A trip into the mountains

I have felt like going back and forth between two extremely different worlds is like submerging myself into a pool of water. At first you think you can’t breathe and hold your breath remembering your other world. After a while necessity comes and you have to breathe. It is then that you remember you can live in both worlds. I guess this trip down I really wanted to dive deeply into that pool. I wanted to hear the sound of life in the land of the Ixil. After I finished with two sets of project meetings I took a seven day walk to visit six different villages. The purpose was to look at the water needs in three villages, promote personal gardens another one and veiw the completed water project in Illom our final destanation. For the first five of those days we did cross a road. The following are photos from the first two days.

Here is Manuel Ramirez our program director and Gaspar one of our four guides from the village of Xecon O’ that lead us back to the village. They left the village at 12 midnight to come out and meet us. We are at the upper end of the village Chel

A little ways up the valley we made this nice river crossing. The journey had all the makings of a fine walk in the park. The prime purpose of the visit to the first two villages was to take a firsthand look at the water needs. The mules were loaded with vitamins, clothing, school supplies and some stuffed animals

I have decided to start learning Ixil and here Manuel is teaching two phrases that come in handy on a trip like this. Va Vitz, the ridgelines that separate the vatz vitz or face of the mountains. Cunash pa mik vatz vitz. Which translates into Lets go slowly Michael it’s a climb. I think this is called the inductive study method.

And climb we did. Up through a beautiful forest. My other word for the day was “Mam Xoq’ol” A lot of mud.

Twice in this journey we ran into a Ixil traffic jam. This time as we were heading up the grade and 15 mules were being driven down it

This is a hard life but for two days I listened to my companions talking about how poorly these animals were respected by their drivers. The drivers were from a plantation 10 hour away and would overburden the animals for three to four years and then sell them. With 200 pounds of spice on the mule’s back I wonder if the spice will be sold under a fair-trade label

This owner is acting as a human anchor holding the tail the whole way down the grade to slow the animal’s decent.

An amazing sight to watch and a chance to learn another ixil word “mam cho qol” A lot of mud

One more decent to go in this part of the trail. I would like to stress that this is not typical treatment of animals here but abuse for profit. The drivers charged $20 to haul each bag and the value of the cargamomo was around $320 each. Most of the farmers do not have a mule and if they did by loading it with only 100 pound it would take them four hard days to make the round trips needed to delivery. On a happier note I meant to tell my grandson Caden that two days after this event a mule put his head through the doorway to join us for breakfast and all we did was laugh, say hi and share some tortillas with him. All kinds of things happen in Guatemala!

Finally after six hours we arrive in Xecon O´. Xecon O’ is only two years old. TRE has waited this long to visit to see if the people would be able to make it. This like so many other sites is where people tried to hide during the war. Now there is a “homesteading” program that these 15 families are working onto receive around 40 acres each . This is their future. So much of the problem of poverty in Guatemala is related to access to land. TRE would like to helppromote this opportunity for land  in these villages in two ways. 1.) Provide clean drinking water and 2.) Help seed these mountains with the food needed to feed these families with a healthy diet. The first year the fields were cleared by hatched and now one family has a chain saw as evidence by the boarded house. It takes a month to build this type of home and during the first year the women and children had to leave often because there was no food. Now the family I stayed with was acting like chefs with a variety of vegetables grown in the fields. The day I was there (except for one family) all the women and children had gone out to registrar for a national program.

The town center.

In a good town meeting there is talking

and listening high up in the mountains

For drinking waterthe community has two catch basins like this.

A few more like this.

And two for washing clothes like this.

This is their spring. 2,800 meters away. We will receive both raining and dry seasons measurements with the hope of bring water to one small holding tank and a community spigot. The water is dirty when I took the photo becuase we were clearing brush from the site.

Yes I really was there. I am not wearing brown pant but have fallen in the mud twice so have mud up to my hips. I also learned a new trick to get mud out of you boots with a matchete.

The children of the forest. The reason we keep working in places like this is for the people. We are working so that the future of these children is more secure with the basic needs of food and water.

We distributed some vitamins and toys and will return this trip with

vegetable seeds and blankets.

They are asking for water.

Day two.

After a magical visit to this mountain community it was time to head to Alguna Caba and Caba, two sister villages.

Packing up.

Loading our vitamins, toys and school suppliest.



We had three new guides for this trip( one in not in this photo). The Alcade is in the center of this picture and soon he was in the lead with me trying to keep up. I asked his name using the Ixil phrase three times but he would only tell me he was ¨Älcade Authrizado Central de aldea Caba¨ After three times he added ¨¨respecta¨¨ and I realizedthat for this year of service as leader his name was his title. We laughed all day as we used his full title as we hiked through the mud. Caba and Alguna Caba were both reestablished 14 years ago after being abandoned during the war.

The new word for the day  Mas  Xoq’ol , more mud. Two and a half days were like this and I was surprised how much easier it was to hike after we left the mud. Each step acted like a suction cup.

Descending into Caba. This is on the edge of the municipality of Chajul and in the distance is the district of Uspantan. There is a lot of space for people to live in.

Entering the two villages. Hear there are two schools and a clinic. With a much more developed village. This village water meeting took place in one of the schools. Afterwards we went to visit the spring.

This spring could yield 60 gallons a minute with a new collection tank,

During our meeting and visit to the spring the school children and their mothers had gathered to seek help and receive a gift of school supplies, hats and stuffed toys

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They had been waiting for almost two hours in eager anticipation.

I have been told often I am like a village father who brings gifts to his kids after a long journey. Others say we bring Christmas. However you describe it  is a blessing to help make someone’s day special.

 

Two of the kids who don’t attend school who came in from working in the fields to late to receive a gift. I reached into my pack and found a new flashlight and marbles that made their day brighter.

After we gave out all the supplies I visited with Marcos the village medic. He has received 18 months medical training and is the medic for the two villages. We left him a copy of where there is no doctor (in Spanish). Each copy cost $30 and we are looking to put a copy in 7 villages. It is a great medical tool as well as a guide to community development. Donations for these will be greatly appreciated.

The next morning it happened. That magical moment arrived as we ate breakfast and I learned a new phrase. “Atin tzitza xola va mic” I am here among friends. As I looked into the face of each of the dozen or so people in the room and the phrase keep rolling off my tongue our eyes meet, we all burst into laughter and I knew it was true. I was breathing yet fully submersed again in the land of the Ixil. I was here among friends. It is amazing how connected I can feel with these people who open their home and hearts to me. After such a short time our good byes felt deep and profound.

We said our goodbyes and were given a new set of porters and headed up the trail to the next village. All this and more in just two days, life feels full.

    I know we can help these people with your continued support. Their life doesn’t need to be so hard if we will share a little of ours. “Ma’ t in”  I am going now. Adios.

Water Projects for Chel and Illom

I told a friend Sunday I was writing another blog report and he committed that he always was happy to read them and stay currant. Well I don’t feel I ever am really currant with all that is happening but this report will bring everyone up to date with our water projects in Chel and Illom. When I first visited Chel the thought of bring water to a village this size seemed impossible. Now it is close to being accomplished and in the same year we are also amplifying the water system in Illom. I feel blessed and humbled to be part of this ripple, the act of humanity, of caring. Basic Project Descriptions Both of these water projects are gravity feed springs that we are developing to supplement existing systems. Chel is a village with 447 families but the three waterlines that enter the town are small. Two of them are just 1.25 pipes and the other one is only 1.5 inch pipe. Most single family homes in the US are serviced with a 1” waterline or bigger. We are installing two new 3” lines and developing a new spring to augment the existing water source. The second part of this project relays the water line throughout the entire village. As you can see this is a major upgrade and a large project valued at $40,000. TRE dollar commitment is $12,000, the value of donated community labor is $15,000 and the municipality will contribute $13,000. In Illom we are developing a new spring to recharge a system for 125 families that don’t have any water now.Distance is the greatest obstacle there and we needed to install 2,700 meters of piping and cross a 70 foot deep ravine. This project is values at $39,000 Well facts and details can go on forever so from this base let’s look at the story. In March I worked out an agreement with each village and the local municipality. Our first step was to turn the study we had done into a working design so we walked through the systems mapping out distances, tank types and connections with the local leaders and water committees. During this time we identified exactly who of the three parties, the municipality, the village or TRE would be reasonable for what.

Well let's dig in and get going. Here we are heading up the spring in Illom. It is a 1 hour walk up the mountain behind the village

Rain and mountains are defiantly a common part of my Guatemala experience. The colorful rain gear that everyone is wearing easily fits into your pocket when you are done with it.

My friend and committee president Reynaldo.

Here we are measuring the abundant flow of excellent water this spring provides.

We bought the spring and parcel of ground around it and in this photo we are continuing to negotiate for the purchase of the spring. This village is surrounded by a finca or plantation and private land is rare and precious. The man with the cowboy hat and stick is the village special envoy and the stick is his symbol of final authority on that day. The two men in the fore grown, one with the blue dress shirt and other with the orange t-shirt are the father and son who own the spring. It took over a month and a half to finally come to an agreement with them.

String is measure out in 25 meter lengths to measure the distance back to the village as well as marking the property corners. The distance back to the village measured 2,700 meters

Back down we go. I have joked that next time I choose somewhere to help I am going to look for flat land.

After ½ an hour of walking through the brush we came back out into the corn fields and our measuring became a lot easier.

Back in Chel most of our work was within the village plotting the size and location of the pipes. Having the mayor walk through the village with a giant map of our piping layout sure got everyone’s attention.

We went through each sector counting how many houses were there and deciding how to lay the main branches One of the important steps we have learned is that after we have come to an agreement with the village leaders is to hold a village meeting, read the agreement and discuss the project. At the end of the meeting, any amendments to the plan are added and every family signs the agreement thus ratifying and pledging their commitment to the project. It is after all at the family level that the work is done.

This is the classic photo op picture of leaders from both villages with the mayor and his assistant. After reading the agreement everyone sign the declaration and we were ready to carry our petition to the regional government to solicit there help. On my last day in Chajul we went and visited the Municipal and Mayor Pedro Caba. Finally all parties were ready to sign. The municipality’s part of the agreements totaled just over $20,000! This process of uniting the village leaders and then the village and bringing the signed agreement with the village committees creates a much stronger agreement with the government. This completed the six month long process of reaching an agreement and finding proper funding for these two projects. When we calculate the value of the village labor and materials the budget for these projects are $71,000 and will bring water to 457 families. The village labor is calculated at $7 per person per day and they are the largest contributor. As you can tell I was very happy.

The following photos are special in that I was not there for any of them. The work and reporting have all been done by the villages.

Forming the collection tank above Chel

Finished collection tank at the spring.

Part of the ditch in Chel

Hanging two new three inch galvanized pipes over the river Chel.

This last Thursday August 30 they tested the water flow to this point at the head of the village. Friday Pedro Caba came to the village to verify the work and start on the second phase. I wish I could have been there. I know it is the pure mechanics of gravity that caries the water down the hill but the first time you see it exit a pipe after so much work it feels like magic. All of this work and the problems that have arisen they have resolved. This year will be remembered for many years as the year that the fathers of the village banded together to bring water to every family. I want to thank everyone who has helped us finance these projects with a special thanks going to the Gig Harbor Morning Rotary Club who has been the backbone of this aid. I know that every time I use water in a village where we have developed a system I feel so blessed to have been a part of making it happen. I would like to offer a challenge that for one day you turn off your home’s water. Just for one day carry your water from you neighbors down the road and then you will begin to understand the amount of thankfulness that these families have each day for the help you our supporters have been involved in bringing. MUCHAS GRACIAS A TODOS

Francisco Santiago Gordon lives in the village of Xamoxan about a half hour walk above Chel. He is pictured here with his family in front of their home. We met in late 2010. He had heard of our different projects and wanted to ask for personal help to establish some type of business to better provide for his families. Francisco was born with an abnormality that caused his hand to grow extremely large. This disability made it virtually impossible for him to find hired work among his neighbors. We talked about different possibilities to start a business and I told him I would go and look for a sponsor so we could offer a micro loan when I returned in February 2011. Back in Washington State I mentioned this need to a neighbor who gladly offered the $250 needed to finance this loan. So in February Francisco and I set down and worked out a business plan and loan agreement. T.R.E. does not make very many micro loans but we are grateful when the need and finances are matched up because these loans can truly be life changing. It is quite a process to develop a business plan and explain the good and bad points of taking out a loan to someone who has never done either. When we offer loans there are without interest and although we want the payment plan not to be burdensome we want to see the debt cancelled as soon as possible.

Pictured here is the plan Francisco decided to do. He barrowed 4 cuerdas of land from his brother and planted them in a crop called cardamom which is a spice that originated in India. On another 3 cuerdas of land he owns he planted both cardamom and coffee plants. His reasoning was that the barrowed land would be used for three to four years when the cardamom would finally stop producing but his personal property which also was planted in coffee would continue to produce for 10 years. These 7 cuerdas that he planted are roughly equal to one acre.

He bought first year cardamom starts and planted 72 plants per cuerda on the four barrowed acres. They will have a small harvest this year. Next year’s harvest should produce about 500 pounds of seeds which will sell for around 40 cents a pound. For a total estimated harvest of $200

On his own property he planted 250 coffee starts and 72 cardamom starts per cuerda. The coffee will start producing well its fourth year and the expected yearly harvest will be about 100 pounds per cuerda. Prices always very but it normally sells for a dollar to dollar fifty per pound. This harvest will net Francisco $300-$450. ( the long leafed plants are cardamom, the darker leafed bush is coffee and the white trunked tree in the background offers shade for the coffee and firewood for the family.

Francisco has done an excellent job investing this money

Francisco here is holding some cardamom seeds, seeds of hope. There is always a risk with offering a loan. $250 is a huge sum to Francisco and it is a notable amount to my neighbor. But when I think of what it take for me to earn $250 and how much it can benefit someone like Francisco who earns $3 a day it is worth the risk.

Francisco has already paid ½ of the loan back and will pay the other half next spring. The gift my neighbor gave is being reinvested in the lives of others and Francisco will reap the benefits for many years. Our small acts of kindness can produce long lasting results for those who will add their labor to those gifts. T.R.E. is not a large organization but a personal one. Last spring your gifts helped us distribute $10,000 worth of animals to needy farmers in this area. This fall we want to once again bring a blessing of relief to share with these friends. I like to think that our help is like giving tools that the villagers can add their labor and efforts to bring about a better future. 100% of all donations go directly into these projects. They are than multiplied by the effort of people like Francisco and the whole family benefits. Please consider donating either through our web site or by snail mail. It will make a difference. Thank-you Michael The Ripple Effect inc 9712 Kopachuck Dr NW Gig Harbor Wa. 98335