Winter is Over!

Some interesting and unusual things have happened in the last week or so. Last Monday a former Peace Corps Director Ron Tschetter was in country with his wife Nancy and two close friends. Our country staff people put on a luncheon and program about what we are doing in Belize.

Cathy and I were invited to meet with him for a half hour before the luncheon and tell about the  training manual for the community health workers that we are writing. Country Director Nina Hernandez followed up by explaining how it will fit into the direction of Peace Corps in Belize. As we have mentioned in earlier blog entries, the emphasis for next year’s volunteers will be on health education, partnering with the community health workers in the rural villages.

After a wonderful lunch (I got excited about the fresh salad), some of our fellow volunteers gave presentations about their work in all the programs (health, education, and business development).

He posed for a picture with us. Cathy is right behind his wife in the middle, and I am behind Cathy. 

I have had fun working with my good friend Charlie Holliday (a transplant from northern California) on a project for Pen and Ingrid Cayetano. They have a door with great sentimental significance and wanted it used on a display cabinet in their house. It turns out that Charlie is a master wood finisher - mostly for marine applications, and he shares my reverence for beautiful wood. We have sanded the door and cleaned it up, but Charlie is still struggling to find a can of finish that will do justice to this wood.

Pen introduced us to a cabinet builder, Maurice Martinez, who has a woodworking shop with production level tools. I designed a corner cabinet for the door and delivered the precise dimensions to Maurice for the front door frame with mortise and tenon joinery. I think the wood for the frame is from a mango tree. We picked up the frame on Friday, and I was very pleased with his level of perfection. He is truly a craftsman.

Next week I will mount the door on the hinges and get some photographs. I have also selected wood for the back panels, and it has all harvested from Pen and Ingrid’s farm and is well seasoned.  We delivered the boards to get them planed and edged. I can hardly wait to see the grain. 

Taken from the upstairs at Pen's house.

You can see me through the palm frond working on the door. That's Charlie in the background in the blue shirt.

The highlight of the week is the visit by my sisters Nancy and Carol. They brought us lots of toys and goodies. They stayed one night here and left the next day for Tobacco Caye. Carol has been keeping us entertained with her photos and emails.

Yesterday I was able to spend the day with them and had a blast. In spite of many reapplications of sunscreen, I still got a little reddened. It was certainly worth the minor discomfort. 

We spent almost the entire day in Cap'n Doggy's boat, and I learned how to catch baracuda. We went snorkeling on the reef for a while and marveled at the beauty of the sea life. I also met many new friends yesterday and enjoyed good food with them. It was a wonderful time. 

Carol, me and Nancy - with Doggy in the boat

Top 10 Lists for 2012

Happy New Year, one and all! We brought in the new year with lots of firecrackers (the loud kind), lots of fireworks (the pretty kind), an emergency siren (I guess that's just for fun), and an all-night rock concert. Everyone was celebrating except the dogs, who were trying to get under something and away from the noise.

FuWe Dog trying to deal with the loud noises.

 It's always good to reflect on the pluses and minuses for a year, and 2012 is no different. I think we will stick with the high points, just to keep us on the bright side :-)

First we have Steve's top 10 (eleven). They are in chronological order.

Jeff, Steve, Susan & Stephanie

1. Jeff and Stephanie came for a visit.
   
2. I was able to make my iPhone work in Belize.
   
3. I went to Sagitun and helped wash hair for kids with lice.
   
4. We started on the revision of the training manual for the community health workers.
   
5. I had a spring break in the US and saw all my relatives.
   
6. I worked at Sandy Beach doing simple woodwork projects to help them get ready to re-open the restaurant.
   
7. I helped the people at the clinic make an educational DVD to play in the waiting room.
   
8. I got to introduce a speaker at the Embassy in Garifuna. Aidra helped me immensely.
   
9. We had an October trip to the US to see Burke, and I got to spend some quality time with Jeff.
   
10. We enjoyed watching the election returns, knowing that we had voted early.
    
11. Five people from the Peace Corps office came to our health fair with the NGC (National Garifuna Council).

 And here's my list (only 9 so that makes up for Steve's extra one):

1. Jeff and Stephanie came to visit!
   
2. Jeff and Stephanie announced that they were expecting a baby!
   
3. Dad and Joyce came to visit!
   
4. We got an exciting assignment - to update the training manual for the Community Health Workers.
   
5. Garifuna GLOW Girls came into existence, and I discovered that I'm really bad at knowing anything about kids, but I like it anyway, and they don't seem to mind that I'm bad at knowing about kids.
   
6. Traveled to the village of Pueblo Viejo to work with Mallory Begley, another PCV. Found out what "real" Peace Corps life is like.
   
7. Our GLOW Girls won the national art contest sponsored by Peace Corps.
   
8. Grandson Burke was born and we got to go home to the States to visit everybody. Got to see my family and all my friends.
   
9. GLOW Girls performed at grand opening of Pen Cayetano's mural, and they had a float for Settlement Day parade.

Tummy Time

Everything is still pretty quiet here. Our next-door neighbor's house was broken into on New Year's Eve. She wasn't there that night. Guess with all the noise, and the fact that our dogs weren't outside to bark at intruders because they were cowering inside, it was pretty easy for somebody to get in. They can't figure out what was stolen, but there was definitely a break-in.

Life goes on. We still need haircuts. Notice the calendar!

Zumba starts up again next Monday. This time we will be working out at the Town Hall, in front of Pen's mural. We are hoping that the indoor, roomy venue will encourage more people to come. It is a further distance, however, so I will have to take a taxi in order to get my speaker over to the Town Hall. This time I will have a small charge ($2 per class) that will help defray that expense. I am also adding a little strength work, or toning, to the workout in an effort to draw more folks.

A lot of people have asked us about the training manual. Of course, it's several hundred pages, so far, with probably another 100 or so to go.  Here are some screen shots of the first few pages of the Women's Health Module.

A Little Down Time

After the excitement and festivity of Settlement Day, we have been cruisin' along taking it easy.

Thanksgiving was very low key. Just three days after the parade and concerts, we didn't have the energy to do more than celebrate quietly. Ava invited us to her home for the big feed. Kim Duchene, PCV from Hopkins, and her Belizean boyfriend were there, too. Kim made an awesome apple pie - crust, too - with ice cream, and Ava provided the sides with delicious mashed potatoes, stuffing, and sauteed brocolli. We had the easy part - the small roast turkey and gravy.

We turned on football (American!!) in the background, and just enjoyed the food and quiet conversation. I had carried over some supplies to make gift boxes, so Kim, Ava, and I had a little craft fest while the guys watched football (slept).

Later that evening we had a GREAT Skype session with Jeff, Stephanie, and the new grandbaby, and I cried for awhile afterward, just missing everybody so much.

Look at this beautiful child!

This is one of his first smiles.
At a UNC basketball game.

It's almost winter in North Carolina.
The child is truly blessed with an incredible
wardrobe.

Since Thanksgiving Steve and I have spent a lot of time writing and formatting sections of the training manual. Steve especially has had his head down cranking out the content.

We've had some fun in the girl's club.

World AIDS Day lesson, lots of crafts, planning for Christmas party.

That's kinda all there is, folks. A few meetings coming up, but I'd better save something for the next time.

Another Exciting Week

The last 10 days have been busy. Last Saturday we went to a workshop for community health workers from Cayo District. The purpose of the meeting was to test-teach the prenatal chapter in the women’s health module that Cathy had written. She did most of the teaching with help from one of the HECOPAB (Health Education and Community Participation Bureau) educators. The training activities seemed to go over well. We have yet to see the scores from the test we gave before and after the sessions. It will be nice to know if the training was effective. The people certainly seemed to like it. We got great feedback about language and cultural nuances that need to be changed in the manuscript.

Arlette Sheppard is at the front, asking for feedback about specific
wording in the manual.

The facility, Camalote Camp, is very nice and perfect for meetings.
From left to right, Arlette, Cathy, Rose, and Christina (Rose and
Christina are HECOPAB educators)

One group presenting

Another group presenting with Rose Anderson supervising

A second room (air conditioned!) where we worked

My work partner, Mr. Tillett has been working furiously with me on a video about child nutrition and Incaparina. The Ministry of Health He had asked him to give a presentation at a  meeting in Belmopan. He gave the presentation even though there are still improvements to be made to the video. According to what he said, it was very well received. They have asked him to finish the voice-over parts and then publish it to be widely distributed on DVD. I am proud, and very happy for him to get recognized for the good things he is doing for children in our district. It is great to be a part of that. 

Tylon Tillett working on the voice-over for the video

We are both very grateful to our friends and relatives who have enlivened our lives with care packages of goodies. Jeannie and Larry, Joyce and Holly, Toni and Stacey, Carol and Nancy, and Charlie - THANK YOU! We realize that it is expensive to send things and that you have to wait a long time for stuff to get here before you hear the delight in our voices when we offer our heartfelt thanks.

Hot Off the Presses!

Hey, I know we just posted yesterday, but this is big news!

We just learned some important news about our work and Peace Corps Belize! Our Country Director called us to give us this news, then sent out an email telling the rest of the PCVs.

I am pasting our Country Director's announcement below. If you don't want to read the whole thing, skip down to the section in BLUE! We're proud and excited.

Program Direction 2013

In the fall of 2011 we embarked on a very comprehensive program review to determine the strongest programming potential for Peace Corps Belize. As you know, after years of focusing on 3 plus projects, like most other posts, we decided it was necessary to scale down. Our intent was to focus in on one key sector where we could target our resources for optimal results.

Throughout the nearly month-long program review, approximately 100 stakeholders provided us with feedback. We conducted surveys of work partners and reached out to many Returned Peace Corps Volunteers and presently serving Volunteers. We carried out focus groups throughout Belize and met with numerous top government representatives from nearly every ministry and community leaders from the NGO and business sectors.

Through it all, we heard many common themes expressed by stakeholders. Certainly our evaluation reaffirmed the need for Peace Corps in Belize where Volunteers can add significant value. Engaging young people and strengthening business and organizational systems at all levels were identified as pressing needs in Belize, as were continued improvements in health and education.

“To Collaborate:  to work together to realize shared goals; it is a deep collective determination to reach an identical objective.”

As part of our review we also looked very closely at the strongest possibility for establishing the type of meaningful partnership that would promote a positive foundation for the work of Volunteers. We know that our work simply cannot happen without the support of Belizeans. Yes, that support has to manifest itself at the grassroots level, but it also needs to be guided by a deep-rooted commitment at the very top. Successful Peace Corps programs have to have authentic government level buy-in. What we have been searching for is a tangible commitment, a shared vision, joint planning, collective resource allocation, and equal excitement for the program.  After much searching, I am thrilled to announce that we have found a strong partner.

Beginning in 2013 Peace Corps Belize will collaborate with the Ministry of Health to implement a health project primarily in rural communities throughout the country!

Our twenty incoming Trainees will be assigned to rural communities and work alongside a cadre of co-champions, including the community health worker, rural health nurse and school leadership to promote health education. This program is currently being designed with great care and in true alliance with key Ministry of Health representatives who are just as excited as we are and who are actively engaged in giving life to this initiative. We believe resolutely that this type of collaboration marks a new beginning for Peace Corps in Belize. It will ultimately translate into a more rewarding experience for Volunteers, who will now work at the grassroots level in communities identified as those most in need. We also believe that this will increase the probability of success and impact in the communities.

Global Peace Corps health project activities now fall under four project areas: 1) support to HIV prevention and care; 2) fostering improved maternal, neonatal, and child health; 3) promoting healthy homes and communities; and 4) promoting healthy living. Peace Corps Belize and the Ministry of Health are in the process of defining the activities, which will ultimately be dependent upon local conditions and priorities, and host country public health strategies.

What about the youth?

While some of you may be disappointed that our future project is not focused on youth, you should know that our work in health will directly impact young people in every community where Volunteers serve.

A New National Health Training Manual

Two Volunteers are already working effectively with Ministry of Health representatives on a very exciting project—the development of the new national training manual for over 250 of the country’s Community Health Workers. Given our new program direction, this health training manual will be crucial to our more streamlined approach. It will provide Volunteers and Community Health Workers with an updated and standardized source of information. The manual will be used during Pre-Service Training where Ministry of Health officials will play an important role delivering PST sessions throughout the eleven weeks of training. This will ensure that Volunteers have a broad cultural and technical context from which to draw.

I really want to thank Cathy and Dr. Steve Burnham for their tireless work on the national health manual. Up to now the Burnhams have been working only with the Ministry of Health. I invite those of you with education or health backgrounds interested in supporting this effort to reach out directly to Cathy or Steve. It is not often that Volunteers have a chance to be part of such a landmark initiative. The document represents not only the earliest positive example of collaboration between Peace Corps and the Ministry, but it also symbolizes a joint venture that will serve as the foundation for future work assignments of all Peace Corps Volunteers in Belize.  I hope you will lend your talents to the National Health Manual Task Team!

We will be celebrating the official signing of the MOU with Belize for the new health project on Wednesday, September 26^th during a ceremony to take place at the Ambassador’s residence.  We sincerely look forward to seeing you all there!