Backyard view from El Censo, a Global Brigades compound. © Aiste Manfredini
Upon my arrival at El Censo, our compound in the town of El Paraiso, I was speechless. El Censo is a multi-bedroom villa with the most breathtaking view I have ever seen. Mountains and valleys surround the compound and a small town can be seen within a distance. As I looked ahead I saw no roads or vehicles, just the mountains, trees and the light blue skyline. I literally felt like I was on top of the world!
Later that day I learned that El Censo is rented from the owner and used as a Global Brigades compound for brigaders, interns and staff. For any Honduran family to permanently live here would be extremely rare, reflecting a higher-class status, which is a very small demographic of Honduran families. Interns and staff at El Censo dine here, hold meetings and sleep in their dorms throughout the internships and student brigades.
I learned that WiFi would not be available, which was a bummer, but also gave me an opportunity to unplug from all things online. I wasn’t able to contact anyone in the U.S. (unless I paid a service fee), post on the blog, or check my email and social media accounts. But you know what, it felt good to disconnect. I spent more time talking to people, practicing Spanish with the Honduran staff, waking up as early as 5:45 a.m. to write or do yoga in front of the mountains and sunrise, listening to foreign chirping sounds of birds, exploring the compound, taking photos, playing futbol after a long field day with the interns and Honduran staff (who take soccer very seriously), and reflecting on life now and pondering my plans for the future.
Aside from all the enjoyable activities we did throughout the week, it has also been quite busy… and hot. I tried to squeeze in time to write but also didn’t want to miss out on any intern bonding that was going on in the evenings. There wasn’t a minute in the day that I had absolutely nothing to do. I have been reading “The Idealist: Jeffrey Sachs and the quest to end poverty” by Nina Munk, an assigned book reading for our internship. I’m halfway through the book and so far think it’s a fantastic read. I can hardly put it down! The read is thought-provoking and sparks critical thinking on the issue of poverty in third world countries and what it takes to solve it. Munk reveals a truth over Jeffrey Sachs’s theories, the Millennium Villages Project and other economic and international development efforts.
Our first workday at the compound was an orientation day with the Global Health and Sustainable Engineering interns, Global Brigades coordinators and other staff members. Interns got an overview of the internship and GB website, had a group reflection, and did some survey training. To give you a better idea of what a Global Brigades internship means, below is a general list:
- Development experience on the ground
- Work as part of a team
- Active learning experience
- Reflection of what I did, learned and got out of my internship
- Relationship building with communities and staff
- Critical thinking activities
- Addressing problems and solutions
An average family home in the Casillas community. © Aiste Manfredini
Our first week came with a lot of baggage. It involved driving about two hours from our compound to a select community. We visited communities that were potential candidates with a need for accessible and clean water, health, and/or education. When we arrive to a community, we organized community profiles, observations, status of projects in the community and personal or community recommendations.
Interns were paired up into groups and assigned to several different families. We walked through the community and met with families in their home. They gladly invited us inside or brought out chairs for us to sit in the shade. There were four interns per group with one Global Brigades Program Associate (PA) who helped translate.
We sat down, introduced ourselves, and explained why we were there. Then, we began taking turns asking questions from the baseline household survey. The survey requires interns to assess a family’s demographic information, names, water and public health; like the use of pilas (sink and water storage area), floor type, household sanitation, practices in the kitchen, and health and hygiene. In addition to, a family’s access to medical and dental care and other medical issues, cases of illnesses, women’s health (a sensitive topic but handled quite well), education, and socioeconomic situation. Each family assessment took about one hour with small talk in between.
If the majority of families in their community show that there is a profound need according to the compiled surveys, Global Brigades will ask that the community contributes 20-25% of the total resources it will take to make the project possible. Projects are not given for free or established according to one individual family’s needs; they are based on the community’s needs and their desire for community development.
Interns walk through the Casillas community. © Aiste Manfredini
Even though we were in the mountains where there was a cool breeze, the sun relentlessly beamed on our heads as we walked from one house to another. So I’m getting tanner–and redder–within each day (and yes, I’m drinking plenty of water and wearing sunscreen, mom). My Chaco sandals are finally broken in and my calves are getting stronger from walking up and down the gravel-paved hills. As we walked through each community, I placed my water bottle inside my satchel hanging from one side of my shoulder and my camera on the other for when curiosity strikes. We walked in groups from one side of the community to another, house by house. Two Honduran military men followed watching every move we made and stopped every time we did. They work with Global Brigades for security purposes.
Upon our arrival to a family’s home, we had an opportunity to speak with people from all walks of life. Some were young, married, had up to eight children, 92 years old and living alone, divorced, in a relationship with two women with different children, farmers, city workers, and the list goes on. Children played in the yard barefoot while dogs, kittens, and ducks wandered around our meeting area.
While I tried to listen to the survey questionnaire a six-year-old girl, Dariela, started to play with my hair. She was fascinated by the blond color and continued to style it until it felt like half of it was gone. Later, she noticed that I had something in my ear. Her little fingers gently touched my hearing aid as she shyly asked what it was. I tried to explain that it was a microphone, a device that allows me to hear sounds louder. She smiled but didn’t respond. My colleague jokingly asked her if she had them as well but she grinned and said, “No, no I do not.” We both laughed and refocused our attention to the owner of the house who was explaining his living situation to the other interns conducting the baseline household survey.
Interns observe a family’s pila (sink and water storage unit) in the Majada Verde community. © Aiste Manfredini
Each community we had visited this week was unique but shared similar needs: water, education, and more jobs. But mostly water. Most families did not have access to water, and if they did, the nearest creek was about 100 meters away from their home. Even if a family did have running water at home, it may not be sanitized or chlorinated, causing illnesses such as diarrhea.
Most people in rural communities–even pregnant women–walk up to three hours to visit a family doctor. There are women who have not received a pap smear within the last year or seen their family doctor due to economic reasons. Some families have trucks, motorcycles, bicycles, horses and others have none of these. Beans and corn are the most common staple foods and major factors contributing to malnutrition. It’s cheap and easy to grow. Many farmers here only know how to grow certain crops, beans and corn being the most common.
This past week, each Global Health and Sustainable Development intern worked hard to gather data and address each communities needs. This coming week, both internship programs will leave El Paraiso for San Lorenzo, a town in the southern Pacific side of Honduras, to focus on its individual projects. I’ll be working with one other Sustainable Engineering intern and GB Water and Architecture staff on architecture design and watery system follow-up, water assessment and community profiles, and water system design computation. Not sure what to expect as I’m no expert on engineering but excited to learn how water systems work in rural areas of Honduras and what we can do to improve them–if need be–in each community.
Toward the end of our first day we had a group reflection and were officially introduced to the Global Brigades Honduras staff. We discussed this week’s itinerary and what our roles as community development interns will be. It has been a long, tiring, exciting and humbling week and I look forward to the next two!