Otra Fe April Report: Planting Prep for Rainy Season, Chicken Project

Noé, a member of the Atehucía agriculture group,
showing off the fully developed squash plants.
This was the first dry season planting
on the plot in the El Molino estuary.

The days when I receive the Otra Fe monthly reports are the best days. As I'm going through my International Development class, I find myself being able to relate so much of my learning to what is happening within this project. Jim tells us they are closer to establishing the not-for-profit status. I am excited for life to slow down so I can get more involved again. Perhaps once my course is finished.

We still need to have a better alternative than renting land down there. Does anyone have a few hundred thousand dollars they would like to part with, for a sustainable food security project? Wink, wink. Let me know.

In the meantime, visit the Otra Fe Blog here to read about how they are finding land to rent and taking better care of chickens than ever before, resulting in improved production of eggs and meat. And make sure to click on the reports for the pictures!

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Otra Fe March Report: Organic Fertilisers, Soil Care, Chicken & Egg

I continue to be blown away by the efforts of Otra Fe in El Salvador. Our own agronomist, Otoniel, writes these amazing monthly reports that summarize the activities going on down there and sends pictures where possible. Here is March's report below. 

Remember this is a small group of campecino's who decided to come together as a co-operative and create opportunities for themselves where none really existed. This is a story of perseverance. 

Report of activities carried out in Atehuecia Community: 

5th of March:
On this date the Atehuecia farming group met to discuss preparing the fields for the new period of agricultural production that will begin in the month of April with the goal being that the fields would be ready whenever the first rains come, perhaps very early in May. The conversation included the theme of tilling and caring for the land and its significance for today and for the future. Pastor Felix Lino accompanied the meeting.

12th of March:
This meeting took place in Chancuyo with the purpose of organising ourselves so that other persons would not burn their fields, and also to explain to other farmers the damage that is done to the earth when the vegetation left in the soil after the harvest is burned.

22nd of March:
Brother Felix Lino gathered the farming group to continue the work of consciousness raising with the families concerning the use of organic fertilisers making use of local resources such as the organic residuals obtained from their own households. The experience of some members of the group was also shared. These had  produced their own fertilisers using the residue from the harvest of the beans, shucked corn cobs, chaff from rice, and manure.

2nd of March:
We organised a get together to make organic fertilisers, using cobs, manure, ashes from the wood-burning stoves, and the remains from the bean harvest. 10 farmers participated in the event. The experience was later reproduced for 5 more families.

16th of March:
On this date we had the great experience of visiting 4 families in the homes and on their fields in order to see and know how the family fertiliser production is making out.

Report of activities carried out in Monte El Padre Community, and with the farmers in San Diego hacienda.

Generally speaking, the activities in both places have been oriented toward attending to the needs of the farmers (men and women) in their household tasks of looking after their chicken and egg project, principally helping with the reproduction of chicks. We also have been involved in the activities surrounding the search for land to cultivate this year. Preparation of land is already underway. There follows the detail of the principal activities.

14th of March:
Monte El Padre community meeting where we reflected on the condition of the land on the new plots that each of the families have rented or leased for the harvest in 2013, and, in order to preserve the small amount of debris that has been left on the ground, we are mounting a local campaign to explain to the neighboring farmers the damage it does to the ground when it is burned on the field.

20th of March:
In the hacienda San Diego a visit was made to promote soil care when performing the initial tasks of land preparation, mainly recommending that they prevent their land from being damaged by fire caused by other neighboring farmers.

Brother Juan Ramón constantly is talking to the farmers about "the soil that produces life." It is important to emphasise the constant participation of men and women in the meetings and activities that have been conducted.

8th of March
We performed follow-up visits to poultry houses in order to check the overall health of the chickens and check their nutritional status and egg production. We verified also that compliance with the meal plan has been recommended.

As a product of the new meal plan in March there was a daily average of 6 eggs per hen and there was also chicken and mature hens for meat more often than last year.

22nd of March:
We performed the first vaccination campaign for adult birds (over 18 weeks) that were near the beginning of producing eggs, and for chickens and small cocks aged from 4 to 17 weeks. That day a total of 125 birds were vaccinated.

23rd of March:
The second day of poultry vaccination was conducted on this date and a total of 170 were vaccinated since a vaccination of fowl in the neighborhood was implemented as a precaution to prevent outbreaks of diseases caused by viruses. On both days we had the support of the local team led by Don Armando Sandoval.

The photograph shows the visit to one of the families
that have begun to experience the production of organic
fertiliser. Although it will not be sufficient for their plot,
it will begin to improve the fertility of this year. 

Brother Noah (2nd from left) shows the state of
decomposition of his compost to Agronomist Otoniel.

Brother Toño (right) already produced compost last year,
but this year he is producing double the fertiliser
to apply to all of his land, on which
he grows corn, beans, rice, cassava and some vegetables. 

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So You Say You Want a Revolution...

Meetings, meetings and more meetings over the past few days...to help me understand the history and current economic, political and social situation for the country.

Breakfast 27 de junio

Dagoberto Gutierrez came to breakfast. This man is incredible. He was a Rebel Commander for the Guerrilla's in the war. He is a noted lawyer, theologian and public figure. He's in the news here often, cracking down on the right-side party. And he spoke to us about the violence and unrest going on in the world - politically, economically and socially. He spoke a lot about how our democracies have turned into dictatorships disguised. We vote, yet the money and power at the top still push down all regulations, laws and policies, often only those that benefit them. And it's gone on for too long, it no longer works anymore. Being in Dago's presence was special. He was so poignant and you could feel an energy around him that was big...I know I'll be following the politics down here a lot more closely after this.

Dago & the other Canadians who joined us for the night.

10:00 27 de junio at Universidad Luterana Salvadore

Met with the President of the University, Fidel. Dagoberto is actually the VP of this University so he had heard a bit about us through him. This meeting was something else. We walk into his office and sit on these black leather couches. It wasn't a big luxurious room though, very modest. There's a large portrait of Che Guevara on the wall. Fidel didn't take off his aviator glasses once while he spoke to us about the state of E.S. I don't want to mention too much of what these guys said, but underlying themes included "The people need to rise up and it's time for revolution" and "We need to take the power and land and put that in the hands of the peasant farmers, rather than the transnationals or the rich...we need to invest in organic agriculture first and in the development of youth." I'll remember this meeting forever. All we needed was some Scotch and cigars and it would've been straight out of a movie. Unfortunately I wanted to be as sauve as him and therefore I did not ask to take his picture. But I really wish I would have. Forever in my mind!

9:00 28 de junio
Schafik Handel's son came to speak with Jim & I this morning about various topics. Schafik was the leader of the FLMN (leftist) party here for a long time, but died of a heart attack in 2006, before he was able to be president. He was very well respected and liked here and very well-known, so we were a bit surprised when he showed up to talk to us Canadians. He showed up wearing red, of course, the FMLN party colour. He explained to us some of the things that this leftist party is and has been trying to do since getting elected in 2009. They are the first leftist government to be elected, ever, in El Salvador and it's been a trying time. There has been so. much. corruption in their predecessor's parties and this is a transition time for them. They are making some progress; however, and one of those projects is called ALBA. It works around selling Venezuelan oil and every profit from that goes into rural development agriculture projects - with seed and fertilizer packages that are NOT from the transnational (criminals) like Monsanto and friends. Bueno.

2:00 28 de junio
Martinez (lawyer) from FESPED: a Human Rights organization
This man was only a year older than me and already practising law for a wonderful foundation here in San Salvador. They really look at the government's policies and analyze them from a human rights prospective...holding them accountable and taking them to the courts if need be. And right now, they are doing just that. I won't go into the minutiae since I've done a lot of that lately. But this man was one of the great ones...the youth that is taking his opportunity to learn and be a defender of his country to the fullest. 

He did say to us at one point, "I am surprised to see two Canadians who will give up an afternoon to learn the history of our country and culture." I was surprised to hear him say that. Give up an afternoon???? I find this fascinating.

4:00 27 de junio IMU offices - a Women's Rights NGO

Here we met with Dago's wife, Deysi Cheyne. She is the Director and a long time friend of Jim and Brenda's. I've heard so much about her that meeting her was a bit dream-like. She's beautiful and has a presence you can feel. She too was a guerrilla in the war, fighting for social justice in the rebel hills. During the war (1985) there was the third ever World Women's Conference held in Kenya and they came back from that knowing that gender quality was something that was needed in El Salvador. Ten years later, in Beijing, the idea was born for a government office to be held by women in ES. And IMU came out of that - as a Non Governmental Organization to hold the powers-that-be accountable and to pressure them when necessary. This organization has made a great deal of progress in the past 20 years and specifically in the past three years, in gender equality, lowering the femicide (murder specifically because of gender) rate, lowering domestic violence rates and pushing for things like maternal health and rural women education and economic empowerment. It's definitely an organization I plan to do work with one day.

Deysi said something specifically to me that really stayed with me. She said something to the effect of, "We are fighting for something that we've never had, but you in Canada have it. Now it's a time for you to continue progressing and never let it go backwards. That must be your struggle. The struggle to keep and honour your rights." 

Amen. To all the women in Canada. 

On a lighter note, we stopped at a gas station to feel our tires this morning and had to cut the hubcap off as it was tied on with little tags. We asked the man beside us if he had a pocket knife or scissors in his car...and he pulled out a machete. 

no. big. deal.

Remember to not perch on the toilet people.

Papusas! The national food.

Central America. Gotta love it.

The underlying theme here for everyone that has talked to us, no matter their position in the country, is that the country is in dire need of sustainable food systems set in place. So I am grateful that that's what I'm here for. Actual details on the Food Security Project that I'm going to be working on to come...we head for the country to walk among the fields with the people this weekend and next week.

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Do One Thing Everyday That Scares You

I don't mind public speaking. I do it often in front of clients..in meetings, etc. Yet something about standing up in front of mucho native Spanish speakers - and speaking their language - scares the shiza out of me.

...so yesterday I did just that. We received recognition in front of the other students and most of the teachers for our time here at Casa Xelaju. I had to thank the school and my teacher and I (tried) to crack a joke. In espanol. Ei. Yi. Yi.

Thursday we had a delicious Italian farewell dinner and enjoyed a night of pool and dancing with the amigos we've made here. And yesterday was it. My teacher gave me an angel pendant to watch over me in the pursuit of my dreams and we both shed some tears. It's crazy how quickly time flies.

Rompopo. The delicious drink we want to
find out how to export made of rum, egg yolk,
sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg.

Just another example of my hostess' amazing meals.
Dessert of fresh cherries & peaches heated and Orcheta
to drink. She's the best.

Their adorable grandaughter Ana Sofia
whom lives upstairs.

Italians know how to do it.

My crew at the school whom I will miss mucho mucho.
En serio.

I am sad about leaving my teacher, my family & friends here, I think about how I had to leave somewhere and someone else to get here. It's inevitable and an ongoing cycle of new beginnings... and some people and experiences will stick and turn out to be old friends...

Leaving Esparanza and the family this morning was bittersweet, both because we were lucky to have time together and also because it was 5:30 a.m. Eeek. Esparanza gave us a sweet card with this message (from Henri Nouwen's book, Gracias), "True missioners are people who are hunting for the divine treasures hidden in the heart of the people to whom they want to make the good news known. They always expect to see the beauty and truth of *a Higher Power* shining through those with whom they live and work. The more in touch we are with our own need for healing, the more open we are to receive in gratitude what others have to offer us. One of the most rewarding aspects of being in a strange land is the experience of being loved not for what we can do, but for who we are (at our core). When we become aware that we are loved even when we hardly progress, we can let go of our compulsion to prove ourselves and be free to live with others in fellowship of the weak. That is true healing."

It made me tear up to read this. Not only do I feel loved by people I just met two weeks ago, but I feel as if I was my true self with them. The more experiences I have that push me out of my comfort zone, the more I begin to realize what that true Self is. And the more places I go, the more I remember that wherever you go, there you are. If you go with all your heart, you can always create family around you.

Now? I'm on a bus to El Salvador. We will be in official "intern interview" mode to see if these development projects will be a good fit for me to come back too next spring...for months rather than weeks. I have to be sure it's a fit with my vida too..so we'll see. Right now I have no idea where I'll be living in a couple months so I'm not sure how to be sure about next year. Right?

As I write and we pass the mountains and countryside, I'm just very appreciative for this time I have here. Buen provecho and muchas gracias, Universe. Love.

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Mi encanta Español

I recently signed up for a Spanish class. Reasons?

This is an adventure in getting a second language that will assist me in many countries I want to travel to and work in. It's the second most-spoken language in the world next to English. It's the language in El Salvador, where I am ...thinking of going next. And because when I was in India with 30+ other international volunteers, I couldn't believe I didn't speak another language fluently. Here I am, oh I can count to ten in German! I can order well in Italian? I took up to Grade 12 french and lived with three french girls?!

Well, my dear Tamara, that doesn't count for much.

So off I go every Wednesday to la clase de español. Our teacher is a beautiful being, a woman from Guatemala who married a German Canadian. Lucky for us, she teaches us a lot more about the Spanish (and most specifically Latin American) culture than the language itself.

For instance, why are Latin American names so long? When I first met my Mexican friend - Jimena Leticia Gayoso Lozano - I was like...dude, that is a mouthful. But it's because in their traditions, they carry their fathers name and their mothers maiden names, plus their married name once that's official (by adding a De Husbands Last Name) on the end there. Incredible? I think so. I like the idea of bringing some of my mother's lineage down the family tree.

Another interesting fact: whenever I hear people talking in another language, Spanish, Italian, French even, I always think they are yelling or angry because they are talking so damn fast. I believed I could never speak another language because of that. However, it's a known fact that any language you do not know, just seems super fast because you do not know it! For example, our teacher's mother was visiting from Guatemala and staying with her and her husband. By the end of her stay she told her daughter that she could not stand to live with them if they were going to fight so much.

Ha! They were not fighting, it's merely the fact that she didn't understand what they were saying and it sounded so ridiculous and angry and fast. Now that I know a bit of Spanish and I hear people talking, it seems to have slowed down a tiny little bit for me. Here's hoping...

And for our exam - get this, it's my favourite part - we don't have to write an exam or do a language test. Instead, we are put into groups where we must cook a recipe together that is completely written in Spanish. No help, no Google. And we have to eat it. And so does our class. Best exam I'll ever write.

And Jimena, Spanish words really are spoken exactly as they are written. I know I said that sounded like bs, but it's true! There's no guessing. You just have to have a basic understanding del alfabeto.

So, my house is covered in sticky notes, my dreams are beginning to be in Spanish and last weekend when I had the flu I counted from 1 - 99 over and over again en Español. La buena vida, si?

Did I mention that this summer I get to take two weeks of language training and live with a host family in my (by purely coincidence) teachers hometown, Quetzaltenango, Guatemala or "Xela" as the residents call it? More to come as I finalize those plans.

My favourite Spanish words along this journey?
esperanza (hope) amante (lover) una copa de vino (you guessed it)
vida (life) cariño (sweetie) sobrino (nephew) haste mañana (see you tomorrow)
mucho gusto (be happy / nice to meet you) te quiero (i love you)
te extraño (i miss you) ¡Vamos! (Let's go)

Ciao. ¡Adiós a todos!

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