Third Month in New York City--Occupy Wall Street: the next generation

Change is in the wind.  Young people have set up camp at a park in downtown New York to present the message that the problem is Wall Street.  It become personal last night when our niece went to see what it was about;  there was a march of over 1000 headed for the Brooklyn Bridge--they were led onto the bridge and then surrounded and arrested for being on the bridge.  It was an orderly march where people thought they were following the rules;  I got to spend until 2 AM last night at a remote Brooklyn Precinct where 100 of them including our niece were being "processed."  Above is my sister-in-law, her friend and me; and then our niece as she was finally "let out." You can see from one picture, even the cops there were having a good time and were quite annoyed by such a waste of police resources when real crime on a Saturday night needs their attention.  My experience was extraordinary waiting with this group of kids who reminded me very much of my Peace Corps under 30 crowd.  These are the best and the brightest--no job prospects, huge student loans and they see Wall Street making more profits than ever.  John and I will be joining the protest this week for sure -- although it is clear that this generation is taking on the struggle.  The National Lawyers Guild was there to provide pro bono legal representation. On October 7, 2011, Walkabout Clearwater Chorus sang labor and peace songs with the crowd at Zuccotti Park.   Later this month I leave for Honduras for an accompaniment project that is part of the same struggle. 

Second Month in New York City

Life in New York has been good;  re-connecting with family and old friends and planning for a return to Central America for shorter, solidarity projects.  More to follow on that.  Weather has been glorious all summer and Tropical Storm Irene had minimal effect in NYC, although most of the Northeast was heavily hit and within 20 miles people are still without water and electricity.

Today, however, on a lovely day, right near home in the Hudson River I undertook a kayaking jaunt (the young girl in the back will now be applying for the Peace Corps, as will the young Mexican-American bank officer I spoke with this week, and several others for whom jobs are not what they want--not meaningful or non-existent).  Aside from swimming and a little cave tubing, I didn't do much outdoor water activity in Belize--guess I had to come home for that.  This photo was taken by John with his iPhone.

A Month in New York City

I have spent this month getting myself resettled and a bit organized; catching up with family and old friends; seeing lots of movies (not really possible in Belize); and planning for what is next.  I am looking to return to Central America or perhaps South America working for a non-profit organization for briefer consultations.  I am following the news there (when I can get away from the insanity of partisan political "news" here.)  This video of the actions of the Honduras National Police acting with U.S. support leads me to think about the need for solidarity work; sadly it looks like it is the 80s all over again.  This is a link to the story:  It is interesting especially having just spent 15 months in Belize, where so many rural villages are made up of refugees from Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua, and although their legal status is in question, they are able to farm the land and sell in the market.

http://therealnews.com/t2/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&Itemid=74&jumival=7111

Leaving Cayo District, Belize, Central America for now

My Peace Corps work is done in Cayo District, Belize, as of June 30, 2011. On June 18, 2011, I left for vacation and Walkabout Clearwater Chorus' long awaited performance at the Pressefest 2011 Dortmund, Germany, Festival. The highlight of the weekend of many performances was my husband John's song "I Choose" led by a friend who is gay and proud -- that is John, 2nd from the right on the Cuba Stage. (I am hoping that Walkabout will sing in Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua one day soon. They sang "I Choose" first on the day New York State finally passed the Gay Marriage Bill. For anyone who wants to hear the song and others go to youtube and search "Pressefest 2011 Walkabout."

I had an incredible experience in Belize, especially because of the wonderful welcome I received, friendships I have formed, and a general although not thorough understanding of a country where so many cultures live in harmony. Peace Corps has been there for just under 50 years and my personal view is that it is time to move on; the country does very well in comparison to neighboring Central American countries--as a people to people exchange PC is great; as grass roots organizers less so. I was fortunate that a lovely young couple wanted to rent my house (and thus much that was in it) so it made leaving easy. I hope to return in the winter for visits. I will miss the Belizean people, the Book Club we started of Belizeans and ex-pats, the NGO organizers especially my counterpart at Rural Community Development, warm friendships at Cornerstone Foundation, the Cayo AIDS Committe, and the wonderful farm fresh life of San Ignacio and its surrounding villages especially San Antonio where I have truly made life-long friends.

Community Control

Following last week's workshop for community water committees, we held a workshop for the Village Council leaders on Saturday. Belize has a unique system of community leadership that is very tied up with its two main political parties, a system that tends to divide rather than unite. This workshop was designed to help villages set their own priorities, although it became clear that political differences often prevail. Note the T shirt of the Mayan woman from a Village called Billy White (don't ask--no one knows the source of its name!)--the shirt says "dreams of New York." She struggles to represent her community in the face of politics, sexism, and religious differences. I am awestruck by the energy and enthusiasm in the wake of overwhelming odds. They truly represent "another world is possible."

Today we visited the village of Bomba in Belize District (4 hour drive!) where a small solar power project is underway. I have found a potential US funder for a village of 13 families the Cayo District. Bomba is a village of 20 families that has received support for solar power on a small scale; so one would expect a solar light so the children can do homework at night but I didn't expect solar powered iPods. The children were quitely watching movies in a village without electricity. The sad part of the visit is that the village has power lines going right through to provide energy to the resort island of San Pedro (to quote one resident: "where the money is.") The electric company says it would cost $65 millionBZ to drop lines into the small villages (a total of less than 100 families) and they don't have it--the government has been asked to fund it and they don't "have it" either. One woman wondered outloud as to where the profits go and even she felt the government should pay for the private company to get more profits. We had some great talks on community organizing and while they wait patiently (which they do) they have solar powered iPods, MP3 recorders and a light bulb here and there. One of the issues with solar power is maintenance and upkeep; this village makes money through crafts that are sold to tourists and to funders in the U.S. that sell them at fund raising events. After a session on how to make the Village more visible to supporters, they honored me with the gift of a rosewood bowl that money couldn't buy! The two little girls are cousins; one (age 4) showed me how her mother reads to her at night with solar light--was a little upset with me because I didn't give her my undivided attention of reading a book.

Community Control of Water

On Saturday, I was asked to run a workshop on project design and management for community water boards in the Cayo District. It was well-attended, although it became a serious discussion of the problems with community control. Such issue as how to deal with people that do not pay water bills, what to do when people want money for projects that might not benefit the community, and strategic planning were the hot topics. There was discussion about how if communities don't manage water the private companies will take over and then revenue goes to profit rather than community services. When I was in Nicaragua in January, we met with the national commission that is focused ona new law dedicated to keeping profit out of water. During this workshop and all I do in Belize, language becomes an interesting issue in a country where commonly spoken languages are English, Kriol, Spanish, and various Maya languages: I was asked to run the session in Spanish with one person translating for a small group into English; suddenly the Spanish group is speaking English and the English group is speaking Kriol. My head was spinning but I think communication went well. Our goal is to help villages with community development.

Encuentro Maya 2011

Mayans from Guatemala, Mexico and Belize gather each year to work together to preserve their common heritage. This year the event was held in Toledo District about 4 hours south of where I live. I was asked to teach earring making which I found daunting (teaching Mayans about how to make crafts?) To my surprise the children as young as 4 years took to it easily and elders (who were not invited) jumped in too. A good time was had by all--special thanks to my friend in NY Karen Wasserman who supplied all the materials and tools--I have contributed them to the children's program for future use. It was interesting because the children from northern Belize speak Mopan and Spanish or Mopan and English but no Spanish and from southern Belize and parts of Guatemala speak only native languages such as Ketchi (there are several dozen.) Communicating through beads was easy.

Wedding 2011

I have been to more weddings in Belize this year than I've been to in the previous 10 years; this is Norma and George with parents; Norma is the sister of Juanito; George, the brother of Antonia. This family from San Antonio Village have become wonderful friends; they stopped by my house in Cayo the other night just as a huge thunderstorm. We experimented with the timer on my camera (the children Johanne and Julie are amazingly smart for their young ages) and this is what we came up with. Their "hats" are something we made out of something I learned as a child "horse reins" (not sure of the spelling.)

Cave Tubing at Jaguar Paw

It has been Santa Semana (Easter) all week so I got to take a little break: caving tubing at Jaguar Paw. It was quite lovely. The picture of the young Peace Corps volunteer is her showing us the live termites that she told us taste just like carrots as she and the tour guide each popped a few in their mouths (I am not kidding.) Needless to say I skpped that part of the tour. That's me in the red shirt getting ready in the rain forest and then in the very dark caves with friendly bats and other creatures.

More meetings with Rural Villages

We spent Wednesday visiting rural villages, especially concerning the issue of water access and potable water (virtually none have the latter!) The first picture is a meeting with me and the "guys" in Billie White Village. Local residents administer their water systems, collect fees for the village, etc. We are helping by training leaders in the rural villages to prepare proposals, create budgets, design systems of accountability and find funds.

The next picture is of one of the few government schools (more than 90% of schools are church-based with the government paying teacher salaries--all schools have user fees although school attendance is required through age 14; only 40% of eligible children are enrolled in high school nationwide: this elementary school is in Duck Run 1: on the right is the principal and on the left the Rural Community Development Officer with whom I work. The tank to the left of the school room is the only source of water for the children and is frequently empty until the principal collects money from the parents to fill it to provide potable drinking water for them. This village is an example of need for coordination among NGOs, many from the U.S.--one helps schools but not communities, one helps with water but not electricity, one provides computers but no internet, communications company provides free internet to schools but no computers and not for the community at large. It is not atypical at all.

Talleres: Rural Village Workshops continue

On April 2, 2011, I conducted a workshop for village council leaders, non-profit organizations and the local college along with the Rural Community Development Officer Mr. Orlando Jimenez who is very skilled at community organizing. We think it was a first--bringing village leaders and local NGOs together for program planning and grant preparation. Note from the photo that clip art works very well when issues of literacy arise. It was very well attended and very well received.

Talleres: Rural Village Project Planning

I have begun a series of workshops throughout rural Cayo under the auspices of an extraordinary Rural Community Development Officer, Mr. Orlando Jimenez. This activity has exposed me to an incredible group of community leaders who are working toward improving rural life. Basic issues are potable water, electricity, and education. Many of the villages are struggling also with creating voluntary pre-schools, community resource centers to include Internet cafes, libraries, youth groups and programs, agricultural cooperatives, health clinics, and women's committees. One community is negotiating to be part of the network of Cuban doctors serving Belize. The 4 hour session here was held on Saturday, March 26, 2011, using visual literacy techniqes (thanks to the technology of clip art!) dealing with low literacy, how to prepare proposals, where the money is in Belize, U.S., the British Commonwealth, and Europe. So far there is tremendous enthusiasm and requests for more--including next Saturday for non-profit organizations and a schedule of community meetings through June.

March is Women's Month here in Cayo too

This banner appears along the main street of the town. The government's women's department is part of the Dept. of Human Resources and Social Transformation. In Dec. it sponsored 16 days of activism. The rhetoric is quite wonderful; the situation for women is in flux.

On Sunday, March 13, 2011, we began a series of rural community development workshops in Duck Run 1, a Spanish-speaking village. Shown here is the Village Council and Mr. Orlando Jimenez who is the Rural Community Development Officer with whom I work. As an aside, Belize has very interesting village names: Duck Run 2, Duck Run 3, Teakettle, Blackman Eddy, Valley of Peace (which is a Salvadoran refugee community). We will be running sessions in Billy White and the other 17 rural villages in this area--all of which are Spanish-speaking. Duck Run 1 has successfully built a clinic and an internet cafe shown here with volunteer teachers. The Village Council is seeking to submit proposals for potable water, a sports program, and pre-school funding. These photos show the workshop and a visit to the voluntary pre-school presently using the internet cafe building. I am learning that it is easy to get funds for stuff, buildings, and supplies but not so easy for ongoing programs and services. For example, the clinic is a beautiful building but with minimal health services at this point.

More Training of Peace Corps Volunteers this time in Toledo District-March 11

No pictures but had a lovely trip to Punta Gorda on the Bay of Honduras where I did a repeat performance for the young Peace Corps Volunteers in the rural villages down south. The focus was how to prepare proposals, where to find the money, and how to think about jobs in the non-profit world when you leave the PC. I got to spend some quality time along the Caribbean Sea (I do miss water) and to enjoy the energy, enthusiasm and intelligence of this next generation with interest in "another world is possible."

Training Peace Corps Volunteers

On Feb. 9, 2011, Fifteen PCVs assembled at the National Association of Village Councils (NAVCO) which is the umbrella organization whose mission is to improve conditions in Belize rural villages for an informal "taller." I was asked by volunteers to present my knowledge and experience related to proposal writing and grant getting for health and social projects in Central America. This first session was held for th e volunteers in the Cayo and Belize City region with 4 who came from as far away as Orange Walk and Indian Church. There was a lot of energy and enthusiasm and I think the goal and take away was how volunteers might approach proposal writing and grant getting in their sites. The workshop also focused on how to find out where the funds are in the U.S., Canada, Europe, and Belize. A good time was had by all. We are planning follow-up for volunteers in the other regions as well as consultation with each participant.

Tipitapa, Nicaragua: Dos Pueblos

I took a break from Belize rural community development to return to my roots of 25 years in Nicaragua by joining the Dos Pueblos: New York-Tipitapa Sister City Project delegation for 4 days of the week-long exploration of projects and hands on construction of a library and community garden. Its partner organization run by Rosa Lillian Gomez is the model of community organizing. These pictures show various aspects of the program and include two new opportunities: meeting with the National Water Commission to understand the community-based fight against water privatization and a possible partnership with Peace Corps-Nicaragua.

The Peace Corps agriculture expert, Felix, became an informal consultant--advising on a tree planting project and discussing the implications of working with a Peace Corps response unit volunteer. I am hoping that there will be help in the area of teaching, library organization, community gardens, and empowering women through such projects as microfinance. Note each of us taking a turn pumping water in the community of 15 de septiembre. It was so inspiring to see new U.S. faces and new Tipitapa community activists. The New York folks brought many, many, many books and supplies for the new library in Ciudadela. Note this young girl who picked up one of the books after the comprehensive inventory.

One really exciting development was a visit to the newly constructed Tipitapa hospital/clinic which after a decade of visiting a sad, poorly maintained, poorly supplied hospital/clinic was quite impressive. That is Felix on the left and Rosa on the right at the meeting.

Finally, here is Lupe, Dos Pueblos' Executive Director, in the "container" office of the Ciudadela Water Committee with its state of the art equipment.

A Day at Home with My San Antonio Host Family

The challenge was to prepare a dinner that is uniquely "American" so they got a dinner of lasagna, green salad, fried eggplant, Coca-cola and Sprite, banana bread, chips and salsa, and wine. They brought tamales, jicama, and the famous Belizean black cake drowning in brandy. We had a lovely afternoon; they changed clothes (here with their Sunday best) as they headed for church in the nearby village of Succotz before returning to San Antonio. It was a lovely few hours.