As she said, I have been doing more this past month than hanging out...
As you may know, I have now been living in my village site for almost four months. It's amazing how fast the time flies by. Everything is going great here. I love life in the village. I've settled into a nice daily routine that includes indoor workouts in my house, frequent beach walks to talk on the phone or visit the nearby primary school (about 1 mile away), lots of laundry and cleaning (I have developed arm muscles like you wouldn't believe... literally the sleeves of my shirts are tight...), hanging out and chatting with my best friend and the other women while the kids are at school, experiments with cooking, afternoon naps, and, of course, evening yaqona sessions.
Of course, I have started to get some work done too. So far, I'm really excited about the way things are progressing. Here is a little summary of each of the major projects I am working on at the moment. Some of those mentioned in my mom’s post have not yet begun in the village, so they aren’t included here….
WATER FILTRATION PROJECT
By far, my biggest project during my first year in the village is going to concern the water. Right now, my village has a big reservoir tank to store all the water from the river source so they do not have to worry about drought. The water, however, is super dirty... especially after it rains.
Illimo, Liuliu Ni Tabana Ni Wai (leader of our Water Committee) at the reservoir tank
A village work day spent draining the tank for its monthly cleaning.
The dirty water we had to dump out by hand.
After a heavy rain, the color of the water is literally brown out of the tap, and the rainy season is fast approaching. I was able to obtain several tests from the Health Inspector’s Office in nearby Savusavu Town, and when I traveled to the Capital city, Suva, a few weeks ago I received a few more from a non-profit there. So, the community water committee and I collected samples from both our water source and the water directly out of the tap, and we tested them for Chloroform Bacteria (among other contaminants).
Illimo taking a water sample from the river source.
Pre-reaction Chloroform Test.
We watched in horror as the tube turned opaque black within less than one day (the test is supposed to take two days... and black is clearly the worst kind of result).
Conducting a range of other experiments.
Well anyway, as luck would have it I stumbled upon two members of the Rotary Club Savusavu (my nearest town) who want to oversee a water filtration project they have been recently researching. It turns out that there exists a kind of "Slow Sand Filtration System" (SSF) that has been used in other parts of the world that would be perfect for my site here in Fiji. The SSF basically consists of three water tanks that would be placed in succession after our existing reservoir—one would act as a roughing filter, the second a fine sand filter, and the third would be a holding tank for the newly purified water. These thanks would clean all the dirt and bacteria out of the water using a low-cost and easy to maintain design. Sustainability is written all over it.
I am fortunate that some other Peace Corps Volunteers have already established a good relationship with this specific Rotary Club, and they have shown a lot of generosity towards our projects in the past. After a series of informal conversations, Jeff and Steve finally made it out to the village a few weeks ago to see the site firsthand and make an offering to the chief in order to officially begin the project.
Jeff and Steve climbing our “ladder” to take a peek inside the tank.
In addition to pointing us in the right direction for funding and, of course, coming up with a site-specific SSF design, Jeff and Steve have been instrumental in helping us determine what further information we need to collect before we can submit a grant proposal--all sorts of water quality tests including pressure, usage, etc.
To get a sense of how much water the village uses on a daily basis, the water committee and I last week embarked on a rigorous schedule of monitoring the tank. We took trips up to our tank in teams of two and removed the in-flow pipe that keeps the tank full. Then, two hours later we returned to the tank to measure the change in height of the water level. We will use this raw data to determine average volume usage each day in the village.
In addition to pointing us in the right direction for funding and, of course, coming up with a site-specific SSF design, Jeff and Steve have been instrumental in helping us determine what further information we need to collect before we can submit a grant proposal--all sorts of water quality tests including pressure, usage, etc.
To get a sense of how much water the village uses on a daily basis, the water committee and I last week embarked on a rigorous schedule of monitoring the tank. We took trips up to our tank in teams of two and removed the in-flow pipe that keeps the tank full. Then, two hours later we returned to the tank to measure the change in height of the water level. We will use this raw data to determine average volume usage each day in the village.
Illimo measuring the amount of water lost in two hours using the marks we made on a rod of bamboo.
Jona recording the results for later interpretation.
We made these trips several times a day all of last week. One day, Jona and I even went up to the reservoir in the middle of the night when nobody would be using water at all (at midnight and again at 2am) to get an idea about how much water we are loosing simply from leaking faucets and broken pipes. It turns out that the number is very high, so hopefully this will be something we can improve during construction as well.
Finally, two nights ago the water committee met at my house to start writing our funding proposal. We hope to submit a finished grant before the Christmas holiday begins in Fiji –a holiday season that lasts for all of December and January—and the entire country basically shuts down in order to celebrate. If our proposal is approved in a timely fashion (hopefully by February), then we can probably start construction when the rainy season ends in late March/April.
That means, we could have totally purified water (so clean even you or I could drink it straight from the tap with no resulting problems) by next May/June!!
COMPOSTING PIGGARY PROJECT
Another large project I am just in the beginning stages of with the village is a piggery conversion project.
We held our first meeting of the newly formed Tabana Ni Vuaka (Piggery Committee) last week to discuss the problem of keeping unlined pig pens/cages on the beach right in front of the village where waste can drain directly into the water. I have been concerned that this is a source of ill health for those villagers who take sisili wai tui (salt water baths)—which is everyone--as well as the coral and fish populations that depend on the marine environment there. I presented the committee with some options for converting existing pig sties into environmentally friendly designs, and they have unanimously decided to pursue a Shallow Bed Composting Piggery model.
This type of piggery is one, concrete-floored structure, that would serve all of the village’s pigs (in separate stalls). And, with proper maintenance, this type of structure will facilitate production of highly nutritious compost material for use on individual farms.
Additionally, I had a meeting with a business-advising-type government agency together with my Turaga Ni Koro (village mayor guy) yesterday in town about possibly taking the project a step further and getting some government assistance to turn our existing pigs into a small business enterprise for the village.
In the immediate future, I am hopeful that a design session will happen soon so we can get quotes for materials, develop a budget, and start working on funding proposals before the Christmas Holiday Season I mentioned above.
ORAL HEALTH PROJECTS—for the kids…
There is a general trend here in Fiji towards the neglect of oral hygiene in children who do not yet have their permanent teeth. Because they will eventually loose their first set of teeth, young children are never provided with toothbrushes and toothpaste. As a result of this and poor diet, children’s teeth are allowed to simply rot away. Not only is this a major quality of life issue for, but it also means that important healthy and hygienic practices are not learned at an early age.
I believe this neglect directly contributes to the major oral health problems I observe in the teenage and adult populations both in my village and Fiji-wide.
I have been concerned about this issue since I arrived in Fiji, and I have an idea for a two-fold practical and educational program--a daily “Child Check” with the pre-school aged children in the village, and a weekly classroom session with each of the grade levels at the local Primary School—that I think will be the best way to start making a positive change in these children’s lives.
The “Child Check” will be facilitated each morning before school by myself and the village health worker (the Nasi Ni Koro, Sereanna Rainibogi). After the school-aged children have left for school, we will gather the pre-school-aged children at a central location in the village, and together we will learn to brush our teeth and wash our hands properly. Participants will be rewarded for attendance with small, homemade tokens, they can save up and trade in for educational prizes (like building blocks, ABC puzzles, and stickers).
In the Primary School I will work with teachers during regularly scheduled health classes to implement a more hands-on educational program focused on nutrition and physical oral hygiene.
I have also just received (today, in fact) a generous donation of child-sized Colgate toothbrushes from a private donor in the United States. After I return to the village tomorrow, we can begin to implement these programs. Hopefully, I can start conducting the “Child Checks” as early as this week.
WASTE MANAGEMENT PROJECT
As an after school project with the primary school kids, I have begun to supervise a village trash pickup once a week after school.
During our sessions together, the kids and I conduct a village clean up that focuses on the fact that real rubbish does not necessarily only mean sticks and leaves, but instead batteries, bottles, cigarettes, candy wrappers, plastics, etc... Then we come together and separate the trash we’ve collected for proper disposal (while I try to slip in hidden lessons about reducing, reusing, and recycling in the process)...
Re-grouping after the tomitomi (village clean up) contest.
We made these trips several times a day all of last week. One day, Jona and I even went up to the reservoir in the middle of the night when nobody would be using water at all (at midnight and again at 2am) to get an idea about how much water we are loosing simply from leaking faucets and broken pipes. It turns out that the number is very high, so hopefully this will be something we can improve during construction as well.
Finally, two nights ago the water committee met at my house to start writing our funding proposal. We hope to submit a finished grant before the Christmas holiday begins in Fiji –a holiday season that lasts for all of December and January—and the entire country basically shuts down in order to celebrate. If our proposal is approved in a timely fashion (hopefully by February), then we can probably start construction when the rainy season ends in late March/April.
That means, we could have totally purified water (so clean even you or I could drink it straight from the tap with no resulting problems) by next May/June!!
COMPOSTING PIGGARY PROJECT
Another large project I am just in the beginning stages of with the village is a piggery conversion project.
We held our first meeting of the newly formed Tabana Ni Vuaka (Piggery Committee) last week to discuss the problem of keeping unlined pig pens/cages on the beach right in front of the village where waste can drain directly into the water. I have been concerned that this is a source of ill health for those villagers who take sisili wai tui (salt water baths)—which is everyone--as well as the coral and fish populations that depend on the marine environment there. I presented the committee with some options for converting existing pig sties into environmentally friendly designs, and they have unanimously decided to pursue a Shallow Bed Composting Piggery model.
This type of piggery is one, concrete-floored structure, that would serve all of the village’s pigs (in separate stalls). And, with proper maintenance, this type of structure will facilitate production of highly nutritious compost material for use on individual farms.
Additionally, I had a meeting with a business-advising-type government agency together with my Turaga Ni Koro (village mayor guy) yesterday in town about possibly taking the project a step further and getting some government assistance to turn our existing pigs into a small business enterprise for the village.
In the immediate future, I am hopeful that a design session will happen soon so we can get quotes for materials, develop a budget, and start working on funding proposals before the Christmas Holiday Season I mentioned above.
ORAL HEALTH PROJECTS—for the kids…
There is a general trend here in Fiji towards the neglect of oral hygiene in children who do not yet have their permanent teeth. Because they will eventually loose their first set of teeth, young children are never provided with toothbrushes and toothpaste. As a result of this and poor diet, children’s teeth are allowed to simply rot away. Not only is this a major quality of life issue for, but it also means that important healthy and hygienic practices are not learned at an early age.
I believe this neglect directly contributes to the major oral health problems I observe in the teenage and adult populations both in my village and Fiji-wide.
I have been concerned about this issue since I arrived in Fiji, and I have an idea for a two-fold practical and educational program--a daily “Child Check” with the pre-school aged children in the village, and a weekly classroom session with each of the grade levels at the local Primary School—that I think will be the best way to start making a positive change in these children’s lives.
The “Child Check” will be facilitated each morning before school by myself and the village health worker (the Nasi Ni Koro, Sereanna Rainibogi). After the school-aged children have left for school, we will gather the pre-school-aged children at a central location in the village, and together we will learn to brush our teeth and wash our hands properly. Participants will be rewarded for attendance with small, homemade tokens, they can save up and trade in for educational prizes (like building blocks, ABC puzzles, and stickers).
In the Primary School I will work with teachers during regularly scheduled health classes to implement a more hands-on educational program focused on nutrition and physical oral hygiene.
I have also just received (today, in fact) a generous donation of child-sized Colgate toothbrushes from a private donor in the United States. After I return to the village tomorrow, we can begin to implement these programs. Hopefully, I can start conducting the “Child Checks” as early as this week.
WASTE MANAGEMENT PROJECT
As an after school project with the primary school kids, I have begun to supervise a village trash pickup once a week after school.
During our sessions together, the kids and I conduct a village clean up that focuses on the fact that real rubbish does not necessarily only mean sticks and leaves, but instead batteries, bottles, cigarettes, candy wrappers, plastics, etc... Then we come together and separate the trash we’ve collected for proper disposal (while I try to slip in hidden lessons about reducing, reusing, and recycling in the process)...
Re-grouping after the tomitomi (village clean up) contest.
Carrying the “bury” items to our village trash pit.
The program has been going pretty well so far mostly because the kids are especially excited about the little tokens I give out as rewards for attendance (the same kind mentioned above) that they can save up and eventually turn into me for various levels of prizes. (Prizes so far include cool erasers, pencils, stickers, play dough, and other fun items.)
*As mentioned in the previous blog post, I will always be happy to receive packages containing little educationally-focused prizes for this incentive program as the children are always excited about the things they know are “American.”
The program has been going pretty well so far mostly because the kids are especially excited about the little tokens I give out as rewards for attendance (the same kind mentioned above) that they can save up and eventually turn into me for various levels of prizes. (Prizes so far include cool erasers, pencils, stickers, play dough, and other fun items.)
*As mentioned in the previous blog post, I will always be happy to receive packages containing little educationally-focused prizes for this incentive program as the children are always excited about the things they know are “American.”
A group picture at the end of a successful lesson.
In my work with the kids I am also trying to plant seeds in the minds of their parents for starting small garden-sized household compost piles. Until now, their only experience with properly managed household compost is from the compost we constructed in my yard. Eventually if we do this on a larger, household-sized, scale, when the compost is ready the women (who only stay close to home) can simply plant vegetables directly into the already fenced-off area. This way, they will be growing nutritious food right next to the house, and hopefully this will help them improve their family diets (which currently consist mostly of root-crops that are similar in nutritional value to potatoes, green leaves of the root crops prepared in extremely fattening coconut milk, and occasionally, deep fried fish. As you can imagine, obesity, hypertension, diabetes, heart disease and the like wreak havoc on the Fijian population).
KICKBALL TEAM
Finally, perhaps the project I'm most excited about is the kickball team I've started at my primary school!
We play during "sports hour" every Thursday afternoon with the class 5&6 and class 7&8 students (who range from about 10-14 years old). Even though we're using a deflated basketball and potato-type sacks as bases, the kids absolutely go crazy over the game. I think if we ever can raise enough money for bus fare to go and play another Peace Corps Volunteer's school team (those of us within traveling distance have talked about starting a league), my school's gonna kick everyone else's ass!
Ok... whew! That's probably WAYYY more information than you all needed to know. The point is, that so far I’ve been really pleased with my community and their enthusiasm towards my work efforts.
I hope to continue reporting on the positive progress of these programs. An enormous thank you to everyone who has sent me packages with materials I can use in my work. And thanks to everyone who has been reading my blog!
Moce Mada.
-Milika
In my work with the kids I am also trying to plant seeds in the minds of their parents for starting small garden-sized household compost piles. Until now, their only experience with properly managed household compost is from the compost we constructed in my yard. Eventually if we do this on a larger, household-sized, scale, when the compost is ready the women (who only stay close to home) can simply plant vegetables directly into the already fenced-off area. This way, they will be growing nutritious food right next to the house, and hopefully this will help them improve their family diets (which currently consist mostly of root-crops that are similar in nutritional value to potatoes, green leaves of the root crops prepared in extremely fattening coconut milk, and occasionally, deep fried fish. As you can imagine, obesity, hypertension, diabetes, heart disease and the like wreak havoc on the Fijian population).
KICKBALL TEAM
Finally, perhaps the project I'm most excited about is the kickball team I've started at my primary school!
We play during "sports hour" every Thursday afternoon with the class 5&6 and class 7&8 students (who range from about 10-14 years old). Even though we're using a deflated basketball and potato-type sacks as bases, the kids absolutely go crazy over the game. I think if we ever can raise enough money for bus fare to go and play another Peace Corps Volunteer's school team (those of us within traveling distance have talked about starting a league), my school's gonna kick everyone else's ass!
Ok... whew! That's probably WAYYY more information than you all needed to know. The point is, that so far I’ve been really pleased with my community and their enthusiasm towards my work efforts.
I hope to continue reporting on the positive progress of these programs. An enormous thank you to everyone who has sent me packages with materials I can use in my work. And thanks to everyone who has been reading my blog!
Moce Mada.
-Milika
