Project Water Xesalli

I arrived in Chel and Xesalli on the thirty first of January and it is now the 14th of February. Boy a lot has happened in two weeks. I really enjoyed the welcome here this time and have been amazed at how well things have gone during the year. Higinio met me in Chel and we started meeting with the leaders in Xesayi to develop and develop an agreement and plan for the water system. The source for water changed again because the owners of the spring’s children and the kids of Xesayi got into a row and he won’t sell for mercy or money. The community had purchased a spring from one of its members but it is over twice the distance and in rocking terrain. We settled on using a biofilter system and taking water about two thousand meters above the community. It is a pretty pristine spot without livestock or people problems above it. Higinio and the delegation that accompanied us from Chel made some real good agreements and I am amazed at how much work this community is putting into this project. The community is providing sand gravel and labor. Three of us from Chel have also petitioned the municipal government in Chajul to provide the piping and while I am sending this report out I will be meeting with them again. I really hope they come on board. This would not only stretch our budget but establish a good form of cooperation. We ordered materials and while I waited for their arrival I started meeting with the widows. More on that later but first some photos. We started actual construction Tuesday the 11th and my body feels old.

Higinio and Pegro discussing plans at the sight of the storage tank.

Here is the place we will take the water from. It is bout 1500 meters up the trail. The community will hand dig and bury the piping the whole distance.

Providing sand is not done by phoning your local sand and gravel company

Each family has to carry 12 of these bags of sand 10 minutes to the site.

Pablo is 63 and out packs me. Today the community said I couldn’t pack lumber and I am glad for the break.

The lucky members have horses


We dug down four feet to gain support from the ground. A record is kept of each family´s work.

Pablo was still working


This is Martin, who I have hired to oversee the construction, as we are starting to pour the floor. Oh by the way mixing cement by hand is a lot harder when you have to pack the bags up the hill as well

We ordered 12 dozen boards from one of the local mills. Delivery was not included. Each family made three trips. 45 minutes up and 1/2 hour back.

I learned a new use of the Spanish word cuesta today. These two young men kept describing the trail as cuesta mucho.It is usually used in buying and pricing things but can also be used in describing the cost of effort to accomplish something. The leader of Xesayi was viewing these same photos and said this project "cuesta the gente mucho" but it will benefit them more

Once we started down there was no stopping. I fell four time filming this.




After five minutes they headed back up for two more trips

Maybe next time we can hire delivery

THE WIDOW COLLECTIVE

First I want to apologize . The photos have copied too dark but my computer is in Xesalli. I will have to rework them later. They are real compelling when you can look into these womens eyes.
I don’t know how to describe the week. I have spent visiting and meeting with the committee leaders on this project. I hope these photos share the needs these women have. We will have between 65 and 100 widow from four communities in this program. Some will receive a monthly supply of dry goods but most will either receive thread for weaving or a piglet. It will be fun loading and delivering 30 pigs. There are around forty that have requested help with food but we have to steer them toward work even though there need is extreme. If a widow is too old to work but has a daughter or son that can they will receive the thread or piglet but if there is no one to help we will supply food. After the second day of visiting I was emotionally exhausted

Julia and Maria her adopted daughter. Julia’s husband disappeared in the civil war and Marias parents were killed. This is their bed with all the blankets behind them

Juana Caba and my porter for the day Juan Laynez
Maria Rimerez Lives with her daughter whose husband has abandon her. There are three grandchildren living here as well.

Many of these women are between 60 and 80 years old but have daughters or orphaned children who will weave to support them.

Manuela Rivera 45 lives alone in a 10x16 house with one blanket. Weaves and cuts coffee durning the harvest for $3 a day

Maria Mendoza her son cannot walk or talk. They share a home with Miguel one of only two men who have survived to the age of 80 in the village.
Miguel in front of his house where I first meet him.

Anna Caba Mendoza weaves to support her two parents who are sick.

Maria and Maria mother and daughter. Both lost their husband and son/brother. There is no other immediate family

Juanita Hu has been sick for six months

Anna Caba Mendoza weaves to support her two parents who are sick.

Maria Mendoza is 75 years old and blind. Her daughter in law will weave for her.

Savanna Cruz 80 and her daughter Abrilla 60 lost their husbands in the war. They sell tamales once a week and weave

Rosa Pechecho 70 lives with her son and 10 others in this house. Magdalena will weave for her.

Rosa Bop 70 years old and still weaving. Juana the committee head is in the background

Rosa Ijom Almost 70 and still weaving

I have been pleased with how the food was distributed last year and who was selected to be in the program. Before I arrived they had formed a committee of 7 , 5 widows and two women leaders who can write and they collected a list of all the widows. I met around forty of these widows in their homes. I asked to see those whom we had been feeding and those with the most need. It wasn’t until the fourth day that I started to see women with the ability to start to support themselves. I don’t want to create a welfare state but there needs to be some help here. So many lost their husbands during the war and their homes were burned. They have raised orphaned children who weave to support them. $25 worth of thread will last for 2 and a half weavings or almost six months of work. It will then be worth around $225. A great increase. The piglets cost around the same and will be sold in 4 months for around $65-75 dollars. Less work and less profit but more food on the table in these communities.

One of the cows from last year’s delivery was butchered and sold for over double the purchase price. We are opening a bank account and plan to buy more cows around July. I was also pleasantly surprised that my micro loans are current in their payments and the school has some new books. I don’t expect success everywhere or a huge difference but I am seeing some of both and that is fantastic. Five local people have been donating a lot their time to form this group to help the neediest. Juana the head of the women's collective has been working on bringing support for women here for years. She even has a photo of her beside the president of Guatemala. Rosa, the other leader, was in the department capital seeking support last week. Higinio is well connected in the communities and government and is of great help. We are organizing account books and records of what is done each month and they are going to apply for legal status here in Chajul.

While you are reading this I will probably be in Los Encuentros or Nuevo Puntos. Last Wednesday they sent a delegation here and we sent up visits to their communities after the 18^th. I want to collect information on their water needs for next year. Ojalla! ---Let’s hope! Hasta luego Michael’