Kensi Naicker writes

...about her experience while volunteering in the Honduras Building program.

Tegucigalpa & La Esperanza - 11-Aug-2007

Well I think a little update is in order. After spending almost 24hrs on a plane (in total), a day in LA (which took in all the cultural sites from Rodeo Drive to hanging westside at Compton), I finally arrived in Tegucigalpa on Tuesday (7th August). The capital city of Honduras is a patchwork quilt of homes and businesses and to untrained eye it's easy to slip from the relative safety of a nice neighbourhood to where you need to exercise a little commonsense.

Wednesday through to Friday morning were spent in a charming little town known as Valle de Angeles. Three parallel cobblestone streets make up the town centre along with a host of colourful little curio shops. The local restaurants are pretty basic but the food is good - beer is cold and cheap, $1 buys a pretty good local beer. Meals (comida) are around $5-$7 dollars and usually include a healthy dose of refried beans - it's not easy to be a vegetarian in Honduras & as such I have opted to eat whatever is served (usually carne which means meat).The two day survival Spanish course also serves as a useful break in which to recharge the batteries and find out which way is up (the jetlag had rendered me as useful as a smashed crab). The cultural orientation is meant to help prepare me (& the other volunteers) for the upcoming weeks.

The money (through your help) that I managed to raise was a total of 25 600 Lempira. So how many nails have we managed to purchase so far? 440kg to be precise. That's enough to keep the Building program well stocked for many homes. In addition we have managed to replace a lot of the tools needed to the building project. I finally got to use my shopping skills for good & together with Nicholas (the in-country co-ordinator) and Mike (another building project volunteer from the USA) we took to a local hardware store in Tegucigalpa (on Friday) and managed to spend approx 10300 Lempira. Tools ranged from shovels, spirit-levels, measuring tapes, picks, hoses, cement rendering tools etc. (A full list will be provided to any of you that have donated money to the project). After discussions with Nicholas, I also decided that a local orphanage could do with a hand. The orphanage is in desperate need of some painting and we decided to stretch our Lempira further by doing some bargain shopping. This involved riding across town to a shadier side of town where a shotgun carrying guard met us at the door - we were ushered inside as Nick requested the litres of paint that we needed. Aqua blue & white were chosen.

Our departure from Tegus was a hasty affair - again the ride to the shadier side of town were we loaded all the building materials onto a bus, before piling into the stifling heat inside (just like being home). The journey to La Esperanza was a slow jerking journey initially as the bus wound through the maze of streets stopping to pick up random people at will. Standing room was more than acceptable for most. Once outside Tegus the bus found a smoother gear & we settled in for the ride. It's a beautiful country where the mountains race up to frame the blue sky & serve to prop up the rain bearing clouds. The bus after a snaking journey through the mountain passes found its way to La Esperanza. Melwin (the boss of the construction sites) met us in his ute - after loading the gear we were off to meet our host family.

I (together with Mike) am staying with Ana, her husband Julian and their two kids Sayra (who is 9 and my saviour since she speaks English) and Francesco (who is 15 - speaks little English and is teaching me how to count in Spanish). My counting skills in Spanish leave a lot to be desired & both the kids are amazed with my learning disability.

Today Mike & I got a tour of the construction site that we will be working on - can't wait to get started. Riding to work will involve riding on the back of a ute further up the mountain side - shotgun style! We are due to start work on Monday at 7am and will finish at 1pm. Given that this is not quite a 12hr Sanofi-Aventis day I have decided to spend the afternoon (from 2pm) working at the orphanage.

The working week - 19-Aug-2007

The home that I and the other volunteers are working on is in Chigilatoro which is located in Valle de Azacualpa. The home (casa) once completed will be used by a local family who run a local nursery (pretty basic setup). The valley's rich earth and rolling hills are mainly home to the Lenca people who rely heavily on farming for their income. The high mountains trap the warm moist air that rapidly rises from warm Caribbean Sea. Large cumulonimbus clouds gather on the mountain each afternoon jostling for a prime view of the fertile valley below - the resulting rain is a relief from the heat of the day.

The home is being constructed with adobe (mud) bricks. Each layer of dried bricks are held together with a mud slurry - the bricklaying is pretty slow going as we can only lay 3 courses before allowing the mud slurry to harden. Fortunately there has been a great deal of digging to be done. I spent the first day on site digging out the foundations for the Banõs (dunny in Australian). Also needed with every good dunny is the sewage pit - the 1.5m square by 2.5m deep pit is almost (dare I say it) complete. The hole (or puma trap) as we have now named it has been tough work. Respite from the puma trap is usually shovelling dirt in an attempt to level the site or moving the rocks that are used as the foundation stones of both the house & the toilet. Lunch time is knock off time at the construction site & we make our way back down the mountain to grab a bite to eat.

Each afternoon is spent at IHNFA - a local orphanage that desperately needs some TLC. The volunteers have spent the summer brightening up the walls with fresh paint & artistic murals. The paint that I have purchased will help complete this task. The week has been spent painting the ceilings & the walls of one of the dormitories. I have been commissioned with adding an Australiaño flavour to the dorm - this poses a huge problem as my artistic skills are non-existent. Hopefully some inspiration (& skill) will hit me in the next few weeks.

The family that I am staying with is awesome - the dinners in particular are a highlight for me. There is something very comforting about sitting in the outdoor kitchen with the smell of wood smoke whilst feasting on Ana's cooking. The food is pretty traditional & it is pretty cool having someone cook it for you. The dinner concludes with a Spanish lesson & much hilarity as the family laughs at my attempts to get my head around their language.

Week 3 - 29-Aug-2007

Work site update: Minor setback with the puma trap (hole) flooding after some persistent rain. Luckily some ingenuity struck (aka the good old bucket on a rope and we managed to rescue the position. Will need to get out the extra dirt that has been washed in. The foundations for the toilet were laid - hand-broken rocks and a mud slurry form the 40cm foundations. I have persisted with trying to get the toilet a great view of the Lake (another great Aussie tradition). The big chief (Melwin) did find my charades & broken Spanish act quite amusing, getting down to check out the potential "buena vista". Fingers crossed on that front. The slow but steady pace on the mud bricklaying (on the house) has progressed to 10 layers high. Some good weather has been forecasted - let's hope my prayers to the Lenca gods will be answered.

Afternoons have been whiled away at IHNFA. The Aussie flag (in outline) now graces the "Volunteers of the World wall". For good measure I have also added the boxing kangaroo. The dormitory has now been completed & the halls have been getting a much needed lick of paint (thanks for Charles & Step - the Swiss). Some of the kids at IHNFA have found a way through my hard exterior and I have been joining them in the regular afternoon session of football. Nothing quite like having a 6 year old dribble past you many a time! The kids' energy is amazing & they love the extra attention - again my lack of decent Spanish is the cause of much laughter.

Week 4- the wrap up - 12-Sep-2007

The internet service has been a little slow - so apologies for the late update. The final week on the construction site sees a flurry of activity. The "Machine" (a local lad that never raises a sweat) is back and he ensures that the boys are fully occupied. No lazy days here. The hole is once again emptied of water & the steel reinforcing for the concrete slab are finished. The bricklaying has continued all week, which culminated with the completion of the door and window frames. These are formed by railway like sleepers' of wood that are lugged from the top of the hill. The toilet & shower are also worked upon but much to my dismay the stunning view is not taken into consideration - oh well there's always next time.

The last week at IHNFA is a good one. The Aussie Flag and the boxing Kangaroo are completed. The hallways get their second coat of paint and the bright murals get a coat of clear lacquer (to protect them). After discussions with Melwin I have decided that the rest of the fundraising money should be put towards to grass football pitch. It is obvious that this final small gesture is greatly appreciated & no words are needed between Melwin and myself in order to appreciate the magnitude of what has been accomplished here (thank you all). Friday sees the arrival of the metal goalposts, which are immediately cemented into place. The pitch should be completed within a week and a half. The kids will love this new addition - no more skinned knees.

My last week with my family is a special one - Ana & Julian have made it clear that they will miss their "Hombre Marlo". Goodbyes with the kids & Ana a little difficult. Took me half an hour to work out what I wanted to say in Spanish - somehow the effort was worth it.

It is fairly obvious to see what the impact of volunteers has been on this community. It certainly is a positive one that will add to the improvement of lives both directly and indirectly. The hope that Honduras clings to are certainly its children - with the correct environment and just the slimmest of opportunity they have a chance to better not only their lives but those around them.