News Newsletters June 2007
June 2007
Completed Projects
A Dining Room is a multi-purpose building. It is concrete built with reinforced steel to protect against earthquakes. It is a simple structure, with brick walls and a galvanise roof. Its main function is to provide a bowl of soup daily for children in the area. Once the Dining Rooms are up and running for one year, the government will then provide food thereafter to feed the children. The local community run the Dining Room on a voluntary basis. It also doubles up as a community centre for the families to make representation to local government for services such as a water supply, electricity and other basic essentials. The following Dining Rooms were completed on this trip:
Santa Rosita Dining Room in Cruz del Norte. There were some initial difficulties after the last trip in December, these are now resolved. The completion cost of this project was €700.
Juan Pablo II District Dining Room. There were also some challenges with this project that have now been resolved. The cost of completing this project was €750.
Mi Amigo Jesus Community Dining Room. This new project was started in March 2007 and is now completed. The community only had a shanty house beside a lady's house. We have now leased the land for 7 years. The cost of this project was €625.
San Jose Community Dining Room. This new project was started in March 2007 and is now completed. The community had the use of a house but we have now succeeded in leasing leased the land for 7 years. The cost of this project was €650.
Juan Pablo Vecinal Community Dining Room. This new Dining Room built on a site owned by the community. The cost of this project was €1750.
Villa Rica Dining Room was refurbished. This consisted of new floors, roof, windows and doors. An extension was added for a toilet, a shower and food storage area. This site is owned by the community. The cost of this project was €1000.
Virgen de Carmen Community Dining Room was refurbished. This involved an extension for a toilet, a shower and food store area. Work commenced in November 2006 and the cost of completion was €400.
Total cost of Community Projects: €5,875
Social Needs
Many people live in a shanty house as a starter home. The shanty house comprises of a basket type weave about six feet high and wrapped around four posts stuck in the ground on the side of the hill. Plastic is tied on the four posts as a roof to keep out the rain. In the winter the temperature gets very cold and a penetrating cold covers the hills. The small mud houses we build for people comprise of two small bedrooms and a living area. The poverty is so great that people buy a few mud bricks whenever they have a bit of extra money and stack them outside their shack. At the end of the year one wall is built, replacing the basket weave on one side of the shack with the bricks. Eventually they build their little house over the years.
Sandra – Sandra is a 28-year-old, single mother. Her mother died of cancer last year and her father died a few years ago. Sandra was left minding her two brother as well as her own two children. We provided the materials and her friends built her a small house. The cost of materials was €625.
Luis Alberto - Luis has a 23-year-old man, with a disability and confined to a wheelchair. His father died last year and his sister has a small baby. His mother works part-time and his brother is a builder's labourer. He is building the house for Luis. We provide the materials that cost €625.
Maria Segura – Maria is 45-year-old woman who has three children, Kevin, Celeste and Linda. Kevin has epilepsy and his mother does any kind of work she can get to make ends meet. Last year we started building a house for her and her children as her husband deserted the family. We put a roof, windows, doors, floor and small extension. The cost of this work was €500.
Segundino Moutveilo – Segundio and his wife, Maria, and their six lived in a shanty house. One child has epilepsy and other problems. We completed the house we started back in November 2006 and it is of reinforced Concrete and brick construction. The cost to complete was €1000.
Planned Projects
Liz – Liz is a child, the eldest of 4 children. She was raped at 12-years-old and has a baby. We are planning to buy a plot and build a house for her and her family. She is now back at school, we pay for her lunch and for her baby to attend a nursery. Her brother, Solin, has a Multiple Dystrophy and we just bought him a wheelchair and obtained necessary medical attention for him. The cost of the plot and house would be €1,250. The cost of the plot and house is more expensive as Solin has special needs and the house needs to be adapted so as not to be on a hill
Sofia Margurite – This child is aged 15 and her circumstances are similar to Liz. She is the eldest daughter and was raped by her stepfather resulting in the birth of her baby. She is also going to school again and the baby is attending a nursery with our help. The rapist is in jail. We plan to buy a plot and build a house for her and her family. The cost of this project is €1250.
Margruite Bara this lady has two children and lives in a shanty house. Her other two children died tragically in a fire two years ago. This tragedy led to her husband becoming an alcoholic. She needs a house and 50% of the materials have been purchased. The cost of completion would be €800.
Hermalinda Ascodero is very poor. She was deserted by her husband and left with three children. She also needs a small house as she is living in a shanty house. The cost would be €800.
A grandmother looking after her grandchildren , her daughter died last year from a spider bite needs a roof on her house. The son in law is poor and trying to make ends meet. Costs €400
Maria Paitan Javiar is living in dire poverty. Her husband died a few years ago and she has three children. One child is working for a farmer in the jungle, not home very often. The other two children are at school. The boy of 11 has mental health problems due to the trauma and is now mute. They are in desperate need and are starving. The first step for this family is food aid. Then we will look to build a small house. This is one of the most tragic cases of neglect by circumstances and environment. Cost of food for a year €200; Cost of house €825
Various medical expenses ( incl wheelchairs) €500
Money for food poor families and pay nursery €825
Total for Social Projects: €8,500