I am learning more and more that my I-deals cannot fit this world. I have to let go and let Life take her course. Once I do let go, things become amazingly fun!
For instance, take a recent typical site visit. We had to re-install a solar water pumping system (1200w solar array, surface pump), simply because the initial installation was done over night due to donor deadlines. The village needs the system only 6 months of the year. Since it didn't want to guard the panel during the agriculture season, they took the system apart until the dry weather returned. Hence, the "re-installation".
Of course, since I wasn't around for the first installation, my ideals got an ego boost and started questioning: Why did we do it wrong the first time? Why weren't the people trained enough to do it themselves?
Fortunately, I didn't voice my thoughts in frustration this time. I held my curiousity to observe. I saw that is was not too late for the people to learn. Take Nilambar and the village leader in this photo--completing absorbing the procedure...even though we were still not teaching with the goal for them to sustain.
...And finally our staff did see the need to let the villagers do it themselves.
No matter how many villages I see, I am always in awe of the specific style of work that different communities use. This one was especially appealing because they were so silent, always communicating with gestures and still being efficient.
In silence, a fence was built around the array...yes, we will have to watch out for shade during certain seasons. Still, the fence was built without us telling them to build--yep, that's what my I-deal terms as 'community ownership'.
Things didn't take too long on the second day. We were able to hang out a bit and see what was going on. Behind me, some folks were drying salt that they had traded in for juhar, their local crop.
As we were about to leave, we were pleasantly surprised with fresh coconut.
Philip and Jessica, engineering student volunteers from France, tagged along. ...I think their presence surely helped to keep frustration levels low.
...It is in the youth that the purpose of the work, the bigger picture, comes out. The community now has running water again. No more young girls (some as young as 2 yrs old) and women carrying water by the head to their homes, often contaminated water causing severe disease. Now a water and sanitation system (with household toilets) that can match what's available in the developed world.
On the walk back down the hill, students returning home from school which is 2 km away!!
May Peace prevail...within and without.
