Site Announcement
Community: Quebrada Cacao
Project: Environmental Health
Province: Bocas del Toro
Nearest City: Changuinola
Description of site: Brandon, lace up your boots to hit the ground running! Quebrada Cacao is about a half hour walk from the highway through lush tropical forests and crossing a few small streams. On a small hill there are approximately 20 scattered traditional Ngobe homes. There is no public phone, however there is cell phone reception. There is a small two classroom school with 2 teachers spanning 1-6 grades with a total of 40 students. A nice house was built by the previous volunteer that will be available for rent for less than $20.00 a month.
Primary Work: I am going to put your construction management experience to work! The previous Volunteer designed and raised funds for a community aqueduct. The community does not know that the funding has arrived. You should begin by getting to know the design, looking for any expected problems, then forming work groups and finally breaking ground. You need to work with Joe in Valle Risco to find Jose Molina who is your area master mason. Reduce the size of the water tank as I noticed it is a little excessive and use those funds to hire Jose to build the toma and the tank. PCV Julie has all the project funds in her account and she will work with you to get the project done. PCV Marco Escobedo hopes you will keep in touch and will be happy to answer questions about the water system. Quebrada Cacao is also part of an area wide composting latrine request through FIS. Quebrada Cacao is set to receive 16 latrines. Seek out nearby PCV Adam Pivetta in Rio Oeste Arriba and he will bring you up to speed on when that might happen.
Secondary Work: There is a baseball team in Valle las Perlas that the previous volunteer participated in. The previous volunteer worked with the school teaching English and Environmental Education. The volunteer was also the P.E. coach and they are looking forward to you helping out with P.E. classes there. IPADEHM reports that they wish to renovate the school sometime during your service. There is a Panama Verde youth group formed that you could also work with.
My thoughts: Sweet! I had a sneaking suspicion that I would end up near this area since this is the area I went and visited. I told my APCD that I wanted to do construction instead of solicit funds, write grants, etc. I think that suits me and my personality better. I realize this strength is also my biggest weakness (besides Spanish and Ngabera) as I will be forced to sit on my hands a lot and take more a role of a consultant. I will actually be traveling out to this area next week to build latrines in a nearby community where Big Easy (the first nickname I ever gave somebody that actually stuck..ie. Colin) is going. Ryu is nearby too, within an hour or two. Changuinola is the nearest city with internet cafes and Bocas del Toro the city is only about 2.5 hours away. It's a surfer/backpacky type hangout for tourists. I'm really excited to have Ryu, Big Easy, Joe, and Mo really nearby. Mo is on an island with dolphins, if that makes any sense.
It's really sad to see some of my great friends heading to the Darien where I will only be able to see them once, possibly more, times a year. In particular, Brian and Amanda are super sweet and will miss their senses of humor. I will miss seeing Victoria's smile everyday and her high fives and Roanel's side comments that crack me up everyday in class. Yamiymah sounds like she'll have a ton of work to keep her busy. She will be a great volunteer.
Ok, I'll be gone working in Bocas for the next two weeks. Congrats on your move Barry & Vicky, sounds like it was a lot of fun. Good luck in the new job. I'll be 25 when I talk to ya'll next.
-Chobrau (my Ngobe name someone gave me last week)
Project: Environmental Health
Province: Bocas del Toro
Nearest City: Changuinola
Description of site: Brandon, lace up your boots to hit the ground running! Quebrada Cacao is about a half hour walk from the highway through lush tropical forests and crossing a few small streams. On a small hill there are approximately 20 scattered traditional Ngobe homes. There is no public phone, however there is cell phone reception. There is a small two classroom school with 2 teachers spanning 1-6 grades with a total of 40 students. A nice house was built by the previous volunteer that will be available for rent for less than $20.00 a month.
Primary Work: I am going to put your construction management experience to work! The previous Volunteer designed and raised funds for a community aqueduct. The community does not know that the funding has arrived. You should begin by getting to know the design, looking for any expected problems, then forming work groups and finally breaking ground. You need to work with Joe in Valle Risco to find Jose Molina who is your area master mason. Reduce the size of the water tank as I noticed it is a little excessive and use those funds to hire Jose to build the toma and the tank. PCV Julie has all the project funds in her account and she will work with you to get the project done. PCV Marco Escobedo hopes you will keep in touch and will be happy to answer questions about the water system. Quebrada Cacao is also part of an area wide composting latrine request through FIS. Quebrada Cacao is set to receive 16 latrines. Seek out nearby PCV Adam Pivetta in Rio Oeste Arriba and he will bring you up to speed on when that might happen.
Secondary Work: There is a baseball team in Valle las Perlas that the previous volunteer participated in. The previous volunteer worked with the school teaching English and Environmental Education. The volunteer was also the P.E. coach and they are looking forward to you helping out with P.E. classes there. IPADEHM reports that they wish to renovate the school sometime during your service. There is a Panama Verde youth group formed that you could also work with.
My thoughts: Sweet! I had a sneaking suspicion that I would end up near this area since this is the area I went and visited. I told my APCD that I wanted to do construction instead of solicit funds, write grants, etc. I think that suits me and my personality better. I realize this strength is also my biggest weakness (besides Spanish and Ngabera) as I will be forced to sit on my hands a lot and take more a role of a consultant. I will actually be traveling out to this area next week to build latrines in a nearby community where Big Easy (the first nickname I ever gave somebody that actually stuck..ie. Colin) is going. Ryu is nearby too, within an hour or two. Changuinola is the nearest city with internet cafes and Bocas del Toro the city is only about 2.5 hours away. It's a surfer/backpacky type hangout for tourists. I'm really excited to have Ryu, Big Easy, Joe, and Mo really nearby. Mo is on an island with dolphins, if that makes any sense.
It's really sad to see some of my great friends heading to the Darien where I will only be able to see them once, possibly more, times a year. In particular, Brian and Amanda are super sweet and will miss their senses of humor. I will miss seeing Victoria's smile everyday and her high fives and Roanel's side comments that crack me up everyday in class. Yamiymah sounds like she'll have a ton of work to keep her busy. She will be a great volunteer.
Ok, I'll be gone working in Bocas for the next two weeks. Congrats on your move Barry & Vicky, sounds like it was a lot of fun. Good luck in the new job. I'll be 25 when I talk to ya'll next.
-Chobrau (my Ngobe name someone gave me last week)
posted by Unima Kwaribo | 5:26 PM
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