latrina abonera

The Women's Center finally has a bathroom facility. And not just a regular facility- a dry composting toilet!! The latrine is like an outhouse, but rather than being over the top of a hole, it is over a concrete box (shown above). The stool is open in the back, like a regular outhouse, but the solids fall down into a compost bin that is sitting below in the box.

When the compost bin is full, it will be put to the side to continue composting (we add leaves, sawdust, ashes, etc. each time we go number two) and an empty bin put under the hole. Urine will be diluted with water and used as fertilizer (an excellent nitrogen source, urine also has phosphorus, potassium and many minerals).

The reason I wanted this style of outhouse was that regular outhouses often flood, making a breeding ground for mosquitos. I didn't want a flush toilet, because we often do not have water (and kids always forget to flush, causing clogs, because they are so accustomed to outhouses that they don't think to flush).

About a week ago we had a dedication for the latrine which included talking in the megaphone, a ribbon cutting and picture taking inside the roomy latrine. It was all quite silly.

So far it seems that the girls are pretty happy to use the latrine. The other day we were having a baking class at the preschool and the girls left to go back to the Women's Center to use the outhouse rather than using the flush toilet at the school.

maquinas nuevas

A visionary lady from California visited my site in February and decided to bless us with two new sewing machines! She and a friend came this week with two new peddle machines that they ordered from Japan (I think). I've never seen machines like this before. They are peddle machines (non-electric), but can do everything that an electric machine does- zigzag stick, back stiching, button holes.

Today the girls came to the Women's Center to learn to use the machines. They caught on quickly, because the machines are so simple to use! Next week, the visiting ladies are going to do some special classes with the girls- making skirts and collared shirts. The girls will certainly be fighting over who gets to use the new machines.

pulga

One cultural experience that both amazes and annoys me is the 'pulga'. A pulga (which actually means 'flea') is like a garage sale. Donations left by teams that visit our base are sold to help raise money for special projects in our communities. A few weeks ago we held a pulga at the Women's Center to raise money to do a small construction project for a family in the community to make their house more handicap accessible for their daughter who has multiple sclerosis.

People began gathering outside the Women's Center around 8 a.m. The pulga was to start at 10:30 a.m. (Dominican can be on time!) We decided to let pregnant women come in to buy first, for their own safety. Then Rudy, our construction site worker, let people in 15 people at a time to buy. Some people tried to sneak through the fence to get into the sale. (The picture above shows people waiting to come in the gate). Others sent money with the pregnant ladies to buy them their favorite item before someone else got the chance to enter and buy it. Some pushed their way to the porch and Rudy punished them by making them wait until last. There were accusations of unfairness- people were accused of going in twice, sneaking in with someone taller, buying more than their share of towels, stealing a salami, etc. (They also broke the gate to the propery when they rushed through).

Anyway. It was quite comical to me. And frustrating at the same time. I was a bit flabbergasted that people would put in so much effort just to buy on our little sale, but also realize that the sale must really matter to them if they do put in such effort to get in.

It's often hard to know how to bless people that are in need. We don't give things away, because that communicates that we think they are so poor they can't even buy used stuff. It seems from this sale that selling things at low prices can also cause people to act in ways that are below their dignity. It's not to say that everyone acted crazy in the sale. Once in the sale, most people just calmly bought what they needed and left. What made them act crazy, it seemed, was that they all wanted to go in first.

In the end, I would say that a lot of people were blessed. Several families did get things that they needed and we were able to raise over $RD5,000 ($US 140) for the construction project. After the sale, several community members asked me when we'll do it all again.