THE QUICHÉ TIMES
Vol. 1 No.2
Greetings
Good News: Let me first of all thank you all for
your generosity. A donation was put into the account over the Christmas which will make a huge difference to the
lives of the children and to their futures. There is no way you can imagine the
difference your donation makes. You need to come and see for yourself. There is
always a big Welcome on the mat for visitors.
Language.
Just before starting in the Guardería in
January. I was studying the local language – K’i Che’, and although I can read
and write it pretty well the conversation aspect never quite took off. I can
pronounce but not yet with consistency. But I am continuing to work at learning
this important Mayan language.
Meeting some of my
aims.
Cleaning up: During
this time of study I started to prepare for the task ahead and so I started to
look at what I felt was needed in our Guardería. I started with cleaning materials
i.e. sweeping brushes, mops & dryers. What was used before for mopping was
unsuitable. I also bought lots of disinfectant.
Clothes: My next task
was to buy clothes for the children as I know how hard on clothes children are,
especially boys. I bought two big bags of second-hand clothes i.e. T-shirts,
pants, jeans, shorts, sweaters and jumpers. Some children still go around in
torn clothes. I plan to buy more clothes during Holy Week.
Typewriters: One of the
major goals for this year was to purchase some typewriters. Well I searched all
over looking for good prices and was getting very frustrated. My K’i Che’
teacher came to the rescue. One day, during class time he brought me to a place
he knew of and low and behold I found three really good second-hand machines,
each with a year guarantee. The three of them cost less than a new one. So I
bought them then and there and thanked the Gods.
Videos: My video
search was not as traumatic but it was a bit frustrating. Many of the videos I
wanted for the children only had Spanish subtitles and there is no way I will
buy subtitled films for children. I did find some really good ones and even
bought some Mexican comedies, which are a real treat for the children.
Uniforms: When the
school year started I discovered that money was tighter than I realised in the
Guardería. I had given some talks in Eagle Pass at Christmas and received some
donations. So I decided to buy uniforms for all the thirty nine children.
Footwear: Because of
generous contributions that were made at Christmas I decided to use this in the
recreational programme and so I bought football boots for 13 of the bigger boys
and runners for 10 of the girls, and spent less than one hundred pounds!
Socks and Jocks: The
boys were in desperate need of new socks and underwear. The worst part of this
is that their initials had to be sewn on everything. Generally the children
have four initials and to sew that on three pairs of underwear and three pairs
of socks for twenty boys is a lot of work!!!
Manna from Heaven.
My friend George, who is always looking to
collaborate with us, found a programme where by food is available to some
projects and applied on our behalf. He looked for beans and maize and some
medication. In the Irish diet there is nothing to compare to the significance
of these foods. The closest thing is the potato. Beans are eaten at least twice
a day and tortillas are eaten with every meal and even as a snack. If this food
comes through for us we will see it through the year for sure. If not it will
be a struggle.
New Project.
The policy of the Guardería is that when a
child reaches fourteen years of age they must leave the Guardería. The person
in charge and I have seen the need to set up a programme for those who have to
leave. Till now when they leave they fall into the trap of looking after their
younger siblings, working in the fields etc. So with your help we rented a
house for these six teenagers. We found a family to live there as well to look
after them. The house is only across the street which suits us well.
Later some members of Minugua (U.N.) decided
they want to help financially and so they will be footing the bill for this
project for the rest of this year.
Thank God!!
We are still short of beds and chests of
drawers. So maybe we can fund that?
Health.
Since the last edition, things were fine until
the second week of March. Then everyone started to come down with a very high
fever. Some developed a cough and others headaches. Each day someone new would
come down with it. I had to buy lots of cough bottles and then we started them
on antibiotics. This sorted most of them out but not all.
On Friday evening I left the house for a short
break. When I returned one of the smaller children had had convulsions and I
became quite concerned. I was taking him to find a Doctor when I met some
friends from Minugua who had a car and so they took us to the Doctor that
Minugua uses. It turns out that the child had worms and convulsions sometimes
occur. We gave the necessary treatment and then had to watch for the worms to
leave – not a pretty sight!!! This was all new to me.
During the same time something went wrong in
the kitchen and the beans were not cooked well. Many of the children had
stomach pains and some developed diarrhoea. My room was like a hospital ward.
Most still have a bit of a cough, me included.
But because of the dry season there is so much dust it is hard to lose it.
Water is also an issue with us. Everyday the
water stops at 10 am. This has made me concerned for the hygiene of the
children. A lot of time there is no water to flush the toilets and certainly
not enough to bath all thirty-nine.
So on a couple of occasions I had to bring the
children to a swimming pool about twenty minutes drive away. The children love
to swim and, as one of my goals for this year was to teach the children to
swim, we were able to combine a recreational activity with a hygienic activity!
So we all arrived back at the Guardería clean and ready for school the next
day.
We had to buy water to wash the clothes, bathe
and flush and I imagine we will be doing so until the rains come.
Dentist.
Two of the newer children developed toothaches
and so we had to take them to the dentist. We discovered that they need a lot
of work. They have been going twice a week for the past four weeks. A third
child developed problems with her teeth and she now need a lot of work too.
This whole thing will cost close to five hundred Irish pounds. This includes
about five extractions and twenty to twenty five fillings. It is hard to
justify this type of expenditure to the parents who assume that it is normal to
lose your teeth at an early age.
Recreation.
Football & basketball:
I try to take the children to the school grounds at the weekends to play. The
boys love to play football and spend hours playing. The girls on the other hand
prefer to play basketball. The smaller ones make up their own games and happily
play away. The gates are locked and we are perfectly safe.
PLQE: The school where I
study visits us as part of their educational programme. We go to a football
pitch beside the swimming pool and everyone plays football. After the game I
take the children swimming while the adults receive a talk on the organisation
and the Guardería – Why it was formed? Etc. We finish the day with a piñata.
The children really love these days out.
Swimming: As I said,
we have had to bring the children swimming to clean them. I have been able to
give lessons to some, the rest I just want to get used to the water and in a
while I will start lessons with them also. It is my intention to go twice a
month.
Skipping: Some time ago
I bought skipping ropes for the girls. When I brought them out to be played
with, it was the boys who grabbed them and will not let go of them. They get
great fun out of them and as someone pointed out –it helps them develop
co-ordination skills and for the younger ones it gives them something to count,
which helps with their schoolwork. They also are exercising thus leading to a
healthier body and mind. I need to buy some more but do you think I can find
any?????
Drawing: While I was
in the US at Christmas I bought coloured pencils which the children adore. They
spend so much time drawing. Especially at weekends a group will sit around a
big table for hours just drawing. They often ask to borrow my stereo to listen
to music. This is one activity I really like as so many of them are working
away quietly and leave me in peace.
An anthropologist friend gave me a box of
coloured paper so this is a real novelty as well.
Videos: As I said I have
bought a number of videos and have actually accumulated quite a collection. I
have also acquired a few educational videos, which have been of great help to
the third grade, who had to learn about the digestive and circulation systems.
After seeing the video they had a far better grasp of things.
We do not allow the children to watch soap
operas. The parents decided this, as they believe they teach things contrary to
their culture. Sometimes this is hard to control as when we are out of the room
the girls change the channel to watch soaps. A video guarantees they are
watching suitable material.
Stereo: My friend Robert,
donated his stereo. So now I can put it in the children’s bedroom and play
stories at night. Some parents are looking for material about their culture.
There is a huge fear that they will lose their culture, so I want to do all I
can to ensure this does not happen.
Another activity the children love to do is to
go into my room play a tape and write the lyrics of the songs. This is a
wonderful activity that I really want to encourage.
Education.
New Teacher: I had been
the only adult working with the children in the afternoon helping them with
their homework and trying to develop their weaker areas by giving extra work.
It was a great relief that in the second week of March we got a teacher and she
has been a Godsend and makes a huge difference. So now we sit down on Mondays
and plan what the children need to learn that week. At the same time a teacher
from the US gave us her assistance for a few weeks. It was great timing as we
needed to prepare the children for the Easter exams. With few exceptions all
did well.
Typing: Each day there are
16 children who go to typing classes. With the three typewriters I bought they
can practice more in the evenings and weekends.
Some have gained their three year diploma and
are now on an advanced level. This is a very valuable skill to have here.
Music.
We have continued with Marimba lessons and I
must say that the children have learned a great deal. We have now introduced
cymbals and a drum. The children enjoy this as well and often you will find
them practising alone.
Current Situation.
Exhumations: Exhumations
are still going on. My anthropologist friends Dan and Gema have been digging
near the boarder while my friend George has been digging some five hours walk
into the mountains. Between the two sites they have uncovered over 150 remains.
Truth Commission: A
recent report by the Truth Commission said that 93% of the massacres were
committed by the army, 3% by the Guerrillas and the other 4% are not clear.
This report also mentioned the involvement of
the US and of course the CIA. The US Ambassador claims that that is not the
issue.
Court Case: Locally in El
Quiché an army commander went on trail. Many women from our organisation were
there giving testimonies. It was sad to see them afterwards- distraught. They
had kept it all inside, a big secret for so many years. Now they had the chance
to tell all and it hurt to remember. In Ireland victims have been speaking
openly of their pain. How much worse it must be to keep silent about what
happened and not even to be able to speak privately about it.
Time Off.
I am still taking very little time off. Most
times I take it because my friend Lynn harasses me into going to Xela to meet
her for a few drinks. Although we always have a great time, there is
always so much to be sorted out when I
get back.
St. Patrick’s Day: The
Irish here in El Quiché made an arrangement to get together on the 17th.
The number kept growing until there were over twenty of us. A good time was had
by all.
Visitors: A lay
missionary friend from the States had a delegation from his church visiting and
asked me to give a talk about my work. I did so, of course, and during lunch I
invited them to visit the Guardería. They were very impressed with what they
saw, so much so that they gave a small donation, which I ended up using for a
Doctor’s fee and medication!
Semana Santa: Holy
Week here is very different from anywhere else. Everyday there are processions
and I must say they are impressive. The people draw scenes from the bible on
the street using coloured sawdust. The procession then walks on it and destroys
it!!
Everything closes down from Spy Wednesday to
Easter Monday.
Wedding: My
Goddaughter, who is now seventeen years old, invited me to her wedding in
April. Although seventeen is very young to us it is not unusual here. It will
be my first indigenous wedding.
Evaluation: On Friday 26th
March we had a meeting with all the parents to look at some major issues in the
house, like the children not collecting their clothes, not leaving their
clothes for washing, not making their beds etc. During this meeting all the
parents thanked me for the work I am doing. But especially they want to thank
those who contribute to the fund and say that without that help the children
would be deprived of so much.
Correspondence:
I know I have been bad this year at corresponding but I have to say that
everyone there is a lot worse than I am. Since I arrived in May I have written
over 250 letters and have only received 20. This gets me down sometimes so
please write to me and let me know what is happening there.
My E-mail number is:
david_deegan@hotmail.com
Sponsorship.
We are still hoping to get some more
sponsorships for the children. It costs about one hundred and fifty Irish
pounds for the year. This includes uniforms, shoes, school fees, typing classes
etc. Maybe you know somebody who would like to help us out. I hate always
begging but we really need the funds.