Dear Diary VIII

Abrico.

I visited Abrico back in October 2007. That was a very brief visit. One of their community leaders, Mileas, is a man around my age who has charisma and excellent leadership skills. He is a humble man, knowledgeable, and deeply dedicated to his village. His mother's land, for example, was donated to the community for a school.

The man on the right is Mileas.

He is one of their key leaders. He can get them up out of their seats to do warm-up singing exercises ("loosening up"), and in the next minute run an organized meeting. People listen to him when he speaks.

In Abrico they have a small school that was to have been built by the government, but the funds never materialized. The community pooled their resources and found a way to build it themselves. The building you see briefly in the video is all the school building they have for 250 students.

You can view the video HERE.
Or you can always see it at the main website under Photos & Video.

There is another very sad (and maddening) story. The community received a grant from USAID to expand their school facility in size by severalfold. I saw some of the rebar rising up from the ground...amidst a vines and bushes. One of the contractors or officials had run off with the money.

So they make do (sort of). They will build temporary structures around the existing building out of bamboo to hold outdoor schools. This community is invested in education though they may not have much in the way of resources. When they state that they want education their witness is credible.

I am certain that the donated money must be given locally to people invested highly in their communities, as opposed to disinterested government officials (often regional or national level) or contractors.