Alto Algorrobo, Chiriqui - A mud house emerges from the red clay earth like a natural geological formation in the deforested hills. Sparse trees provide little shade from the rays of sun that lick the rocky ground, practically still steaming from the drenching rains that departed a few weeks prior. Plodding barefoot up the path with calloused feet, colorfully dressed Ngobe-Bugle women and their sweet, smiling children greet us shyly as we hike up and down steep hills to the local school. Some of the children hike for two hours up and down the steep hills of the coregidora every day to get to the local school where they receive their nutritious crema y galletas for snack and later a mid-day lunch. A friend of mine recounts how in her community nearby, the kids will eat one vitamin-enriched animal cracker for a snack and take the rest of the small government-subsidized packet home to share with the rest of her hungry family.
The poverty in these communities contrasts starkly with the relative wealth of the community I live in, just a few hours away. In contrast to the rich volcanic soil in Alanje, Chiriqui, which provides abundant harvests of rice, beans and corn every year, the ground here is rocky and full of red clay. Some other Volunteers and I debate whether the poor soil here is a consequence of past slash-and-burn agriculture and deforestation, or a natural phenomenon. Either way, the poor soil quality is directly correlated to the poverty of the people in this area on the border of the comarca Ngobe-Bugle, Veraguas, and Chiriquí.
A group of Volunteers and I have been invited to give lectures in two local schools about reproductive health and family planning. This basic education is currently lacking in many areas of the country, since teaching such sensitive topics is up to the teachers to decide, and many ignore it all together. During one lecture to a group of adult padres de familia, many women cover their faces in embarrasment while some of the men snicker and shift in their desks, uncomfortably. However, after a few minutes of our candid talk about how babies are made, many in the room are interested and some even dare to ask questions and thank us for this important education. Although not my main assignment, this event was more personally rewarding than saving a few turtles every now and then. The gift of even the most basic education can change lives.
