, Ma. Anna Gonzalez
Ramirez and Catalina Ramirez Pastor. The will inform us who will be the albanil
at the next meeting.
Following this we discussed the timing of this project
relative to the upcoming harvest and Christmas obligations. I had been informed
this morning that our primary supplier, Hierro Comercial of Dolores Hidalgo,
would not be able to receive the special order chicken wire required for the
cisterns until the first week in December. They had also called around to many
other distributors to see if they could get the wire elsewhere with no luck.
Getting this wire has always been a big challenge in our past projects.
Hierro
Comercial is delivering the balance of materials to Juan Gonzalez this week and
they said if there was sufficient wire to do the pilot in La Banda that they
would deliver those materials. It turns out that there is not additional wire
available at this time.
After much discussion, it was decided that unless the
wire could be available within 15 days that it would be better to wait to begin
the project until after Three Kings Day on January 6, 2015. ie since the wire is
not available, we will wait to begin in January of next year.
I have subsequently talked with Hierro Comercial and I
will be providing them with a list of communities and estimated number of
cisterns that will be built in early 2015. If there will be a price increase in
any of the materials, particularly we normally have price increases in the
wire, we will look into pre-paying for those materials so that Hierro Comercial
can stock pile the materials in December to be used in January through March of
2015. Hierro Comercial has been the provider of 90% of the materials over the past
7 years and proven themselves to be a trustworthy partner in these projects.
Because of that long standing relationship, I am comfortable that prepaying for
materials to avoid price increases is a good decision in maximizing our use of
funding for this project.
Following the meeting, we had a nice late lunch
provided by the members of the La Banda group.
Reported by Lee Carter, Rotary San Miguel Midday
