Our CED In Service Training was at the beginning of this month. We stayed at a Catholic center right along the Caribbean in the capital. Our project partners stayed with us the first 2 nights, which proved itself to be quite the experience. I brought Dora, the president of the Centro de Madres, who has turned into one of my best friends over the last 4 months at my site. Although she is unable to read and write, she is quite intelligent. During IST we presented my community diagnostic together which went well. We also formed a game-plan/timeline for a latrine project and discussed various other potential projects for the community. After our project partners left, us PCV's stayed for another 3 days to learn about grant writing and various other topics. The 2 best ways to get grant money is to go through USAID, which is called a SPA grant (Small Project Assistance) and PCPP (Peace Corps Partnership Program). I can apply for $USD 5,000 for both. The PCPP will be posted on the Peace Corps website and will be used to solicit donations from friends and family from the states. I plan to use both of these grants for my latrine project and also solicit the city hall here in Dajabon. Hopefully I will raise enough grant money to build latrines for 25-30 families in my community.
Since arriving back at site, I have formed a comittee of 8 members in my community and myself to begin working on this project. 4 are from Los Miches Arriba (the upper part of my community) and 4 from Los Miches Abajo (the lower part of my community). I will be acting as a facilitator and let the group do the decision making for the project. The tasks that I have undertaken this far include making the list of materials for the latrine and going 3 different places to get pricing estimates. I have started the SPA grant budget section and am doing some negotiations for labor to try to get it as cheap as possible so we can build as many latrines as possible. The committee helped me to form a list of questions to interview each household in the community and will help me decide criteria to determine who will be included in the project. The next step is that each member of the committee will be coming with me to conduct the interviews and after we compile this information we will be deciding those who will be part of the project. They will also be helping me write letters to the government here to solicit for funds and materials for the project. The community members receiving the latrines will have to provide for 25% of the project which will include the labor they are able to do, cooking lunch and dinner for the workers and proving wheelbarrows and shovels.
This is going to take a lot of effort on behalf of the community to get this project accomplished but I know we can do it! I hope that you guys back home who are able to help out with donations once I get the grant up online will do so. Every dollar counts and you will be able to see the progress of the project online as well and photos once we are in action. Wish us luck!
I am trying not to start too many things at once because I don't want to get myself in too deep and get unorganized. So, in addition to the latrine project, I will be doing an income generation project with the 2 Centro de Madres (mother's groups) with Mistolin, a floor cleaner. I plan to teach them basic business skills on how to price and market the product and make a profit. I also will be continuing my English class on Sundays and hopefully be starting a youth group to work on issues with the environment. My fruit producers are finally forming their cooperative so hopefully I will find ways to work with them as well.
Other news? I am all moved into my house and it is amazing living on my own for the first time in my life! I can't wait for everyone to visit and enjoy a bucket bath or two. :)
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