Tues Nov 4, 2008

November 4, 2008

Rosa came in again this morning looking like she didn’t feel too well. Stomach pain, headache, stuffy head/nose, cough, etc. Unfortunately, sickness tends to run up blood sugars, and today her’s was 315 (with medicine, without breakfast). At least it wasn’t over 500. This evening I got the email address of a US MD that was here this summer and treated her. I hope he can give me some guidance since we’re now out of medicine.

Today I went on my first “La Provision” = “The Provision” (which is what the Guatemalans call our lunch time feeding program) takes place in the nearby shanty town of La Libertad every Mon-Thursday. La Libertad exists on top of what used to be part of the infamous garbage dump. Now, the dump has been forced to spread out a little more in another direction, and many residents of La Libertad “work” in the dump. They don’t get paid; actually they need to pay the govt in order to get an ID card to enter. We’ve learned that a young, health adult man who can work 12 hours a day and knows exactly what to look for can earn 75-100Q every day. (Remember $1= 7.4Q) There were probably 60-80ish people in line, but several came with large containers in order to get portions for the rest of their family. There were itty bitty barefooted kids all the way to the elderly. We require that everyone gets in line and goes to the hand washing station first, where today Kevin poured water over the hands, then I either put soap in their hand or I lathered up their hands (depending on their age and ability), then Kevin rinsed, and Ginny dried their hands on a towel. Then they were given a bowel (soup today) and spoon. I promise you that I’ve never in my life seen hands/faces (and clothes) so dirty. I watched as a little girl, maybe 5 yr old lead her 3 younger siblings down the road. She precariously carried her bowl of soup and one for the youngest. The other 2 were spilling their soup as they walked (flimsy Styrofoam bowels didn’t help). So, I carried the soup for the little ones to their tiny dirt floor one room tin shanty. I also watched people “huff” today. I’d heard about huffing, but if I’ve ever seen it before, I didn’t know what I was looking at. I thought huffing would involve a person holding a bag of some sort to their face. Today I saw men and kids with their hand balled up and put to their mouth…as if they were blowing into it to keep their hand warm. But instead, they were inhaling the fumes from a rag soaked in gas or other toxic fumes. The fumes are very short and fast acting, and they have to keep it to their mouth in order to keep the effects going. I wish I could find a way to really describe what I experienced, but it seems essentially impossible. Somehow putting a small hotel sized bar of soap in people’s hands, and watching the waves of dirt come off was very moving….and even more so when I’d take tiny little hands into my own to wash and rinse. It really does flip an emotional switch in me.

After the provision, I and one of the translators from the ministry went to do some home visits in the area. Some have one spigot for water, some have electricity, nobody has plumbing for a bathroom. Flies and filth are the norm since most work in the dump, and often bring some of their findings home with them. In one case, I saw a rolled up “egg-crate” style foam mattress in a bag….apparently an excellent finding from today’s treasure hunt at the dump. There were flies all over it and circling around it. I think you and I can both imagine where that mattress may have been before. If I looked up in the sky and several blocks over, I could see numerous large black birds circling…the ever present marker of the dump.

If you'd like to see pictures of "The Provision" and others, you can go to Ginny & Kevin's blog anytime you'd like: www.allforhiminguate.blogspot.com