Site Visit in Salinas

7.20.10

I arrived in San Vicente in the morning and met Cleopatra, who is one of my counterparts, or people who I will work with to come up with projects for my community. She works in La Oficina de La Mujer, Niñez y Adolescencia, basically an office for women and children who need support and advice during situations where they are abused and would like to file a report.

Pretty soon after I met her, Cleo left to go get someone and left me alone in the office but said I could use her computer and should answer the phone if it rang. I was a little overwhelmed and shocked she left me there alone without really knowing me, but it was fine! She came back and we started talking; she has lots of energy and good ideas, is really interested in getting the Town Hall in San Vicente on board with being more active in Salinas as it pertains to that office. Salinas is about 20 minutes away from San Vicente but it takes longer because of the road conditions.

When she came back a woman came in about her bf hitting her and she was thinking of going to Guayaquil with her two kids to live with her mother. Cleo has met with her before and explained to her a few options of leaving, or filing a report against him. Basically her role is to give advice to mistreated women and what their options are; she also accompanies them to file a petition against the abusers. After the woman left, Cleo explained that many woman come in more than once and say they’re gonna leave but change their minds. Some are worried about housing and finances, abuse is also a cycle. There is now a new law that no one can be put out of the house.

Then I met Cleo’s boyfriend from Germany, Ully, he’s a somewhat retired business consultant and came to Ecuador tohang out, coach some soccer, possibly flip houses. At lunch time, Cleo, Ully, Chalo (Cleo's boss), and a previous mayor of San Vicente drove me to Salinas. It was different from what I had somehow pictured in my mind. It's better to have no expectations so there isn't such a shock value at times. Salinas is a very small, very poor and rural, underdeveloped town. A lot of people live in houses made out of caña (sugar cane), some houses are abandoned, half built, there is one main dirt road that runs through the town.

When we arrived, I met Zeneida at the town's Microempresa (Small business) with her friend Nelly, and they were making peach yogurt in addition to rompope ( a eggnog-like licor drink/shake-yumm but thick, for sipping, like a thicker Baileys). Zeneida will be my counterpart in Salinas, so I will work with her and Cleo to develop positive projects for the community. Zeneida is the president of the Women's Group in Salinas and also has a lot of leadership responsibilities in Salinas.

We walked through the town to meet various people, especially those involved in the current youth groups. I met the President of the town, Wilson, the police, and saw an old daycare building that's currently closed, and the clinic, or subcentro de salud (not very clean).

After that we went to Zeneida's parent's house where I will live for the first three months I am in Salinas. In the house I will live with Zeneida’s parents and their granddaughter, Mirtha, and her son Josemi (3 year old terror).We sat down and talked about different ideas of what the community needs. Ully has lot of ideas for projects or ways to improve the town’s overall appearance or business opportunities, such as planting a tree for every new baby, hiring a cleaning staff for subcentro, growing grapes to make wine if the climate is right, sports to reduce crime and involvement with drugs. He would also like to help the Women's Group with creating more business opportunities in addition to the yogurt and rompope that they currently are making.

Chalo, Cleo and Ully left, and I went to a small meeting with Zeneida by the school with mostly mother's of the students. The purpose was more to introduce myself and explain my role. Everyone was really nice and very receptive, seemed excited about possible things we could do to help the kids with their self esteem, etc.

Later that night a meeting was organized with the town so I could be introduced to everyone. President Wilson led the meeting and people seemed ancy for me to get started and for me to work with the youth. I explained the goal of the week to hang out and get to know the town, then come back in August to start the two years. First 3 months will be interviewing people, they want a census done, and still getting to know everyone and integrating into the community. If I want to go into the schools I have to write an official letter explaining why and what I would do.

Overall it was a good day, but overwhelming thinking about the poverty/pressure of the amount of work that can be done/is desired, etc. I felt good about the support from the community though.