Some real work for a change

Today Basilia, her mother and I all participated in a volunteer day with Habitat for Humanity. The volunteers were organized by an employee of the U.S. embassy, so we all gathered outside the embassy at 7 a.m. There were several private vehicles and a bus owned by the U.S. Navy, who have a small base at the main airport in Comalapa. The three of us rode on the Navy bus, along with several Navy personnel and a mix of other volunteers. Mostly people from the U.S., but a few Salvadorans in the group.

The job site was in Santa Ana department, a little over an hour from San Salvador. Habitat is building an entire neighborhood. Many of the homes are already finished and occupied, and the neat upkeep of the homes and the gardens that surround them suggest that the residents take a lot of pride in these little houses.

I give Habitat a lot of credit for how they organize their volunteer events. Unlike many events I've participated in with other organizations in the past, they are great at giving everyone something useful to do and keeping people happy with details like bathroom access, drinking water, first aid kits, etc. Also, they put us to work side by side with Salvadoran paid laborers, with whom we had a great time chatting.

The plan was to work a full day, but just before lunch a team who were digging one of the foundations encountered human remains. It appeared to be a clandestine burial from several years earlier. The Habitat leaders decided to notify the police and suspend construction for the rest of the day. I think many of us were relieved, since the heat was brutal. A full day would have been a tough deal.

Habitat for Humanity mason Mirna, Basilia, and Doña Basilia assemble rebar for a house foundation

On Wednesday I participated in a round table discussion on renewable energy at Universidad Centroamericana. There was a good turnout, mostly university students. Like other panel discussions I've seen here, it differed from typical panels in the U.S. in that 1) there was no attempt to stimulate discussion or give and take between the panelists after our initial presentations, and 2) instead of asking questions of the panel, most audience members used the Q and A period to give short speeches stating their opinions on the topic. You can see the Powerpoint presentations online (look for "Energías Renovables en El Salvador: ¿Cuales son las alternativas?")