Clean Up Day in Batey 7
January-July 2018: A roundup review of the CHE work in southwestern Dominican Republic: Blog #7
As many of you know, Jenny and I are mission workers with the Presbyterian Church (USA), working for their international mission outreach agency, World Mission (PC(USA) World Mission). We have been stationed in the Dominican Republic since 2012, helping promote, support and develop the Community Health Evangelism outreach program of our partner here, the Dominican Evangelical Church (IED--Iglesia Evangélica Dominicana).
2018 has been an an exciting year, with three of the four communities where we work taking on a number of new challenges. This blog is part of a series of eleven short presentations of the work that has been developing. I am posting them in reverse order so that the images from January will be at the "beginning." This also represents a commitment on my part to fully complete my blog ambitions.
Clean up Day in Batey 7 (Blog #7)
Just three days after the "Awakening Workshop in Batey 7" on Tuesday, June 19th (Blog #6), the CHE team already had their next activity planned and waiting to go--cleaning up the community.
I only participated for an hour or so, from 9 until 10 am, but they had already loaded up two truckloads of trash by the time I left. I got there as the CHE team was just beginning, starting at the former ball field in front of the Good Samaritan Clinic. We had worked our way up the whole street in front of the community sector called "Los Barrancones" and back down the streets between "Jarro Sucio" and "Ricardo Abajo." As we worked, more and more of the neighbors came out to join us, a lot of kids, but also adults, bringing brooms and now and then adding an extra sack to the equipment. I was particularly impressed with two things:
The first was that I saw all the members of the CHE committee present--about ten people. In the meetings we occasionally get as many as eight, but often less and sometimes as few as three.
The second thing I was impressed with was the truck. That took a trip to the Cristobal municipal office with a clear and very firm statement of time, place, purpose and necessity. Local governments are not always easy to move here, particularly when you are from one of the satellite communities outside of the central urban area.
Here are the images:
Batey 7 is part of a local municipality which includes Batey 7, 8 & 9, but it is also part of a larger municipality which has as its center the small city of Cristobal. The administration of Cristobal lent the truck and driver and provided the fuel.
My understanding is that it is the local municipality, the one that encompasses Batey 7, Batey 8 and Batey 9 that is actually responsible for trash collection in the community, but the mayor for the smaller conglomerate of communities is less than fully responsive to the needs of any community except where he lives, in Batey 8.
One strategy the committee has mentioned is that, besides just improving their community, the cleaning up their trash, work for which Mayor David is responsible, they are reinforcing and augmenting their credibility as an authentic community organization. This also implicitly points out Mayor David's weaknesses and it will make it possible for them to exert pressure more effectively for other changes that they see necessary in their community.
As many of you know, Jenny and I are mission workers with the Presbyterian Church (USA), working for their international mission outreach agency, World Mission (PC(USA) World Mission). We have been stationed in the Dominican Republic since 2012, helping promote, support and develop the Community Health Evangelism outreach program of our partner here, the Dominican Evangelical Church (IED--Iglesia Evangélica Dominicana).
2018 has been an an exciting year, with three of the four communities where we work taking on a number of new challenges. This blog is part of a series of eleven short presentations of the work that has been developing. I am posting them in reverse order so that the images from January will be at the "beginning." This also represents a commitment on my part to fully complete my blog ambitions.
Clean up Day in Batey 7 (Blog #7)
Just three days after the "Awakening Workshop in Batey 7" on Tuesday, June 19th (Blog #6), the CHE team already had their next activity planned and waiting to go--cleaning up the community.
I only participated for an hour or so, from 9 until 10 am, but they had already loaded up two truckloads of trash by the time I left. I got there as the CHE team was just beginning, starting at the former ball field in front of the Good Samaritan Clinic. We had worked our way up the whole street in front of the community sector called "Los Barrancones" and back down the streets between "Jarro Sucio" and "Ricardo Abajo." As we worked, more and more of the neighbors came out to join us, a lot of kids, but also adults, bringing brooms and now and then adding an extra sack to the equipment. I was particularly impressed with two things:
The first was that I saw all the members of the CHE committee present--about ten people. In the meetings we occasionally get as many as eight, but often less and sometimes as few as three.
The second thing I was impressed with was the truck. That took a trip to the Cristobal municipal office with a clear and very firm statement of time, place, purpose and necessity. Local governments are not always easy to move here, particularly when you are from one of the satellite communities outside of the central urban area.
Here are the images:
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| Dina, one of the members of the CHE committee wielding a wheelbarrow. |
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| Sweeping, scooping, hauling. The young man at the left is a volunteer that Juan Batista may have invited from the Adventist church that Juan now leads. Siemana (middle) is a long time member of the committee and Dina, already mentioned, to the right with the wheelbarrow. Lots and lots of kids participated in the clean up. Cucuta (Altagracia), president of the CHE committee is to the left with the broom. It is also worth noting that finding tools, such as the shovel and the brooms is a demonstration of community members trust in the committee. It is my experience that families do not lend tools to just anybody who asks for them. |
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| CHE committee members Juan Batista (left, striped shirt), Marleny (middle, in skirt), Dina, (behind) and Yulisa (left, pink shirt) pause in their work to pose for a picture. |
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| The trash truck loaned from the Cristobal municipality close to full and ready to go be discharged. Lots of kids ready to help in exchange for the glory of riding on the truck. |
Batey 7 is part of a local municipality which includes Batey 7, 8 & 9, but it is also part of a larger municipality which has as its center the small city of Cristobal. The administration of Cristobal lent the truck and driver and provided the fuel.
My understanding is that it is the local municipality, the one that encompasses Batey 7, Batey 8 and Batey 9 that is actually responsible for trash collection in the community, but the mayor for the smaller conglomerate of communities is less than fully responsive to the needs of any community except where he lives, in Batey 8.
One strategy the committee has mentioned is that, besides just improving their community, the cleaning up their trash, work for which Mayor David is responsible, they are reinforcing and augmenting their credibility as an authentic community organization. This also implicitly points out Mayor David's weaknesses and it will make it possible for them to exert pressure more effectively for other changes that they see necessary in their community.
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