First, a note of thanks. You are likely receiving this because you are somehow connected to the Everett-based Hands for Peacemaking Foundation or Marine View Presbyterian Church in Tacoma, and/or were a supporter/contributor to our “Old Goat Challenge” event in June.
Because of your phenomenal support, there is a team already at work in Esperancita Yulmacap, a village of about 730 people divided into about 112 families in a very remote region of Guatemala. In other years Marine View would send its own team to join in this work, but of course the global pandemic means this is not a normal year.
Instead this team, comprised of Hands for Peacemaking’s staff in Guatemala, is preparing to install a new wood stove in every household on behalf of our efforts. Plus two more stoves in Esprancita churches and another at the schoolhouse. These stoves replace the traditional method of using open fires for cooking, often inside the home, which naturally creates long-term health and safety issues, especially for women and children. In addition, every house will receive a water filter, which means the additional savings of wood (and time) as families will not have to boil water to rid it of unhealthy contaminants. The school will also receive a large new water tank.
For the record, this work isn’t especially easy. Just getting there is an ordeal. While only 20 miles to the southeast of Santa Cruz Barillas, the nearest large municipality, the road is such that it can take several hours. On Monday, for instance, two Hands for Peacemaking pickup trucks loaded with supplies made two trips to Esperancita. They left at 3 a.m. and did not return from the second trip until 7 p.m. As with other villages in this mountainous region, most homes are small, consisting of hard-packed dirt floors, wooden plank siding and tin roofs. Stove installation means digging to level surfaces, cutting through wood, working with metal and often climbing rickety ladders to install the stove pipe over the roof. Often a little home-spun engineering work is involved, as each installation is different. In addition there are language barriers. While most villagers know some Spanish, their native language is Q’anjob’al, one of 23 dialects of Mayan spoken in Guatemala.
The actual installation work begins on Aug. 31 but much is done before installation begins. Stoves are built and delivered, contracts are signed with each villager and the village is spruced up for the arrival. As the team works they are taking every precaution through mask wearing and distancing, to prevent the spread of COVID-19, which of course has found its way to Guatemala as well and has even been reported in Barillas. For that reason there is no welcoming ceremony as usual or other all-village gatherings as normally takes place during team work weeks.
Throughout this week and next I’ll be sending dispatches to you, with the help of Marco Tulio Maldonado de Leon, the national director of Hands for Peacemaking, and Rumaldo Rios Méndez, who is the head of operations in Barillas. They are taking lots of photos and videos and relaying information as they work.
Thanks again for your support and help for this project. We raised enough funds this year, and had enough “carryover” money earlier missions, to purchase 115 stoves, water filters and the tank, plus pay for staff travel, food, tools and other supplies, about $32,000 in all. (Half of which came from the Old Goat Challenge). What we are not able to do this year is buy meals for the village ($1,800, and especially needed right now), a Spanish language Bible for each family, another $800, and toys and school supplies for the children, another $500, and new latrines and washing facilities for the school, another $700, and text books for the kids. If you are moved to help with the purchase of these items please let us know!
God Bless.
Brian Dirks
(You may contact me at Briand660@gmail.com or
(253) 835-9655)