First challenge: collecting bottles. When I first presented the idea of using bottles filled with trash, nobody believed that it was a good idea; they thought the Center would fall over and it would stink of trash. After convincing them that it was possible through videos and pictures, we set forth asking all schools and directors for their support. As posted in my last blog post, we are just now reaching our goal of 7,000 bottles…this process alone took 7 months.
Next challenge: getting the land. Of course you can’t build anything if there’s nowhere to put it! We knew we wanted to build the Center in the urban center because this is where most people convene from all the communities and it’s also important that the Center be built where there is a large ladino presence because we want them to utilize it as well. After speaking with the mayor, we finally decided where it could be built. The land itself isn’t owned by the municipality, it’s owned by a community association that gives land to projects that benefit the community. Where we “finally” decided to construct the building, was not where the community association wanted the Center to be built. Then, for real this time, we decided on a location. You’d think in a couple weeks you could get the document that certifies that the land has been transferred to the Mayan Council. False. Before the association agreed to make up the documentation we had to tear down an existing building and some shack looking things. That takes what, a week right? Wrong. Three months later it got done. When we asked the Mayor what was taking so long he said he was waiting for us to bring the building materials. We then had to explain that we can’t bring any building materials until we know 100% that the land will be in the name of the Mayan Council. So, naïve me, thinking that this was all that was necessary to get the land title asks for the document the next day. Turns out that in order to receive the document, the Mayan Council has to get 100 signatures from people in the community to show that people support the decision of transferring the land. Today, five months after initially asking for the land document, I have a copy of the land title.
Fourth challenge: fundraising. Fundraising is always a challenge; it’s rarely easy to have $10,000 USD fall on your lap. In certain cases, you find an NGO that does exactly what you’re trying to accomplish and they fund the majority of the project but this is an exception. My family, friends, fellow PCVs, RPCVs, etc have been incredibly supportive and helpful in this process. I originally thought one company was going to fund 80% of the project through their social branch, but this fell through and for the past month I’ve been scrambling to find $8,000 USD. I’m happy to say that with the support of everyone, we’ve been able to raise $6,000 USD. Thank you to those amazing people who have helped along the way!! We’re almost there.
Fifth Challenge: Construction date and elections. Since we’re so close to our goal, we were all discussing the possibility of starting in August. We’re all eager to get the project started and know that if we lose motivation then we’re screwed. Right now it’s the height of the political season. The mayor wants to start building asap because it will look like this project is his project and perhaps he can win some votes off of the building. But, if the mayor loses then he could decide to stop paying the laborers because he doesn’t have money or because he lost interest or who knows what could happen. Everyone here thinks the mayor will win and that we should take him for his promise that he’ll complete the project. I know damn well that political promises are usually empty and he’ll say anything to get this thing started. At the same time, the municipality is providing labor, transport, has supported us with the transport of the bottles, and can provide for any other little thing that happens along the way; so we can’t do this project without their support. Also, depending on who wins, the new candidate could have no interest in promoting the Mayan culture and decide that he doesn’t want to help out.
So what do we do? All options have their consequences and I’m trying to do my best to weigh the options and figure out the best and safest plan of action. It’s an incredible learning experience and this is probably the first time where I really have to be stern with people instead of doing my best so that everyone likes me. When people wonder, why is Peace Corps two years, that’s way too long…it’s because these things take an incredible amount of time. The building process will only take a couple months, but everything leading up to it…takes forever! Imagine if PC were just a year, I would be forced to start construction now because I’d be leaving in October. And I was worried that PC wouldn’t have opportunities to cultivate leadership experience, silly me!
No comments:
Post a Comment