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District 5300 |
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District 5300 |
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By
Charlotte Leas, (Las Vegas North)
702-656-2543, e-mail:
cleas1013@cox.net
Installment
1
Installment 2
Installment 3
Installment 4
WHAT NEXT?
There is water in the Village
of Coquita
and Rain in the Sierra Madras Mountains
After a drought of nearly 5 years, there is now some rain in the Tarahumara Indian Villages in the Sierra Madre Mountains of Mexico. After our recent trip to the Village, we finally made it up the long, narrow mountain road to Choguita. Annette Hardy, my traveling companion from the January trip and I were delighted that we were finally able to reach our destination which was the village of Choguita, Mexico. We were amazed and humbled by what we observed. We were amazed that people still lived this way. It is as if we traveled back in space and time to the beginning of the century where there was no running water or electricity or modern conveniences of any kind.
The land determines the Tarahumara's very existence. No crops: starvation. No water: sickness and death in the children. We will take you on our journey and will be sending in photos a few at a time. I wanted to make sure that you all knew that we did reach the village unlike our January trip when we were snowed out. It rained very hard the night that we arrived from Chihuahua to Creel. It poured during the night and at one point, I feared that we would not be able to drive the mountain road up to the village. After we were on the road, I realized why the snow kept us back. There are more than 13 switchbacks on the very narrow mountain road and it is one way only. The summit of the mountains where the villages rests in a valley is 8,700 feet.
Click on pictures to enlarge Ready to leave for the village. Rudolfo Lozoya-District 4110-Chihuahua,Annette Hardy, Rudy Lozoya,Ted Holder District 5730, Charlotte Leas Others in the party ready to leave for the village. Sandy Brown, volunteer, Annette, Rudy, Ted,Charlotte The village off in the distance from the Summit The Mountains around Choguita The Summit of the mountain 8700 feet The Summit
Prior to our trip to the village, we visited members of the Chihuahua Rotary District 4110 Clubs. These clubs want to do a project in the Sierra's and have interest in a water project, as do we. Rudolfo Lozoya Solis met us at the motel when we arrived in Chihuahua and asked if he could accompany us on the trip. We welcomed him and his 11-year-old son Rudy. They were a wonderful addition to the group, which included Annette Hardy, Ted Holder from District 5730 and myself, Charlotte Leas. We spent the night in Chihuahua and met up with Rudolfo and Rudy the next morning. Rudy is studying English in school and we really encouraged him to use his English while on the trip. We even taught him some US slang.
We arrived in Creel which is about 280 miles from Chihuahua about 4:30 in the afternoon, we were welcomed by rain. After nearly 7 years of drought, we found that the Sierra's have been getting rain since June. This was great news since the reason for our Feed the Children project was due to the lack of rain to raise food crops. They should have a good crop for next year. Currently the dehydrated food that we sent is being stored in the warehouse next to the St. Theresa Clinic in Creel.
As of April 25.2001, the village of Choguita also has water available via pumps in the area. Father Luis Verplancken, S. J. is a Jesuit priest who has lived and worked with the Tarahumara Indians in the Sierra Madre Mountains. He has been trying to drill in the mountainous area of Choguita for some time. This year he was successful in drilling about 8 wells. He uses a divining rod, and we watched him as he used it on July 17th to find a water source. The only problem is that the motor that runs the drilling machine has a broken part. It was very interesting once we reached Creel, because Rudolfo and Ted we able to get the name and model number off of the motor and are now in the process of checking to see if we could replace the motor or find a part to repair it. Today 7/23/01. Ted Holder called to say that he was able to get the part for the motor and the maintenance booklet as well. A firm in Houston will get the part to El Paso where Father Verplancken will send someone to pick it up.
Click on pictures to enlarge The hotel in Creel where we met the rain. This is the motor that needs to be repaired to drill more wells in Choguita from different angles so that we could show these to the Wisconsin Motor company. Motor Motor Motor Motor These are the pumps that are used in the village. They are made in Creel at Father Verplancken's shop This is the clinic in Creel where the Tarahumara are cared for. You can check the Tarahumara Clinic website and help donate a minute of medical care. www.giveaminute.org Annette and a new volunteer, Sandy Brown.
When we arrived in Choguita, we could see from afar women and children coming to gather water. We surprised to find a number of pumps and were encouraged by the fact that it was just this past April 2001 that Father Luis had been able to install the pumps at various places around the area where he had located a water supply. It was quite a challenge to get a drilling apparatus up the mountain and then to have it break down. As mentioned above, the motor will soon be repaired and drilling can continue. Shortly after we arrived, a lone woman came to open the door of the small one room clinic next to the house where the four Sisters of the Divine Shepherd reside. These four women have been in the village for the past three years assisting the Indians. The sisters were in Mexico City at a gathering of their Community so their home, the School and the Women's Center was locked up. When the women opened the door to the clinic, women and children came from nowhere to line up at the door. They were there to weigh and measure the babies and toddlers.
In the clinic we saw the Rotary sign that we had given to Sister Amparo in January when we were unable to get up to the village because of the snow. Annette was able to hold one of the Indian babies while it's mother helped the women health worker weigh her other child in the sling scale.
After taking a tour to the other pump sites, Father Luis had us walk to a water reservoir that he had just built. The Village had a dedication a few weeks ago and water is now being held there. The purpose of this reservoir is to connect it to plastic pipe and run it to the School. Currently there is no running water or electricity in the school where the children attend. We have/are providing dehydrated food to this School.
Click on pictures to enlarge A dwelling in Choguita. Mother and children check us out. The men are all in the fields working At the pump near the Sister's house. Ted Holder, Father Luis and Rudy. Woman and her children coming to get water from the pump Another dwelling Close up of the pump base. Father Verplancken has put his name on them and a date. 4-25-01 Close up of the family. I had asked permission to take their photo and then showed them their pictures on the screen of my digital camera. People around the pump Rotary sign in the clinic. We left this with Sister Amparo on our January trip. Annette holding the baby while Mom helps weigh her other small child. Annette holding the Baby, Father Luis on the left This is a sling scale used to weigh small children. Father Luis Verplancken near the pump showing how the divining rod works. Woman and her daughter doing the family wash on a rock At the water storage reservoir built and then dedicated in May, 2001 More houses in Choguita Women's Sewing Center, fences were locked because the Sisters were
gone.School where we provided the food. They were on summer break School from afar. The Mexican Government built the School with no electricity or running water. Houses where the School Teachers live
Burros near the school area (most animals are hovelled so that they can't traverse very far. Road from the school looking about 3 miles from the Sisters house. The School up close. This Boarding school takes care of about 250 children Inside of the clinic in Choguita. The material and other things we brought. Father Luis with his divining rod trying to locate water. He did find a source that day. Corn field in the foreground. Afternoon Storm cloud coming over the mountain. The Same Cornfield. You can see a Tarahumara plowing with one horse in the background.
Upon leaving Coguita the afternoon of July 17,2001. The rain began. Annette and Charlotte are at the "Town sign." We had arrived.
This small government built "store" was not open, but it might sell cooking oil, soap, soda and a few farm supplies such as rope, engine oil. We headed down the mountain two hours with Sandy the volunteer driving. She hadn't driven a vehicle such as we were in with a stick shift. It was an adventure to say the least. We all acted as back seat drivers when she couldn't clutch and brake to make a sharp turn. (I personally clung to the side to keep us from getting too close to the edge.) We all breathed a sigh of relief when we hit the pavement, which took us to Cusarare. Father Luis has been restoring the mission Church in Cusarare. The Indians and a few people that work with Father Luis do Work. The entire project can be found on the website above. We arrived to find a few children in the churchyard. We pulled candy out of our pockets and immediately the children multiplied. There are no words spoken, but the appear out of no where. We had also brought about 36 bottles of bubbles. We got them out and the children were amazed. Rudy showed them how to blow on the wand and they laughed and jumped with joy. Rudy at age 11 comes from a well-educated, upper middle class family in Chihuahua. The poverty and condition of the children touch him deeply and he felt very emotional when we left.
The workers on the Mission Museum project use very primitive tools. Hatchets, old chisels hammers that look like they came from the Middle Ages. Each piece of stone is hand cut to fit a cardboard pattern. They sit patiently and chisel or hatchet each stone. This is a long tedious process. I felt as if I was time warped back to the building of the pyramids in Egypt. They used only lime and sand to hold the brick and blocks together. Father Luis said that this mixture will outlast cement and will not wash away as does the cement. Each of the bricks that are used was hand made and stored until they are ready to use. They made them near a riverbed and then transported them to this site. Each log is hand cut and stripped to fit exactly. There are no power tools except one blade that was being used to cut some very large pieces into smaller pieces. Two men used this. One was using the saw that was operated by a small generator and the other was keeping the stone wet with a large Pepsi bottle full of water that he would pour ahead of the blade. The Church in Cusarare was built in 1733. Someone had propped it up before Father Luis began to help. Father Luis was able to remove an area and rebuild it to it's historical posture and restore it so that it was now safe to be in.
After we had visited the inside of the Church, we saw a woman in the churchyard with her children. We handed the little ones some of our pocket candy and noticed that the little girl (about 3 years old) had scabs covering her cheeks, upper lip and forehead. These looked dirty and very thick and she looked like she might have been sick. We suggested that it might be impetigo and Father Luis asked her if she would agree to bring the child to the clinic in Creel. She stated in her language that she had "no pesos." Father Luis and Ted spoke to her for a while and tried to tell her that the clinic would not charge her for the care. She was willing to let the little girl go with us, but she had 6 other children to care for and if Claudio would go with us without crying, she could go. Well, no 3 year old is going to go with a group of white strangers without crying, so Father Luis told her that we would come by in the morning and pick up Claudio but that she could come along and bring the baby Fidel who was on her back. We were not sure if she would be there in the morning, but we hoped that she would. Later that evening, Father Luis took us to a warehouse where he is storing 12 priceless large paintings that have just recently been restored. These are the reason that the museum is being built. There are other pieces of art that Father Luis has collected or have been donated to him. Father Luis has himself taken photographs of the Indians and has started a collection of his own. Father Luis has also built a new Church in Creel. He went to the United States to learn how to laminate the wood to make the wood beams in his church.
The next morning we took a short hike to the waterfalls in Cascada and then stopped back at Cusarare to pick up Claudio and her Mom and baby Fidel. They were waiting for us and we brought them back to Creel. Left them at the clinic and then took off for Chihuahua and our trip back to Las Vegas.
Click on pictures to enlarge
The Village of Choguita. Annette and Charlotte standing in the rain. The Church at Casarare. The Children in the Churchyard. Workers at the Mission Museum Workers at the Museum Museum Museum Museum Museum Museum Museum Museum Inside of the Church as Cusarare, built in 1733 These are the paintings in storage that have been restored More photos of the paintings that will be in the Museum Some items in Father Luis' private collection. More items from the collection. The small old church in Creel. They outgrew this church and had to build a larger one. Inside of the new Church at Creel. Fr. Luis was the general contractor and designer. Church Walking on the trail to the waterfalls at Cascada More villages around Cascada Water Falls at Cascada Falls Annette and Charlotte at the waterfalls. Part of family selling handmade baskets. Indians selling handmade articles on to trail around Cascada where many of the Tarahumara families live. Sandy, the volunteer, Rudolfo, Claudio her Mom and baby Fidel in front of the Clinic at Creel. Ted Holder at the Clinic with Claudio and her Mom
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After my recent return from Choguita, Mexico, I began to ask myself what do we do next? We had a Plan, we had a Goal. Our plan was to have a project to help " Feed the Children". Our Goal was to raise $18,000.00+. We did both. With the help of the New Opportunity Grant, we have the $7,000.00 worth of food being distributed from the warehouse in Creel, located next to the Tarahumara Hospital. We checked out the greatest need in the village and found it to be WATER. While there, we measured and are in the process of purchasing a Water Storage Tank and additional pumps with the rest of our money. This will facilitate the dispersment of the water sources that have recently be located by Father Luis Verplnacken, S.J. and provide a clean water source for the School that we are "feeding". The Rotary Club of Chihuahua City, District 4110 is willing to do a project with us and Texas District 5730. What would you like to do? I and a few others in the North Las Vegas Rotary Club want to continue to make an impact on the lives of the Indians and help them to help themselves by working to preserver their simple, peaceful culture. Our goal is not to civilize, but help them survive. We can do this by continuing to support in whatever way we can to help them all have clean water available and teaching them additional ways to grow crops. You can check the website www.district5300.org/mexico then go to some of the links for more in depth information about the Indians. Their main crops are corn and oats and a few beans. If we can introduce some new crops and help them increase their knowledge of Agriculture this would help them to continue to provide for themselves. I am willing to work with any clubs who would want to continue this International Project. One of the clubs in Texas has access to lots of the baskets and could get them to us to have a "Basket Bazaar" or what ever we would like to call it. Maybe we could do a District wide project or a region project. Let me hear from you. Charlotte
Leas, North Las Vegas Rotary Club |
Last update, Monday, March 05, 2007
