Saturday, September 22, 2007

Photo Shoot

A couple days ago I went along with Cecilia, Jose Abel (my host family), and Cecilia´s sister to check out the farm. After Cecilia´s father passed away, his land was divided between Cecilia and her 10 siblings...it is quite large as you can imagine. This province of Manabi has been blessed with so many rich foods and an incredible number of awesome fruits (papaya, oranges, tangerines, starfruit, pineapple, 16 types of mango, plantains, guanabana, avocado, maracuya, lemon, yuca, peanuts, beans, peas, and the list goes on with exotic names I had never heard of), which all grow right in these people´s backyards. However, along with this amazing blessing of abundance comes the curse of supply vs. demand. The supply of such foods is so great that they have extremely low monetary values. For examples, 100 large oranges go for $3. Most people dont even bother to sell the excess from what their family does not consume in the home..they give it away to neighbors or crazy foreigners like me, or just leave it to rot. Agriculture is really the only opportunity for work in my communities, so the monthly incomes are extremely low as you can imagine, averaging about $50 per family. Anyhow, Cecilia told me to bring my camera to the farm because she thought my mom would enjoy a picture of me picking an orange. These people find it absolutely hilarious that I have never picked fruit before...I cringe when they ask me how much an orange or mango costs in the US supermarkets. We ended up spending a few minutes gathering some fruit to take home, and and a couple hours taking pictures of the gringa with EVERY fruit in about 3 or 4 different poses. My little brother was quite the photographer, demanding me to put my hand here, turn my head there. Despite the photo shoot aspect, it was really great fun. I am constantly mesmorized and awe-struck by the fact that I can walk 20 feet out my front door to pick and eat at orange right off the tree...or that avocadoes grow on trees (haha i never knew)...or that people often invite me to come over and eat the ripened fruit from their yard. And I really liked using the machete...haha I was told I looked like a telenovela character who lives in the jungle and climbs trees. So I suppose my Ecuadorian friends did have good reason to laugh at my giddyness and my silly comments as to how lucky they are to call this land ¨home,¨ and how fortunate I am to live here. I´m sure I looked like a little kid in a candy store. Now if I can just encourage them to to consume the fruit as is, in large amounts, instead of the traditional 1 or 2 servings they eat via sugary-juice without pulp. I am determined to make people acknowledge fruit as a food, and one that should be eaten regularly. It´s crazy that desnutritution and diseases such as diabetes and hypertension are such large problems here, with all these wonderfully healthy and nutritious foods at their fingertips. The pictures are on my webshots under the albulm entitled ¨Manabi.¨ Enjoy! They´re kinda humerous. http://community.webshots.com/user/kenneysarah

if you´re into politics, read on. sorry, its a book

When I spoke about my week in Quito, I failed to mention that we were visited by representatives from the Embassy, US AID, and the Military group. I found these visits extremely helpful in understanding the current climate here in Ecuador, and in what the US & Ecuadorian governments deem to be important for the country. It was super-illustrative of the current political situation, so read on if you´re interested.
Politics are always a hot topic here. Ecuador has been very unstable politically, with such strong institutional fallout. 20 constitutions have been written since the country´s independence, and 57 presidents have been kicked out of office. They have had 8 presidents in the past 10 years, none of who have completed their terms. Congress has removed many presidents by declaring them ¨medically incompetent¨or claiming that they had ¨abandoned post.¨
To combat this instability, a Constituent Assembly is being formed to write a new constitution, which is hoped to be a framework to guide society in a more stable manner. It does not seem to me that many Ecuadorians are currently guaranteed many rights outlined in the constitution, and many laws are loosely enforced and interpreted in different ways. I am suspicious as many others are, as to whether a new constitution will create much change if neither the masses not those in power follow the rules. But we can hope.
Voting is mandatory is Ecuador, therefore all citizens will nominate candidates in the September 30th election for Constituent Assembly. Frustration and confusion seems to be the attitude of many, as 3,229 candidates from 500 parites are running for 130 spots. The ballot in one of the larger provinces, Guayas, will be 5 sq feet in size and contain 600 names.
The current president is Rafeal Correa who won with 57% of the votes in January 2007. He ran with a campaign emphasizing ¨socialism of the 21st century,¨with a focus on egalitariansim, civil participation, and a new constitution for transformational reform. He shares many values with Venezuela´s Chavez and Bolivia´s Morales, but wishes to remain independent and has a nacionalistic attitude in wishing to centralize the government. It will be really interesting to see how all of this plays out over the next few months. Effective politics and political strategies seem to take place on a local level. The ¨system¨ seems to work for those who have the benefits. Ecuador has been known as a ¨rich country with a lot of poor people.¨ 10 families own 90% of the country´s wealth.
The judicial system is very interesting to me, as it reveals the priorities of those in power as well as the influence from countries offering political or monetary support. In this system the victim is responsible for hiring an attorney and pursuing protection without help from the government. It is an extremely expensive and lengthy process, taking a minimum of 1 year. If found guilty of drug trafficking, the criminal is sentenced to 25 years in jail; rape is 16, homocide 12, robbery 5, and theft 5. Drug trafficking is another hot topic in Ecuador, as we border both Columbia and Peru. Furthermore, the US govt feels very strongly about such issues, and therefore they place great emphasis on counter-narcotics.
Sexual abuse and rights are becoming less of a taboo for discussion, although there are quite a few obstacles in protecting citizens ...Homosexuality was considered a crime only 10 years ago in Ecuador. Homosexuality was considered a ¨disorder¨ by the American Psychiatric Association until 1973, and by the World Health Organization until 1991. The inadaquate rape sentence is quite disturbing when taking into account that 90% of families experience domestic violence in Ecuador. Even if a victim wanted to press charges, sexual assault evidence kits are not available in Ecuador, therefore the accussed must consent to a DNA test. On the topic of sexual rights, in rural areas (which the World Bank states accounts for 67% of the country) an extremely small percentage of people use birth control, and the most common method used is for women to get their ¨tubes tied,¨ which is a free service provided by the government. Only 2.5% of people use condoms, which is the only effective method of protection against HIV and STDS. 10% of girls ages 15-19 are married or have kids, although I would argue this percentage is much much higher. 16% of pregnant women are between the ages of 12-19. 72% of women don´t know about the Free Maternity Law...although even if they were aware of their rights or had access to a public health clinic, there is a great chance that the the clinic would lack fundamental services required to guarantee their rights, such as staff, machinery, or medicine. 70% of women have never had a pap smear, and at least 23% of women give birth in their house.
Back to the topic of drug trafficking and the US´s hand in Ecuadorian politics. Counter-narcotics and anti-terrorism are 2 of the U.S.´s most ¨important¨ missions in Ecuador. US AID/Ecuador does not receive any funding for health programs here, as they are mostly allocated for economic and business development grants. Moreover, their bugget has been cut in half over the past couple years because ¨Ecuador is not on the map,¨ says one US AID representative. With over 50% of Ecuadorians living on less than $2 a day, maybe this country should be ¨put on the map.¨ I think the US government and people must review our priorities and which type of activities we continue to fund. The US calls Ecuador a reactive country, as opposed to one who takes preventative measures. Yet as a country we are not funding health programs which would support preventative behavior. We are spending billions of dollars on military and counter-narcotics missions, while ignorning basic human needs.
Another fun fact is that Ecuador uses the US dollar for financial transactions. In the constitution the official currency is still the sucre, but it is no longer used after the 1990 banking crisis occured and the sucre became worthless. Ecuador is struggling to monitor or manage their own banking system and are apparently using the dollar to stabilize the economy, which has functioned to decrease inflation and increase wages.
I don´t promise that all my stats and facts are perfect, as statistics are always volatile and difficult to measure, and also vary according to their source. I hope you found this info interesting!

Sunday, September 16, 2007

Pictures

Hello All!
I have added more pictures of Cangagua (where I used to live in the Sierra for training), as well as pictures from our second Technical Trip in Esmeraldas. The albums are labeled as such. I think many of them are absolutely beautiful, especially of the mountains.
An update is on the way. Also, more pictures can be found on Kris´webshots page...http://community.webshots.com/user/KristenMallory. I will upload them to mine when I have the time.
All my love.

Monday, September 10, 2007

Swimming with Horses and Observing Latrines

I am currently sitting at a computer in the parish of Vasquez (the closest thing resembling a town) where at least 15 kids are running in and out of the room, asking me who I am, where I live, if I have a mother, and to look at their math homework and their pretty drawings, as they looking over my shoulder to watch me type. What a struggle, really. I need to acknowledge each and every one of them, because they are likely to be some of the kids I will be working with on future projects. But really, I only have an hour to work on one of the slowest computers I have ever used...I have deadlines to meet, people to write, forms to complete...but then again, I am in the Peace Corps to support these people, these kids, to get to know them and establish trust, confidence, and liking....It´s this balance that I deal with on a daily basis. Re-evaluating where my priorities should lie, and with whom and what I should spend my time.

I have been at my site for about a week now. One down, 100+ to go. haha, no, I am not actually counting down the weeks, that type of approach would make this stint nearly impossible. So what do I do on a regular basis, you ask? Well, yesterday morning I read over the diagnostic survey I will be using to evaluate the health of my 6 communities before I create project plans for my next 2 years. This assessment tool is used to better understand the needs and resources of the community and identify opportunity for my projects. I will be spending the next 3 months visiting every family in 6 towns, more or less interviewing them about their status of health, such as how many times in the past month their child has had diarrea, the condition of their latrine, where and with thom they have given birth, and if they purify their water before drinking. Then in the afternoon I went for a run, which became quite the eventful evening. This is how my days often play out...I plan on doing one thing, which turns into something quite different. So I begin walking down the street (yes, meaning THE street, since only one exists), and an angry dog jumps up and bites my shin. Off to a good start. Thank god it didnt break the skin, or else I would have had to travel 10 hours to Quito for a rabies shot. About 5 minutes later I run into a friend, who invites me to bathe in the river. I try my very best to accept invitations as awkward and uncomfortable as it may seem, in order to get to know people and the culture. So I cut my run short and head down to the river. We see the owner of a farm(intended to be a recreation center for tourists to enjoy the river....or for gringas to serve as the night´s entertainment....), and he convinces me to go for a short horse ride....then to remove the saddle and go swimming with the horse in the river in my running clothes. It was a wild experience, floating down the river on a horse, holding tightly onto his mane, trusting that he can swim...haha, so this goes on for about 10 minutes. After I get out of the water I am dragged to the kareoke machine, where I sing Ace of Base´s All that She Wants in english, because they want to hear the gringa sing. And for those of you have heard me sing, you know it is not pretty; I hurt my own ears. I am then force-fed empanadas (fried plantain patties filled with cheese) and orange juice, and then must run home because it was getting dark, and I cannot be out alone past dark.
Those are my days...a little work, a little play, a little cultural experience, a lot of food and meeting people, doing things that place me way out of my comfort zone and in the spotlight for all to see, hoping to gain the people´s trust that I am not here to conquer, but to be a friend. There is a ton of work to be done, but I have a lot of time in which to do it, so I am hopeful.
I had a meeting with the primary health clinic this morning in Vasquez to meet the health professionals (meaning 1 general doctor, 1 ear, nose and throat doctor, and one untrained nurse for more than 1,000 families) and get a better idea of the community´s needs...This was a bit overwhelming, as they don´t have enough medicine, enough staff, enough resources..I pray that my community diagnostic will help me specify the most urgent and grave problems, and those in which I can influence.
Thanks for all your emails and letters!!! You guys are wonderful, and I will write back as soon as I can!

New Mailing Address

My new address is:
Sarah Kenney
Cuerpo de Paz
Casillero 13-01-420
Portoviejo, Manabi
Ecuador South America


I would really appreciate letters! If you want to send a package-like item, please pack in a padded envelope...apparently it is incredibly difficult to get large, heavy packages or any type of box out of customs in Quito. Please do not claim more than a 25 cent monetary value. Send mail through regular postal service. yay for mail!

Sunday, September 2, 2007

For those of you that ever doubted...I'm official

I took my oath and am an official Peace Corps volunteer! We swore in on Friday at the U.S. Ambassor's house in Quito. The ceremony was gorgeous and very well done. I have posted a few pics [http://community.webshots.com/user/kenneysarah] It was located on the lawn overlooking an amazing view of the city. The Ambassor cried at the end of her speech, and could not continue. It was adorable; her excuse was that she was channelling our parent's emotions to us since they could not be present at the ceremony. Two volunteers gave wonderful speeches. Theresa spoke about what she learned from different volunteers and how impressed she is by our group. I concur...I am constantly humbled and inspired by the talents of my colleages and the wonderful friendships I have made here. She also mentioned how she obsessively checked the On-line Toolkit for the status of her application and invitation...Do you all remember how often I checked that website?! haha, it was great to know that all the other volunteers behaved similarly. Damon spoke about one of the PC slogans "How far will you go?," arguing that we should instead remember how far we have come. He mentioned key moments/obstacles/life-changes from our 3 months from training, such as 3 months without cell phones (I now have a cell phone. If you'd like the number, email me), 3 months of being herded in big group activities (it will be nice to escape from the constant group setting), 3 months of eating piles and piles of carbs, etc. This speech was right on as well. I am trying to get a copy of their speeches to post, because I think they give good insight into our lives here, and our transition from training to our service.
It's weird, these emotions that are flooding my mind and heart. I almost feel as I did when I left the U.S. The sadness I felt when leaving my good friends and family in NC is similar to leaving my PC friends here in Ecuador. My little bubble of safety and comfort is being shattered as I enter the crazy unknown of Ecuador by myself. Despite all of this, I am super excited to get out there and start working. Finally, what I have waited so long for.
The past week has been spent in tourist areas of Quito with my gringo friends who I love dearly (after the 8hr long sessions on PC rules and regulations). We have eaten yummy American food (meaning meals without potatoes and rice, that are less likely to make us sick), gone dancing to celebrate the end of training, spoken english for 7 days straight, and ran a 10K in the historic section of Quito.
The race was awesome...it is called Ruta de las Iglesias (route of the churches; http://www.rutadelasiglesias.com/) and is held after dark in the heart of Quito, passing 11 churches. I felt like I was in a parade because of the sheer number of people watching and cheering us on...Viva Quito! (Long live Quito) Si, se puede! (You can do it) Vamos campeones! (Let's go champions). Bands played at various checkpoints and water/Gatorade was given every few kilometers. The atmosphere was simulataneosly familiar and strange. It was familiar because it was sponsored by Gatorade, I was running a road race and surrounded by tons of athletes...these strike me as very American things. It was strange to me because I was running in a section of Quito in which we are strongly discouraged from entering after dark, and with people who could afford to buy running gear and the ticket to participate in the race, and who have the time to exercise. For the past 3 months I have been living and socializing with people from an entirely different social & economic class.
So I am off, taking a bus through the night to the coastal province of Manabi, arriving at 6am. We are supposed to "hang on out" for the first week or so, introducing ourselves, becoming familiarized with the area and our future work. It sounds much easier said than done, but I'm excited.
Keep me updated with your lives as well! Miss you all.

South American Explorers-Shark Fins

http://www.saexplorers.org/club/home
Heard Through The Grape vine...
Ecuador has reversed a ban on the sale of shark fins.
A ban on the sale of all shark fins in Ecuador, decreed in 2004 by a former president, allowed authorities to confiscate shark fins by the truckload. The sale of shark fins was punishable by up to two years in prison.
Now, a directive by President Correa allows shark fins caught "accidentally" to be sold by fishermen. How one determines whether a shark has been caught accidentally or deliberately is a mystery.
Experts say the new measure will lead to even more slaughter of sharks.
The UN estimates that more than 300,000 sharks are taken illegally each year from Galapagos waters! Sharks are caught, their fins are hacked off, and the animals are thrown into the water to endure a slow and agonizing death.
Please contact Oswaldo Rosero, WildAid Ecuador - oswaldo.rosero@gmail.com or visit www.WildAid.org for more information on how you can help.