Archive | Summer Projects RSS feed for this section

2 weeks in! Samara Beach, Costa Rica

By on May 23, 2013 in 2013, Costa Rica, Duke, Summer Projects, Vanderbilt

Although these past two weeks have felt like longer, it is safe to say all of us are having a great time here in Costa Rica! I think it feels like we have been here for longer than we have because of the novelty of our environment and the amount we have learned and accomplished in such a short amount of time.

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!

 

Comments { 0 }

The countdown begins!

By on May 22, 2013 in 2013, Juniata, Peru, Pitt, Summer Projects

7 days!

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!

 

 

 

 

Comments { 0 }

Success, Sosua, and Sunburn

By on May 22, 2013 in 2013, Dominican Republic, Summer Projects, UF

We have been here only for two and a half  weeks and we already have done so much! This week we not only started but finished our classes on Microsoft Word. Initially we were concerned about how long it would take for the students to learn these skills considering some were not even familiar with keys on the keyboard. To our surprise, most caught on to the basics like formatting font relatively quickly. To finish off the class we had our students work on their final project which consisted of creating a professional resume.Awilda making her resume It was truly exciting to see students implement the very skills that you taught them in their own projects.
This past weekend was full of accomplishments for everyone. A Mother’s Wish has a preschool for 3 and 4 year old’s and their graduation was this past Saturday. To commemorate their achievement I embarked on a project of my own designing a mural for the graduates of this year and those to come. This mural of a “unity tree”,while it’s still a work in progress, was revealed at the graduation. The students got to put up leaves with their names on them to symbolically represent the growth of the Lynn Barta Academy community.Unity Tree In other news, the group from the bakery was given the opportunity to cater this event and supplied the graduates and their families with a cup of natural fruit juice and an assortment of pastries. They sold out and even had orders put in for banana bread and cookies.Sabrozzi's first sale Seeing as mother’s day is coming up here in the Dominican Republic we thought it would be a great idea for the bakery to make a special mother’s day sale in the community.
After the graduation, our Nourish team decided to take a bit of a break through a weekend excursion. We traveled to the beautiful beach of Sosua via guagua (a small and crowded kind of bus) and immersed ourselves in sun and waves. It was a nice way to relax and de-stress so we can return and continue working the way we do. The beautiful beach of Sosua
Until next post!
Jackie

Comments { 0 }

Getting Ready For the Trip!

By on May 22, 2013 in 2013, BU, Dominican Republic, Summer Projects

The BU students on the Nourish Team are excited about leaving next Tuesday. We are all starting to get our suitcases together as well as purchasing some last minute supplies for the trip. After all of our preparation, we are looking forward to the departure day and cannot wait to finally get to see where we will be living for the next six weeks.

 

Comments { 0 }

Orientated

By on May 20, 2013 in 2013, Costa Rica, Duke, Summer Projects, Vanderbilt

As orientation ends, we are able to reflect on the amazing experiences that we have had in just one week! The lengthy orientation gave us ample opportunity to acclimate to our surroundings, both in terms of culture and climate!

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!

Comments { 0 }

Getting down to the nitty gritty

By on May 19, 2013 in 2013, Guatemala, IU, Summer Projects, UTK

Well the two chapters (Indiana University and University of Tennessee) have finally merged as one supporting unit for these Guatemalan children.  Our first week together was spent acclimating and getting into the groove of things. We have decided to divide and conquer this project by placing ourselves in different environments and areas based off of the skill sets we have as individuals.  We are thrilled to get the opportunity to enhance the education of these children, but at the same time create these relationships simultaneously to build better connection and trust so they can understand our purpose for being there as well as grasp what we are trying to achieve together. The challenge we’ve come to face is understanding that the Guatemalan lifestyle isn’t exactly that which we live.  More specifically we’ve noticed that their perception on education and other things differ from what we originally thought.  However we’ve overcome this cultural barrier and believe we can better understand their mindset which allows us to provide a more enjoyable experience.  We’ll keep posted on the progress.

Much Love,

IU and UTK

Comments { 0 }