5th May 2017 - Guest report by: Nate Fultz, President Rotary Midday
Wow Wow Wow. What a perfect day; cool breeze, clouds, great food, & a variety program. The community of Lomas de Cocina & El Ocote are celebrating the completion of their cistern project.
Campo roads are often not straight nor smooth. Eventually we arrived through the
trees & fields to a small community. A very unique community in fact because
the main street divides it between the 2 municipalities of San Miguel de Allende & Dolores
Hidalgo.
The members of these communities have been attending community meetings for many years & their participation & motivation has had many positive results.
Two communities have worked together on this project:
El Ocote participants working co-operatively in 1 group of 7 families, constructed 7 cisterns.
Lomas de Cocina worked 3 groups, 2 of six families & one of 5 families to construct a total of 17 cisterns co-operatively.
They all worked together for 1 wk to train during the pilot then in 7 wks had completed a cistern in each home of each of the family groups.
After gathering to give thanks & for a song everyone went to the
Cistern for the ribbon cutting. This was followed by spoken heartfelt thanks for the
clean water now available.
With the formalities over everyone moved to the
gazebo which was large enough for the over 50 people to sit & the show
started; several songs sung including a great duet, break-dancing from a young teenage boy who learned his moves from YouTube videos, poetry reading, a few short speeches, a play put on by the mothers, & finally presentation of over 20 diplomas to the members of the community who
had completed the 3 days of classes on the topic of water.
A delicious lunch followed; carnitas (pork), lettuce & tomatoes salad & rice with warm tortillas. Horchata & watermelon juice perfect to wash it all down.
In attendance - 50+members of the communities of El Ocote & Lomas de Cocina, Araceli & Berna of UCCANG, Ceci, Juanela, Benigno & Abel of CEDESA. Nate & Lee of SMA Rotary Midday.
Report by: Nate Fultz, President Rotary Midday
