Tuesday, July 28, 2009

I'm trying to figure out how to get some Central American villagers to poop where I say they should poop. Being an American, I know what's best for them; why won't they acknowledge my authoritah?!?!?

5 years ago I spent $5000 to build 50 latrines in a rural village. Now, the villagers have put padlocks on them and rent them out as self storage units. They are making money off of my latrines and are still pooping in the bush! I can't understand why they won't do their business where I desire. No amount of explaining modern sanitation technology seems to convince them to poop where I want them too. If fact, they are becoming belligerent about it, telling me to go away and stop messing with their 500 year old community....

I'm sure you would be grateful if a bunch of foreigners came into your yard, built a small stinky building, and told you that from now on you had to go to the bathroom there. Do any of you have any suggestions on how I might convince these silly villagers to do the same?

Saturday, May 30, 2009

Well, after 2 and 1/2 years of no posts I am back. After the change of the Nicaraguan government in January of 2007, when Daniel Ortega began a new 5 year term as President of the country, I decided to stay "callado" - to keep my mouth shut.

I had many connections in the former government who had assisted me with various projects in the country, from schools to community gardens to water wells, and I just wanted to learn who I would be dealing with before going out on a limb and accidentally saying something inflamatory.

Our school is still in business, and we continue to offer educational opportunities, formal and vocational, to impoverished children and young adults in the community of Pantanal, just south of the city of Granada.

I'll be writing much more over the coming weeks, and I look forward to your comments. The one thing I can say right now is that should you decide to go to some third world country and help the people there, do it one child at a time, become a personal friend and mentor to them, visit them regularly, and stay committed to them into adulthood. If you can't be there personally, you are just throwing money down the drain.