Rundown

So since I've been in my site for 3 months, its probably worth not updating everyone on my progress, but introducing you to it.  Quebrada Eusebio, Darien, Panama is home to a whopping 54 people (my presence has inflated the population by 2% and the average height by about 15%).  The school has 9 kids, the church has held mass 1 time in the past 3 months, and their might be more pigs and piglets than people.

In essence its tiny.  An hour and half walk through undulated rocky and muddy road will get you to population 1000 Cucunati; the equivalent of a Wild West ghost town that somehow never became fully deserted.  But tiny does not correlate to insignificant.  People in Eusebio get stuff done.  70% of houses already have running water, everyone uses a latrine, people know how to mend broken PVC, fix tools with pieces of tree bark, and construct a latter out of a single tree branch in under 10 minutes.  You may wonder than, why do they need a Peace Corps volunteer focused on environmental health issues?  Believe me, in my numerous hours of isolated thinking, I have wondered that a plenty.  But improvement can always be made.  There has never been in a point in American innovation where the greatest minds became truly satisfied and plateaued.  Thus me and my gente have no reason to plateau as well, even if everything on the surface seems fine.  30% of houses still need an aqueduct, how can we minimize lost time from broken pipes, the water committee hasn't met in a year, the water committee isn't even recognized by the Health Ministry, funds for water are rarely collected, and kids STILL don't like to wash their hands.

In a town of 54, it may seem microscopic in the grand scheme, but I am a big believer of chained reaction.  Especially here in Eusebio, a town, basically founded by my host father, has the ability to flex its muscles and show off their newfound efficiency.  Before long neighboring hamlets (I think this is a word for super small towns) catch on, ideas are shared, and criticisms are voiced.  My role is kind of like BASF's model- "we don't make the products you know, we make the products you know better."  So that's where I stand, I'm not creating water, not finding sources, and laying pipe (for the most part), I'm maximizing this processes' efficiency, so it can hopefully run smoothly, and be easily replicated.

Check out my Facebook page for photos at site so far too!