I’m a bundle of excitement and nerves right now. I am thrilled to be going back to Odisha to empower a group of incredible people and see some very dear friends again. This year has been crazy though. As International Projects director I have been in charge of the logistics of this journey. I am also serving as project leader, and will thus have an extra responsibility when we are on the ground. Despite the extra pressure, I think it’s going to be a great trip. Many meetings later and I think we are prepared for whatever India throws at us. Plus, we have the added bonus of a native Telugu speaker on our project team (shout out to Dhanya!). My main goal for this trip is to be as humble and flexible as possible. I have also learned the importance of carrying with me a healthy dose of cynicism for the project. I mean this in terms of being able to constantly question whether or not our project or our presence will indeed have a positive impact or possibly an unintended negative one. With this attitude, this amazing team of passionate students, and the partnership with some of the most dedicated people I know working in the Indian NGO VIEWS, I am confident that our project will have a major impact on the livelihood of the people of the Gopalpur area. Here’s hoping we get there in one piece!

Sincerely and with many more posts to come,
Lauren

The first week and half was dedicated to learning about the culture and exploring the surrounding area. Andrea and Johanna, the directors of CREAR (the nonprofit we are volunteering with), set up some wonderful activities for us. Our orientation week included two beautiful hikes, a cooking class, a dance class, activities with the local kids, and various culture orientated discussions. It amazing how comfortable we all feel here in Samara after only two weeks. Everyone is so friendly and welcoming, which has definitely made the adjustment period easier for us all.

This week we began our main project. We are hoping that $2,000 dollars, some donated materials, and about  65 hours of labor per person can transform a completely dilapidated building that serves as the towns health clinic into a facility that people feel safe and comfortable. In the first three days we have sanded down the chipping paint and plaster on the inside and outside of the building, knocked down a crumbling wall, cleaned out a neglected supply building, and weeded the unsightly overgrowth surrounding the building. Though we are the preparatory stages our progress is very exciting!

CREAR is a great organization and we believe renovating the clinic is a worthwhile and important task for the town of Samara.  Things are going well and we are all excited to see what the next six weeks has in store for us!

This time last year, a Nourish chapter at Pitt was little more than the dream of a few students. Now, in one week, we will be in Peru for our very first chapter project. We could not be more excited! After a year of fundraising and planning, it is hard to believe we are finally able to translate our preparation to action.

For the project, our chapter and the Nourish chapter at Juniata college will be teaming up with MOCHE Inc. to build latrines and promote sanitation in the Moche Valley of Peru. I want to go into some detail of what this means because some of you reading this might roll your eyes at the euphemistic language. That’s what my mom did. When I first told her about my trip, she raised an eyebrow. “Latrines? Rachel, you want to spend your summer building toilets?!?” This initial reaction turned out to be the norm for me explaining my summer plans to people. Unfortunately, it makes sense—no one wants to talk about poop. However, what we’ve learned in preparing for this trip is that potty talk isn’t pretty, but it’s necessary. Not only do 1.1 billion people globally not have access to improved water supply sources, but also 2.4 billion people do not have access to any type of sanitation facility. Because of this, 2 million people die every year due to diarrheal diseases. Lack of sanitation is one of the biggest problems facing developing nations, including Peru.  The more we’ve learned about the seriousness of the issue, the more we’ve been able to understand what kind of impact we could potentially make. So yes mom, we are building toilets! But that doesn’t mean our work will go to waste…no pun intended

As part of our preparation, we’ve spent a lot of time talking about what we hope to accomplish—in Nourish-speak, our outputs and outcomes.

Our outputs (tangible goals) are to:

1. build at least 4 latrines
2. facilitate at least 1 successful health fair
3. distribute health (first aid) kits to the community
4. distribute at least 100 packets of information to the community

Our outcomes (intangible goals) are to:

1. create better waste management in the community
2. increase knowledge about better sanitation practices
3. increase knowledge of first aid in the community
4. increase knowledge and access to available sanitation resources

We hope we will be able to achieve these goals and more as we begin this learning experience.

There is not too much more to say before we go, but really, we can’t wait! Our project leaders Emma, Ally, and Sam will be leaving in a couple days to prepare before the entire group goes down so look out for updates from them sometime soon!

–Rachel

P.S. if anyone is interested in learning a little more about the issue of sanitation, be sure to check out World Toilet Day’s page http://worldtoiletday.org/learn_detail.php?id=3 or watch this great TED talk from Rose George http://www.ted.com/talks/rose_george_let_s_talk_crap_seriously.html!

We spent the first two days learning about Asociación Crear as a non-profit organization and touring their past projects in several neighborhoods of Sámara, including Cangrejal and El Torito. Crear has accomplished a lot in a relatively short amount of time, and we are very excited to contribute further in the next two months! Throughout orientation week, we were able to visit the after-school enrichment programs in both Sámara and El Torito, a nearby pueblo. The children here are enthusiastic and loving, making the afternoons spent with them very enjoyable. From playing fútbol in the backyard, to watercolor painting, to exchanging handmade friendship bracelets, the group loved spending time with the students!

We also visited the clinic itself, to see firsthand what restoration must be done. The clinic is certainly functional, but could surely use improvements. The earthquake that hit Sámara last year did considerable damage to the building. An entrance door cannot shut completely, and a large portion of the ceiling has cracked and caved in. The paint on the walls is dingy and faded, and the concrete is brittle and peeling. As we walked through, it was hard to imagine that this truly was a healthcare center. Its appearance so starkly differs from the clinics that we have visited in the United States. Ready access to high-quality and comprehensive healthcare is certainly something that I take for granted, and I hope that our restoration work can improve the patient experience for those in Sámara. In addition to the structural improvements, we want to beautify the exterior, make an entrance sign, and plant a garden in the front. I am very excited about the garden, as it will not only purify air but also lift patients’ spirits. We are also trying to expand and improve the waiting area for patients.  From what we have heard, the community is thrilled that we are here to restore the clinic, so I hope that we live up to their expectations!

In our spare time, we were able to explore the beautiful hiking trails and beaches in and around Sámara. We did a sunrise hike to Playa Izquierda, as well as a four-hour morning hike to Punta Indio. The views were absolutely incredible and allowed us to fully experience the area in which we are working. We spend a considerable amount of free time on the beach, which is a fantastic luxury. We are very fortunate to be working in such a gorgeous area with such friendly locals, and we cannot wait to see what the next few weeks have in store!

Today is our first day of clinic restoration – wish us luck!