La Vaina June-July 2002 - page 2

ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION

The next two months are going to be really busy for me. I will be in the field doing site development during the following dates: June 4-7, 11-16 and 18-21. I will be away from June 22 to July 20 in order to attend an APCD training course in Washington, DC. I will be at the IST on July 22 and 23. Finally, I will be taking some much needed vacation time from July 24 to the 26^th.

If you want to take vacations during my time in Washington, you need to send in your applications right away. If need or want something else before I leave, you should let me know ASAP, leave a message with Itsa. If you need help during my absence, contact Janice (she will be in Panama until July 13) or Dennise.

Thanks to everyone who has sent me their schedules. I am, however, still waiting for schedules from some of you (you know who you are). Also, remember that when you travel from your sites it is an official PC requirement that you notify me and the outside box before you leave.

I would like to thank all those volunteers who have given me ideas for new sites. We still need more sites! I would really appreciate hearing from all CEE volunteers. CEE needs 16 sites for the September group and another 8 for the following January group.

There will be a number of changes to the CEE program for all new groups, beginning with the September group. One of the most important changes will be that there will no longer be formal education in classrooms or training of teachers. Please keep this in mind when recommending new sites.

We will still be community based formal and informal environmental education with an emphasis on family units. We will still be doing non-formal and informal education in schools. We will also still be working with community environmental education groups, such as Panamá Verde. We will be evolving the program towards the use and management of natural resources focusing on improving livelihoods, reforestation, waste management, biodiversity and conservation, watershed management and environmental risk management.

Goodbye to all those COS’ers who will be leaving during my absence in July. Goodbye also to Rachael Chertok (thanks for all the hard work and I wish you all the best at Harvard!).

Welcome to Carlos _____ our new CEE trainer. Carlos will be starting in sometime in June.

Several of you have asked me to make site visits and I apologize that I have been unable to do so. As you can see, my schedule for the next two months is almost completely booked. I won’t be able to make any site visits until August at the earliest. I would ask you all to be patient until then. I really am looking forward to making those visits as soon as possible.

COMMON COLD

The rainy season is about to start again and so it’s the time for the colds to appear.

Our hot and humid tropical weather is the one to blame.

You will notice that in your communities almost everyone is going to be having a cold.

Usually the infective agent is a virus called Influenza and it has several strains, and each strain can be the causal agent of the symptoms. In this year Influenza A is the one.

The Influenza shot is only indicated for kids under 2 years and for senior citizens over 60 years, for patients with immune system sicknesses and for health workers that are frequently exposed to this virus, otherwise, the body is ready to fight it back, and it’s faster if you take the proper measures.

SYMPTOMS:

Just like any virus infection: fever, chills, bone-ache, congested nose, cough that can be with or without phlegm. The acute phase lasts about 2-3 days. The recovery phase can take several days even a couple of weeks and so can the cough.

Here are the recommendations for a total recovery:

DRINK LARGE AMOUNTS OF WATER: Water soothes the throat and helps loosen secretion facilitating the phlegm to come out. Hot liquids at night might be helpful.

GET PLENTY OF REST: Your body needs the time to allow you to recover. Let your body be your guide in determining how much to restrict your activities.

TAKE ASPIRIN OR TYLENOL (acetaminophen or paracetamol) to ease aches and pains and to lower fever.

GARGLE WITH SALT WATER: In a glass with water (8 oz) put no more than a quarter of a tablespoon of salt, mix well and gargle 3-4 times a day. Never use a larger amount of salt because instead of helping relieve a sore throat, it will increase the inflammation.

USE DISPOSABLE TISSUES: instead of handkerchiefs to prevent re-infection.

INHALATIONS: This is very helpful in soothing inflamed mucous membranes that will result in relieving nasal congestion. Bring water to boil temperature, turn off the stove, put your face on the steam and cover your head with a towel or blanket so you can inhale the vapor. CAUTION: Please wait for the temperature to drop so you don’t burn your face. It’s better to do this before going to bed, just when you’re not going out again.

DO NOT TAKE ANTIBIOTICS: because influenza is caused by a virus and the antibiotic has no effect of it. The antibiotic is only needed in the presence of a bacterial complication, which does not happen often.

DO NOT SMOKE: Smoking will further irritate your nasal passages and increase your risk of bacterial complication.

MALARIA

1.         BACKGROUND

Malaria is an infectious disease caused by protozoa of the genus Plasmodium. The four species of Plasmodium that cause human malaria are P. falciparum, P. vivax, P. ovale, and P. malariae. The most dangerous is P. falciparum. All four species are transmitted by the bite of an infected female anopheles mosquito. Chemoprophylaxis (the administration of antimalarial drugs at low doses to prevent clinical disease) is used to prevent all types of malaria.

Both P. vivax and P. ovale have a dormant (liver) phase of up to four years. When a Volunteer leaves an infected area, "terminal prophylaxis" is used to eradicate this dormant phase and prevent the relapses of malaria, which typically occur 6-12 months after stopping chemoprophylaxis.

P. Malariae is the least common form of malaria. Recrudescence of P. malariae may occur years after leaving an infected area (due to prolonged dormant blood-borne phase.)

2.         DISTRIBUTION

Malaria transmission occurs in large areas of Central and South America and Hispaniola, Sub-Saharan Africa, the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Oceania. P. falciparum has become resistant to chloroquine in most areas. Resistance has not yet appeared in Central America, the Caribbean, and the Middle East. P vivax resistant to chloroquine has also been found in Iran Jaya and Papua New Guinea and the Salomons.

P. vivax and/or ovale are present in all malarial areas except Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Terminal prophylaxis is advised for travelers leaving all malarial areas (except Haiti and the Dominican Republic) who have been exposed to malaria for more than four weeks.

3.         LIFE CYCLE

All four species require an anopheles mosquito host for development and a human host for asexual development. While obtaining blood from a human, the infected mosquito injects the infective forms of malaria (sporozoites.) The sporozoites first infect liver cells, but do not cause symptoms at this stage. They develop within the liver cells in as little as 7 days, at which time the liver cells rupture, releasing numerous parasites in the form of merozoites into the bloodstream. The merozoites then invade red blood cells where they mature and multiply asexually. The parasitized RBCs rupture, again releasing merozoites into the bloodstream. These merozoites invade other RBCs, repeating the cycle. Clinical malaria is associated with the invasion and rupture of RBCs.

Later in the course of the disease (generally 3-15 days after the onset of the symptoms), some of the merozoites within RBCs differentiate into gametocytes-the male and female sexual form. A feeding mosquito ingests the gametocytes, and the sexual development of the parasite begins within the gut of the mosquito, resulting in the formation of sporozoites. The sporozoites are then injected into human via a mosquito bite to continue the cycle.

4.         PREVENTION OF MOSQUITO BITES

Anopheles mosquitoes feed throughout the night, and protective measures to reduce the number of mosquito bites (particularly at night) will reduce the risk of malaria.

*        &nb sp; Clothing: Wear light or bright clothing that covers most of the body (long sleeved shirts, long pants, and socks). Mosquitoes are attracted to dark clothing after dusk. Permethrin-sprayed clothing may provide maximum protection.

*        &nb sp; Mosquito nets: When used properly, nets over cots and beds provide excellent protection against mosquitoes and crawling insects. Permethrin-impregnated nets provide maximum protection. Bed nets issued to Volunteers are pre-treated.

*        &nb sp; Insect repellent: Apply sparingly to all exposed areas of skin or clothing, from dusk onwards.

*        &nb sp; Spray: Use flying-insect spray in living and sleeping areas during evening and nighttime hours (at least half an hour before retiring.) Permethrin may be sprayed on clothing for additional protection against mosquitoes.

*        &nb sp; Screens: Screening on windows and over household water containers is strongly recommended.

*        &nb sp; Local area mosquito control measures: Mosquitoes breed in stagnant or slow moving water found in places such as discarded tires or pottery, stumps of trees, large leaves, and even flower beds. Elimination or proper drainage of water within a 30 meter area will decrease the number of mosquitoes in that area. However it is very difficult to decrease the mosquito population in humid, forested areas.

5.         CHEMOPROPHYLAXIS IN PANAMA

Volunteers living West of the Panama Canal must take Chloroquine (ARALEN) 1 tab. weekly (Minor side effects include gastrointestinal disturbance, headache, dizziness, blurred vision, bad dreams and itching. The drug may be better tolerated if taken with meals or in divided, twice-weekly doses).

Volunteers living East of the Panama Canal must take Mefloquine ( LARIAM or MEPHAQUINE) 1 tab. weekly (Minor side effects such as gastrointestinal disturbance and dizziness, tend to be transient and self-limited. Sleep disturbance or unusual dreams have been reported in several studies to be no more frequent than for Chloroquine users. Side effects tend to decrease over time, and rarely lead to discontinuation of the drugs)

At no time should a Volunteer stop his prophylaxis without consulting the PCMOs.

6.         LEAVING THE MALARIAL AREA

"COS Guidelines for Preventing Malaria" is to be given to Volunteers leaving malarial area at COS.

A Volunteer should continue malaria prophylaxis for four weeks after leaving a malarial area.

In addition, terminal prophylaxis with PRIMAQUINE is required for Volunteers who are in the malarial area for more than 4 weeks.

Primaquine decrease the risk of malaria relapses by acting against the liver stages of P. vivax and P. ovale. It is the only drug which is effective against the dormant liver stage (hypnozoites.)

The dose is primaquine phosphate, 1 tab. daily for 14 days during the second 2 weeks of post-travel prophylaxis (Primaquine is contraindicated during pregnancy)

Former Volunteers should report their Peace Corps services and exposure to malaria to their physician after COS. P. vivax and P. ovale relapses may occur despite good compliance with primaquine.

 MALARIA UPDATE (16 may 02)

There has been a Malaria outbreak in these past months in Panama so the Medical Office encourages all Volunteers to take their malaria prophylaxis treatment as it’s indicated. By this time last year there were 279 cases of malaria reported but at the same time this year the cases has increased to 771. No cases reported in Peace Corps Panama.

In the Kuna Yala area there were only cases of Plasmodium Vivax. At this time, also cases of Plasmodioun Falcyparum has been reported. The good news is that no resistant strain has been found.

KEEP ON TAKING YOUR MALARIA PROPHYLAXIS TREATMENT

 DENGUE

        A reminder for all Volunteers to use your insect repellent and mosquito ned, because the number of Dengue Fever cases in Panama has increased in the past months due to the beginning of rainy season. Remember that Dengue is transmitted by the Aedes Aegypti female mosquito and it’s habitat is clean water preferable indoors.

There is no vaccine against Dengue.

Clasical Dengue Symptoms:

High fever, headache, pain in the back of the eyes, bone ache, muscular pain, and several days after onset you get a rash disseminated in all of your body and the palm and soles could itch. Sometimes these symptoms are accompanied by nausea and diarrhea. Treatment is symptomatic, that is, take only acetaminophen (Tylenol), rest and lots of water. Do not take aspirin. The symptoms usually resolve in one week. A weak sensation stays for almost a month after the sickness.

After this illness your body is resistant to the 4 types of Dengue Virus for 6 months.

If you get re-infected with any of the other 3 remaining type of virus, a Hemorrhagic Dengue Fever can develop.

Hemorrhagic Dengue Fever Symptoms

Same symptoms as the Clasical Dengue, but around the 5^th day bleeding starts. The bleeding could be anywhere: gums, bladder, intestinal, vaginal, or internal bleeding in severe cases.

From Training Desk

 Hi everyone! Here is the training news.

The new group of PCT arrived on May 13^th, 2002. The training communities are Caimito and Valdesa. As part of their intensive PST they will be working on "pollos", "viveros" and "huertos" as special projects. Following are the name of the PCTs and their program:

Aaron Bale  -   Permaculture
Angela Anderson  -   Permaculture
Celina Lee  -    Community Economic Development
Claire Stienecker   -   Community Economic Development
Daniel Mooney   -   Permaculture
Daniella Zanin  -   Permaculture
Dominique Jordan  -   Community Economic Development
Jennifer Keller  -   Community Economic Development
Jessica Walker  -   Permaculture
Kathryn Lincoln  -   Permaculture.
Kimberly Leno   -   Community Economic Development
Melissa Costa   -   Community Economic Development
Michael Woodard  -   Community Economic Development
Robert Daiton  -   Community Economic Development
Russell Slatton   -   Permaculture
Scott Anderson  -   Permaculture
Whitney Trainor   -   Permaculture

Last weekend, May 31 — June 2, the group had the opportunity to visit a PCV. We will like to say THANK YOU to the PCVs that hosted a PCT. The next visit that will take place in training is for the PCTs that will be working in indigenous community. This group will spend four days sharing with indigenous family as part of language and cultural training.

The next IST will be held at CEDESO from Sunday July 31-Friday July 26. Group #47 is to arrive by 5:00 PM on Sunday the 31^st and will be done at 1:30 on Friday the 26^th. Group #45 is to arrive by 5:00 PM on Monday the 22^nd and will be done at 1:30 Friday the 26^th. Both groups will have an afternoon free on Wednesday the 24^th.

Thank you

PROGRAM NEWS

From Maria Elena

SPA funds that are approved by USAID are stopped since now. Future SPA funds will be ONLY used to work on projects regarding watershed. ANY PENDING OR FUTURE PROPOSAL FOR SPA FUNDS WILL NOT BE APPROVED AT THIS POINT. FURTHER INFORMATION WILL BE PASS TO YOU AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

THE LAST TWO PROJECT ARE:

PEACE CORPS PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM

Now that we have no SPA Funds it is a GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO APPLY FOR PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM. PARTNERSHIP PROJECTS RANGE WIDELY IN THEIR SCOPE, OBJECTIVE AND AMOUNTS REQUESTED AND CAN BE USED EFFECTIVELY TO MEET DIFFERENT SETS OF NEEDS. SMALLER PROJECTS with smaller NEEDS can often be SUCCESSFULLY FUNDED WITHIN WEEKS OR EVEN DAYS.

PCVs and their community should not be discourage from seeking assistancer for these smaller scale projects because of the Partnership proposal process.

AMERICAN ON LINE PEACE PACKS (AOL)

As the Decision Comments that were sent to the field indicated, there are a number of reasons why AOL Peace Packs may not have been approved. These include:

- proposals that were not submitted on the AOL PEace Pack form, or were completed improperly
- proposals that were ranked a low priority by the post
- projects that were not technically sound
- Volunteer is COSing within 6 months
- no immediate capacity for internet connectivity
- budget was unrealistic or incomplete
- proposals sought only upgrades
- low number of projected beneficiaries

In addition, it should be noted that preference is given to grassroots proposals over those from large institutions or government offices. As a result of the high number of proposals received, specific comments were not able to be provided by the reviewers. Of the 122 proposals received during

PBR1, 37 were approved for funding. As we strive to maintain balance among

the regions, 12 proposals were approved from the Africa region, 15 from EMA, and 10 from IAP.

Remember that Peace Packs will be awarded THREE TIMES A YEAR (SEPTEMBER, FEBRUARY, AND JULY). PCVs wishing to have their projects considered must submit their proposals a moth before these three times (June 02, August 02 and January 03). If by any chance your project has not been approved in the last round and you still would like to have your project reconsidered, make sure you submit your proposal AGAIN for the next round A MONTH BEFORE

I would strongly encourage you to work with me to improve your proposals prior to submission. Unlikely that a proposal has not been approved for funding during PBR1 would be considered as-is if

resubmitted at PBR2. Please also note that Volunteers must have at least 6 months remaining in order to submit an AOL Peace Pack proposal.

Here, additional advice from Peace Packs Coordinator for the next round:

1)     Be clear to anyone putting together a proposal, that there is no guarantee. Virtually anyone who writes proposals for grants on a regular basis knows this...but it is not a reason to give up. Likewise, no one should have a project that is dependent on a PeacePack.

2)     Review previously submitted proposals, and if any are still good, do your best to make the proposal consonant with the  

      information required, and submit them again.

3)     If PCVs and the community have put together a really great package, perhaps the community (with help from the PCV)         could look for alternative funding - not to Peace Corps, but to other community, regional or national resources. I realize this may not be an option, but at least, it should be explored.

4) It is important to respond to all questions on the proposal form or to indicate where a response is not applicable. For            example, the fields labeled "activity title," "Peace Corps Project Name," "Activity Implementation Date" and "(Projected # of) People Trained". All information requested on the form is used to inform the selection of successful proposals.

5)   Highly competitive proposals typically include a detailed timeline (with specific dates) for implementing each phase of      the project. This information is usually included in response to Activity Planning Question #11 ("List the tasks you and the community group will undertake to accomplish this activity").

6) Proposed activities where a telephone line is not currently installed are typically much less competitive in comparison with proposals that do indicate immediate capacity to connect to the Internet.

I hope that this is helpful. If you have further questions, please feel free to contact me.

CENTER ACTIVITIES

If you are coordinating any Center Activity for your APCD, please make you stop by my office and pick up the required forms and their attachments that must be submitted one month in advance of the date of the activity. Do not doubt to contact me for this type of event.

SCHEDULE FOR JUNE AND JULY

June 17, 2002     Vacation day

June 9-13        ;    Rural Women Seminar in Tolé, Chiriquí

June 22-26      &nbs p;  GLOBE Workshop Back to the office on June 27.

July 4             Holiday

July 8             APCDs (9:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m) and Programming Meeting (1:00 p.m.)

July 24       & nbsp;      IST (CEDESO)  

ARTICLES

    Alcoholics Anonymous in Panama   Jaime Barsimantov

I'm sure we all notice problems of alcohol abuse in our communities.  And I'm sure it has crossed all of our minds that the service we are providing here in Panama, and the added income it may afford people in our communities, could be simply wasted on alcohol and contribute to addiction.  I know this is a hard issue to tackle and it is difficult to know how to approach it.  I have found that people are more open than I would have thought about talking about the effects of alcohol abuse in the community.  What has been even more surprising is that there are many active AA groups all over Panama, even one in my community in the campo.  Where I live, the twelve members lives have changed drastically from the time when they were drinking every day and wasting every penny they earned on drinks to how they care for their families and their own well being today.  Its only eight men out of all those who at times lie passed out on the street, but it is a start. 

Alcoholics Anonymous has an office in Panama City, and have said they would be willing to help Peace Corps get groups started.  The key to this is having community members interested in getting involved.  Perhaps people who have stopped drinking, or who are trying to, or who need to, are interested in starting a group.  It can be a small number of people, but that is the way to start.  A first step in getting your community involved with AA would be to call the central office in Panama City  and ask for the location of the nearest AA group to you.  Contact this group to find out their meeting dates and times.  Invite those community members interested and see what comes out of it.  If there is no nearby group, I believe the central office can arrange to send someone out to visit the community and meet with the interested people. I received some literature from them, which hopefully is reproduced below.  There are copies in the office too.  One is about what is alcoholism, the other is a self-diagnostic to be given to people to do on their own and hopefully get them thinking. 

I know this is a very difficult topic, but it worth some of our attention.  So here are some resources.  Good luck.

    Did you know…?

·       If you want a letter of recommendation from Janice F. Jorgensen you MUST write a draft first and send it to her.  She will revise it and get it out right away.  She writes no generic letters of recommendations.

·       Toni Bouck and Noelia Serpa have busted their buns to get the library in shape.  It is so much better.

·       The PCVL’s… (what… the Peace Corps Volunteer Leaders (formerly called coordinators) meet every 2 months.  You have ideas or suggestions for them… pass it along.

·       The VAC is in “downtime”.  Pass ideas, problems, concerns to APCDs, PCVLs or to the CD.

·       There will be 32 trainees arriving in September.  This is the biggest training group we will have had.  Be extra nice to Raul and his staff during this time.

·       July will be skimpy “staff-wise”.  Greg and Maria Josefa will be in Washington for APCD training from June 24 until July 23.  

·       Inola was selected to do Gender training and evaluation in Ecuador in September.

·       We don’t have to use those black plastic bags to start a vivero.  Recycle plastic bags, use banana leaves molded around a cup to give it shape.

·       That you can collect those small radio batteries and when using cement…drop some in there. They will be immobilized and should not leak.

    Eco-Tourism, Agro-Tourism, a Living Example  por Tara Zagofsky

Sometimes the best way to learn is to take ourselves out of the classroom and just ¨do¨.  By doing, we force ourselves to understand and hopefully accomplish something along the way.  I guess that is what Peace Corps is all about.

I want to share with you my experience in starting a tourism project, which is my primary project in Coclé.  When I began, I had no idea where to start.  I was forced to just ¨do¨.  My disclaimer first: I must say that I think it is selfish of us not to be sharing more of our experiences with one another.  In the international development world, people from NGOs to the UN are continually searching for sustainable techniques to achieve development.  One would think that by now someone has mapped it out, what works and what does not.  But it is not exactly that way.  People who have 30 years experience in development work are still looking.  So with this in mind, and the true grass-roots experience we have, I think it would be great to share with one another our promising practices to hopefully be more effective in bringing about healthy development to Panama.  So with that, I'll begin with my story on tourism.

I am following a much loved PCV in the area, Lance, who worked with the same artisan group as I to begin a medicinal plant project and organic farm.  When I arrived here, the artisans gave me a list of community goals, which they wrote with Lance, that they wanted to continue to work on with me.  One of those was to promote tourism in the area.

I could see that the area had much to offer to tourists, including a soapstone mine, the carving of the stone, a granja, and a beautiful area with lots of trees, a stream, and birds.  Tourists also have been coming to the area for about 10 years.  But their visits have been sporadic and unorganized.  In addition, the locals were providing lots of services to the tourists and receiving little in exchange.

Not knowing where to begin, I invited a Panamanian friend who is a tourist agent to the area to give some feedback to the community about its potential for tourism.  She, Yamileth, had raving revues and said she could help promote the area.

With that initial feedback, the community called a meeting to discuss the future implications on having a tourism project, both the positives and negatives.  The overwhelming response was to go forward with the project and to continue meeting periodically to check in on both the project and the community response.

Our next step was to form a Tourism Committee.  Five members of the association of artisans came aboard with two young, brand new community leaders.  This is an outline of our realized work plan of when and how the project came together.

January:  -Initial visit of Yamileth to give feedback on potential of area

- Community meeting to discuss implications of project
- Formation of tourism committee

February:

 -Cut hiking trail adjacent to the mine
-Paint signs labeling trail, road, and entrance fee (50 cents per adult)

-Paint and clean-up workshop, clean stream, trash

-Damn stream to create a natural swimming pool

-Organize families to prepare one room in their house for hospedaje

-Organize the artisans to serve as nature guides of the area

            -20 tourists passed through sporadically

-Charla to the association on Rural Tourism

March:

  -Yamileth brings first group of 6 university students studying tourism

-Program consists of touring area, hiking, learning to carve soapstone, weave palm fiber, local foods and cumbia music, hospedaje.  (Fri-Sun, $35 per person)

-Build a 30 foot wooden look-out tower on top of hill, from which one can see the Pacific Ocean.

-Yamileth brings second group of 8 university students for weekend.

            -  120 tourists visit this month

-Save $100 in tourism fund, buy some kitchen equipment

April: 

 -Create brochure promoting the area, distribute to hotels, agencies.

-Talk with IPAT to see how they can help

-PROMER, Chilean NGO in rural tourism visits, with Triple C and encourages the artisans to continue project.  PROMER may be able to help.

-Third group of university students visit Sat-Sun with arranged package.

May:     -Three artisans attend ACOTUR meeting in Penonomé (new non-profit in Coclé forming to help promote tourism) and put community into program.

-Hold a public meeting in town to announce the tourism project and ask for government support fixing the road, the workshop, charlas on everything from sustainable agriculture to first aid.  50 government officials attend including every government agency, the governor, and the president's assessor.

-2 groups of university classes visit for arranged day trips

-First backpacker arrives for 3 day visit (European, saw brochure in David)

And here we are today.  The association of artisans still has many more ideas that they would like to realize in the project.  What I have listed above are their accomplishments.  Of course there have been difficult moments as well.  Overall, I attribute the recent success of the program to the excitement and dedication of the association.  They were organized sufficiently and ready for something new, and their land was also ready after their work with the previous volunteer.  It is also worth mentioning that the influence of having outside people visit the area has made the locals express more pride in their land and culture.  People are now also more interested in reforesting and protecting endangered species.  Another set of issues has also arisen concerning the outside influences of wealthy investors talking about buying land in the area.  This is one of the issues that is well discussed in the community's ¨check-in¨ meetings.

I hope the layout of the community's work gives you some ideas to lend to your own projects.  Please let me know if I can be of any help.  You are also welcome to visit the area, and can bring a counterpart to check out the project.  I left several brochures in the lounge.  Good luck!

    Overview of Services Offered By ECHO to Peace Corps Volunteers

 Dear Peace Corps Volunteer,

 ECHO has been helping Peace Vorps Volunteers, NGO’s, and various national groups for two decades with a variety of free services.  We correspond with dozens of Vounteers every year.  Sometimes a Volunteer writes, “ I wish I had heard about ECHO when I first began my term.”  So do we.  We succeed if we can help you make a significant contribution to small farmers or urban gardeners during the relatively short time before your term is over.  We seek to do this by researching answers to questions, by bringing to your attention a key idea, information, or technique or by sending a packet of seed of a potential new crop or variety for your consideration and trial. 

We’ll try to answer your questions.  Any Peace Corps Volunteer can write us for personal answers to specific problems she encounters on the farm or in the garden.  We get stumped sometimes, but we have some good people on staff and many contacts around the world.  It costs nothing to ask.

We’ll send you a complimentary copy of our networking newsletter.  One way we can speed the flow of information is to send you your personal copy of our networking newsletter, ECHO Development Notes.  It is in the county Peace Corps library, but we realize that many of you seldom have an opportunity to visit the library.  There is no charge for a subscription. 

To receive EDN, fill out the application form and return it to us.  So that we do not mail it to your address there for years after you return home, please indicate on the form that you are a Peace Corps Volunteer and WRITE YOUR CLOSE OF SERVICE (C.O.S.) DATE.  When we receive your subscription form, we will add you to our mailing list until that date (no charge).  EDN is available in English and Spanish.  If you have access to the Internet, you can also check our website (www.echonet.org) and download EDN directly or request an e-mail subscription (send an email message to echo@echonet.org asking us to add you to our e-mailing list.)

The first 51 issues covering the first 15 years of EDN are available in book form, Amranth to Zai Holes.  This 404-page book contains updated articles arranged by topic.  There is probably a copy in your library and we believe that some offices have copies for distribution.  Anew CD containing Amaranth to Zai Holes, every Technical Note published by ECHO, and every issue of EDN since our book was written is in your library (or can be purchased from ECHO). 

You have access to your specialized seed bank.  ECHO has established a seed bank of hard to find but promising seeds, including “under-exploited” tropical food plants recommended by the National Academy of Science.  A copy of ECHO’s seedbank list should be in the central office of each country.  We do not normally carry seeds that are commercially available.  After reading on our web site, in ECHO DEVELOPMENT NOTES or other ECHO publications about a plant that sounds interesting, you may request a small packet for evaluation and possible introduction into your community.  There is no charge, but we do ask that you report back to us so we will know how the plant did and how the local people accepted it.  Report forms areincluded with seed shipment.  We also require that you keep a close watch on the plant to make sure it does not become introduced as a weed, especially if people do not like it.  A maximum of ten kinds of seeds at a time can be requested.  Remember that we run on donated dollars, so ask for only what you can use well. 

We maintain a huge web site.  If you have access to the Internet, you can visit us at www.echonet.org.

We are proud of you for serving mankind and representing our country as a Peace Corps Volunteer.  ECHO puts all of its resources to the task of strengthening the work of other development workers.  We do not have our own staff overseas.  We can measure no success except as we have been able to make someone else’s work a bit more effective. 

Let us know how we can help you.

The ECHO Staff

    Get Pumpin!   - Jaime Barsimantov

            Here´s a bit of appropriate technology created by a campesino right here in the province of Cocle.  It is a manual water pump, powered by the lifting and lowering of a wooden lever, supplying a capacity of about 50 gallons of water every 3 minutes.  It can be used to draw water from a stream, river, or spring – all that is necessary is a small pool of water in which to place the uptake pipe.  The pump can raise water to an altitude about 10 meters above its source, and can move water horizontally over 100 meters.  It is made of materials that can be bought in any hardware store in Panama, in addition to a few parts that one must find in your neighbors back yard or in the local junk pile.  The cost is about $20, depending on how many of the materials your community already may have (ie. pvc tubing and round wood).  The pump can be used for dry season irrigation, bringing potable water from its source to a home, or to clean pig or chicken coops.  Its efficiency can be increased greatly if it is used to first pump water to a storage tank, where gravity can then distribute it to irrigation pipes or a water faucet.  It must be clear, however, that the pump is not a miraculous solution for community water problems – its range is limited and each gallon requires manual labor to lift and lower the lever.  It is best used on the level of a household or a small group, not for a whole community.

     The pump works through the force of suction and the concept of check valves.  On the down stroke of the lever, water is drawn towards the piston from uptake pipe.  The stoppers of both check valves, made of the hard foam of the child’s bicycle tire, are drawn towards the piston by the force of suction.  Water passes through the holes at the exit of first check valve, but is stopped at the entrance to the second check valve, which does not have holes at its entrance.  Thus the pump fills.  On the up stroke of the lever, water is pushed away from the piston and towards both check valves, and both stoppers are pushed away from the piston as well.  Water is stopped from returning to the uptake pipe by the stopper of the first check valve, but is allowed to pass the second check valve through the holes at its exit.  Thus water is pushed out of the pump to wherever you want it to go.         

     Upon discovering this technology, a few Cocle volunteers invited its inventor to give a charla to fellow Panamanians.  The charla took place, and was attended by over 50 people along with several MIDA and CCC technicos.  Interest was high in the pump, and since the charla 3 pumps have been built.  Through experience with our communities, we have found that the limiting factors in the successful construction and use of the pump among community members are money for materials, a suitable water source, and the desire to plant during the dry season.

     The drawing and materials list can be found in Goyo’s office, but building the pump without the help of someone who has made one would be a little difficult.  Feel free to contact Jaime Barsimantov, Rob Klein, or Phil Bergsrund for more information or help in building a pump.

     Trying desperately to get out of the office, but not sure what to do afterward? These are two of my favorites.  First, to get out a little of that office accumulated stress there is the University of Panama Gym.  If you’re looking to do a little exercise, the UP gym has permitted PCVs to use its facilities for as long as I’ve been here. The gym has an indoor basketball court (that’s often used for volleyball practice in the afternoons), weight lifting equipment, various aerobics classes, ping pong tables, and an outdoor track. There could be more too, but that’s the extent of what I’ve seen.  I don’t know if there’s any official agreement to allow PCVs to use the facilities there. Occasionally I am asked for ID and when I show them my PC ID it’s all cool.  I haven’t even been asked what Cuerpo de Paz is – it’s a miracle, no? But, before you head up for your workout, check to be sure there aren’t any protests or riots currently in progress since the University is no fun on those days.

     So now that you worked up a good appetite, you’re probably jonesing for some good grub, right?  If you’ve been on a quest for good Mexican food here in Panama , allow me to lead you to the Holy Grail.  The name is ‘El Patio Mexicano’ and it’s a block up from Via Espana near Via Argentina.  The menu is diverse and everything I’ve tried has been the bomb.  Most plates will run you from $6 to $9 with plenty of tasty options at the lower end of that range.  Not only is the food dee-lish, but the atmosphere is most authentic. On some nights there’s even a Mariachi band playing so if you’re in the mood for a little rendition of Guantanamera this is your spot.  

Buen Provecho.

    Permaculture Conference Highlights

Dear Fellow Volunteers,

For two days in late April, permaculture volunteers and leaders from other sectors descended upon the unsuspecting sleepy region of Boquete for the First Annual Permaculture Conference^TM.  For two whole days the volunteers sat non-stop and talked and listened, then listened and talked.  They never stopped sitting.  There were some unconfirmed reports of saddle sores.  For those who could not share in the joy, or for those who simply want to relive the glory, we present here some highlights.

 A sus ordenes,

Carmela y Yoquito

    Upcoming Workshops  

Agroforestry/Permaculture workshop being planned for Kuna Yala, The Center approved the proposal for this.....good work to all you Anais!!

Topics that are coming up.....HEADS UP!!

1.     Appropriate Technology within permaculture systems (with some focus on the use of bamboo)

2.     Two Farmer-to-Farmer requests have been submitted, one for butterfly farming and the other for beekeeping.

3.     Medicinal Plants in Permaculture (possibly tying in non-formal/formal teaching especially for those in working with Indigenous peoples)

Agribusiness

    Project Review Findings

The Permaculture Program had the fortune of having two Evaluators from Washington D.C. join us for the conference.  They spent an intensive two weeks talking to Permaculture volunteers, and during the conference presented their findings as comments and questions that the program should ask itself.

Project Plan -- Does our Project Plan consistently reflect our priorities as a program?  Is it broad enough to encompass all the things we do?

Partners/Promoters – Do our community partners/promoters continue to promote our ideas after we leave?

Informes -- What exactly are informes for?  What information do we need?  What information do our Panamanian Host Agencies need?

Project Strategies – Clustering:  The program tries to cluster volunteers both temporally and spatially.  It works well.

Information gathering-- We stress community assessments, but must be clear on what it is for and who should participate.  Does it necessarily translate into action plans?  A community assessment can also be used as baseline information.

Encuentros:  Are encuentros a means or an end?

Promoter system:  Is it effective?  Is it realistic?

Farm planning:  Farm planning has so far proven to be a very effective way to present program goals and priorities in a connected, logical fashion.

Technical Information – Efforts must be continued in facilitating information flow and mutual training between volunteers, both inter- and intra-program.  Information in a concise form is more useful for volunteers.  How can we better access the Permaculture library?

  Training—Past, Present, and Future:

We must understand the specific different purposes of PST and ISTs.  How can community analyses be most effectively incorporated into PST and ISTs?

Francisco gave us a summary of training:  what it has been (with perspective from Jason Cochran, PCV ‘98-00), what it is now, and what ideas there are for the future.  With the name change to permaculture and a more encompassing vision of agriculture, we discussed using more examples in training of permaculture from Bill Mollison’s Introduction to Permaculture manual.  We also discussed the possibility of having region specific technical information (i.e. traditional crops of the area, agricultural calendars) given to trainees during site announcements.  Siempre pa’lante, nunca pa’tras!

 – How does agribusiness fit into the project.  How can we integrate it better?

 Project Self-Reflection

Then we discussed the points and questions raised in the Project Review Findings.

Some gems:

• Agribusiness – Increases in household income do not necessarily mean improved standards of living.  We must try to strengthen this link.

• Information Exchange – A Charla File ^TM and/or a collection of concise information ¨Nuggets¨ ^TM could be created.

• Networking – A ¨Phone Book¨ of government and non-government agencies and organizations should be created, complete with descriptions and contact information.

• Seeds – The Seed Committee ^TM should be revived.

Case Studies 

Case studies were shared amongst volunteers, many of which included: 

• Aquaculture workshops (how volunteers can get free fish seeds from MIDA)

COMMUNICATION

·       rejuvination of old coffee trees

ADAPTATION
·       campo-built (resource-wise) water pumps

ORGANIZATION 
·      farm planning

TEAMWORK
·       community analysis

SETTING _LITTLE GOALS
·       trampas and basket making process

 www.COMMUNITYFOODSECURITY.COM
·       inherited pig projects

TEAMWORK 
·       eco-tourism
·       school gardens
·       wood lot management 
·       Cria de Pollo de Patio 
·       Weeds as friends (weeds having a place in natural succession)
·       Training health trainers and promoters
·       Adult literacy

WHAT HAS WORKED AND WHAT HASN’T WORKED AND WHY...

Promoter Systems

PhD work on International Development-Promotor System

Jason Cochran, RPCV in Panama in 1998-2000, explained to us his proposal for his Phd work here in Panama.  He is currently working on his PhD at McGill College in Montreal, Canada.  He is doing his PhD work on the promotor system here in Panama.  A couple things that he is including in his work, is how the promotor system effects social, economic and environmental conditions in communities in Panama along with the relationship between science and development.  He will be looking at how to better connect the two institutions (research science and development work).  Not only does he want to study the promotor system, but with his work he hopes to develop a framework of critical thinking skills for promotores. 

 Jason’s Panama calendar is as follows, and may be visiting you and/or a site near you in the future:  In 2002 May-July 1^st; 2003 January-July, 2004 January-July

 Permaculture Gems

Remember, el centro de la permacultura es el diseño.  Never forget the importance of design, keeping in mind that planning can be done at many levels, and sequences can be spatial, temporal, horizontal and vertical.  Never forget that we live in a world with four known dimensions.

  Some good websites:

• www.biodemocracynews.com

• www.communityfoodsecurity.com

• www.agroforester.com

• info@bio-organics.com  (hmmm…. Looks more like an e-mail address)

And how could I possibly forget?

Informe Stuff

Why do we bother with informes?

Let me count (and list) the reasons.

1.     We need some sort of basis with which to justify our existence to people in a faraway place called Washington D.C.

2.     Reflection.  ´nuf said

3.     Coordination and communication with our communities, Host Country Agencies, and The Office.

4.     To document progress.

5.     To organize our work.  To give it some logical meaning.

6.     To see if we´re furthering The Project Plan.

 Lastly, a reminder to those who will take part in the Informe Pow-wow:  It will be held on Saturday, June 29 at high noon.  Be there or be square.

If there is something that has been mentioned here or other permaculture information that you would like to have, know more about, a sus ordenes somos Thanks!

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