Mar 2

Written by: reh
3/2/2006

Saturday April 2, 2006 7.00AM
Translator, Isel Rivas arrived and we headed to El Amatillo.
Stopped twice in an attempt to buy cell phone minutes and once for gas.
Arrived in El Amatillo at Roxana's house at 10.00. Roxana, Ewdard, Isel and I headed out to review schools.
1. North of CA 1 on dirt road to Goascoran (town Jeff and I went to looking for internet), cobble stone roads throughout town then dirt roads again. About 15 minutes north of Goascoran we came to the school. Neat, clean little two room school house. Water from a hand crank well. Obviously the school gets attention from parents and community.
2. Drove south of CA 1 (once we turned south we were on dirt roads, most un-maintained, for the 6 hours - including our lunch at a "restaurant at the intersection of two dirt roads, more on that later) small community school is clean and neat. The "grounds keeper" unlocked the gate and gave us a tour. He is a young fellow and proud of his clean school. I have no idea how he is paid except that the Honduras government does not pay for janitorial services. There were two holes in the roof where 6 tile panels had blown off. Once the parents come up with $90 for the panels, he will get them fixed. He expects to collect the money in 6 to 8 weeks.
3. Drove further south, almost to the ocean to a small two room school that is really run down. This is area has the highest concentration of of the poorest of the poor. The school doesn't even have screens in the window areas. The neighbors had just completed a new outhouse, so they do what they can.
Stopped for lunch at the crossroads of two dirt roads. Food preparation and eating is on the covered porch of a larger one story building. I told Roxana I can't eat raw clams but like them sautéed.
While two women opened clams to make a raw clam soup on the front porch, Roxana went into the kitchen and sautéed clams for me. Want some tortillas with lunch? Roxana went across the street to another shop and bought some tortillas to eat with our meal. Want something to drink that the restaurant doesn't have, another walk to another shop. Nobody seems to care that food being eaten is coming from all over town.
4. Last school is on our way north from the restaurant. It is larger, with building activity on site. Two soccer "teams" playing in the school yard [most school yards have a soccer field, such as it is.

While driving Roxana and I discussed many lunch program subjects. At one point I asked what would be needed if the program continues to grow:

• Edvard - We'll need storage area, every time I come home [he works in Teguci. and comes home on weekends] the kitchen is a little smaller.
• Roxana - Something to transport supplies, starting to have to pay someone to deliver supplies. I explained that we will not own a vehicle and will always pay someone to deliver supplies, she should make delivery cost a budget line item.
• I explained that I think Roxana will need an assistant that can keep records and for "going and doing". She agreed - if we grow any more. I asked what it would cost to hire a helper that can keep books etc. No idea. I suggested that an entry level teacher starts at $250 per month and that level of education should get us what we need. Roxana: “Yes”. Izel said that for an assistant $250 is way too high since the job would probably start out as part time. She expects that we can easily get a person who can keep books and handle stuff for $150 per month (I think $250 is a good budget number).

Met Roxana, Yojona Ortega, principal from Piedra Blanca, and the principal from north of Goasooran for dinner (get names, etc. During dinner one principal asked if we could help her with making a “science room (corner) for 4th thru 6th graders. I asked what we could do to improve the program. After a litany of kind and compelling remarks about the program, three issues came to be central:

• Ms. Orteda said a principal from the next school north (we’ll walk to that one next, Kristi) asked how her school could become “one of the chosen”; a very poignant and concise description (it really brought me back into focus). I explained that we had to be very careful how rapidly we expand so we don’t have to cut schools off at mid year.
• On occasion, some grain item provided by the government is bad (has been damp and spoiled, etc.). Upon inspecting the grain, the principal will refuse receipt and leave with partial provisions. After listening through an extended conversation, I explained there is a standardized menu provided by the government. L4L expects each lunch to be consistent with this standardized menu. If the grain is bad (not just ground to a less desirable sieve size but unhealthy), L4L will replace the grain so lunches can comply with the standard menu. Roxana said that she understood this and it is the case in the three schools that have been in the program the longest and will see that the newer schools are made aware of the procedure.
• Finally, a principal asked, very humbly, if L4L could provide plated (actually bowels) for the children as so many parents simply don’t/can’t send one with the kids. I asked what they do now. They serve the kids in shifts using the available bowels. They rinse them out between uses (remember a school has well water, or no water – “rinsing” is not “washing”). All principals follow this practice. Another principal said that when the meal is not too “wet” (not a soup), she simply cuts pieces from a paper bag and puts the food on that. Another said many kids ask is she can put the food in their hand, on a tortilla (if provided with the meal) as they are really hungry and don’t want to wait. I asked the group what size bowel they would require. After some subjective discussion I cut in and said I want a specific measurement; diameter, depth, curve – exactly what they want. One principal went into the restaurant kitchen and brought out three or four bowels. The preferred size was agreed upon by all in short order. I traced the bowel on a piece of paper. I have always felt that if we provide the food, the schools can handle the details; I have changed my mind. We should revisit the advisability of providing a lunch plate (bowl).
  Adjourned at 8:30

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