Manejo de Proyecto

Friday, March 11, 2011

Project Management/Manejo de Proyecto

What our awesome compactor will look like

This past week my counterpart from the CEMOA office (Center for Education in the Municipality of Orocuina) joined me in opening up a bank account for our recycling project.  This means that the pressure is now REALLY on for me to find $5,000 for our recycling compactor, instead of just TALKING about how I can find $5,000 for our recycling compactor.  I have three months; no pressure.  Why three months, you ask?  Because after that, we have to make another deposit of the municipalities money into the account, and no one wants to do that.  This is a huge step in our project, but one that must be done, as we can’t ask people to give us money before we are a legit group with a bank account, but we can’t keep up a bank account without having any money.  Have you caught on yet?

We headed into the sprawling municipality of Choluteca to the brand-new Banco Atlantida.  So new, in fact, that we were the only customers that afternoon.  As we sat down, all I could think was how sweaty and disgusting I was in my nasty yoga pants, Chaco sandals, and old blue shirt.  This is a PROFESSIONAL meeting and I look like I just rolled out of yoga class.  Please, people of Honduras, know that I would NEVER go to a meeting like this in the USA….or if I didn’t have to take a bus an hour to get here, or if it was 100 degrees and my deodorants never kicked in anyway.  Vaya pues… The bank lady asks for our identification and I hand her my residency card.  She proceeds to ask for my passport, so I tell her that I am a resident of Honduras (hence the residency card).  She repeats that she needs my passport; therefore, my counterpart breaks in loudly and says “Es Cuerpo de Paz.”  The lady look a little lost and so I ask her if she knows what Cuerpo de Paz is and she says no.  I repeat that my passport is way back in Orocuina and I am a Banco Atlantida customer already, and after a few clicks she finds my current account.  At this point my counterpart is rubbing her temples and looking exasperated and we’ve only been here five minutes.  An hour later we’ve worked out all the details (like how we’re both single, have no telephones in our houses and that yes, I am indeed living here for two years.)  When the bank lady asks me how much money I make a month and I repeat L5,000 she calls me pobrecita (especially since my counterpart just said she makes L8,000).  My counterpart laughs and says I was just joking, I really make L8,000 as well.  This is equivalent to $400/month.

Finally, we leave, with our new bank account number in hand.  I take full advantage of this by immediately sending in a request for a SPA (small project assistance) grant from USAID, and several other private companies with grant programs; Waste Management and Coca-Cola.  (This is therefore a shout-out to anyone who may know someone, or in anyway be affiliated with these two companies.  Please help out a Peace Corps Volunteer in Orocuina, Honduras).  We have a lot of plastic bottles that are begging to be recycled. 

Current stoves, used in most homes

Now, let’s not forget about the 500 stoves we’re trying to build here, either.  In order to complete my proposal, I have been busy compiling the list of names of all the women in all the communities.  This is equivalent to living in the county seat, but having to go to all the outlying towns and doing a census.  By yourself, without a car.  I was very fortunate that International Women’s Day was this week and a lot of women were in Orocuina, so we sat down and I inputted their info into an Excel sheet, including how many boys, girls, men, and women live in their house.  I know many people in the USA who would be surprised to find 11 or 12 people living in a house, where three of them are grown men over 18, three grown women over 18 and the rest children from all arm lengths of the family.  The list is coming together and hopefully the proposal will be in my April. 

New, eco-stoves I'm trying to build with ADHESA and Trees, Water, and People

Since all of this is coming along so well, the municipality has asked me to help them build a library.  This is definitely a resource I feel they need.  They have picked out a building and are excited about putting it together.  Over the next few months, it looks like a library will be my next project.

Me, Katie & Liz doing the Turkey Trot a few years back

That's it from here.  I am looking forward to my parents visiting next month during Semana Santa!  Also, I want to sent a Happy Birthday to my friends Katie and Liz!  I hope that you had great days!