Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Connecting with the Kids

This picture is from our second day of clinics where I really felt like pretty much everyone had the chance to interact with the kids. Even though we had a language barrier to deal with you could tell that the kids just wanted to be near you and connect with you however they could. We soon discovered their fascination with our cameras and after almost every picture they would come running to see it and name off everyone they knew. In this picture Aaron was showing them pictures and was just swarmed by all the kids. You know that not all of them could see his camera but they came just so they could be close and in contact with everyone else, they were so accepting to us and most of them didn't even know our names.

Bailey

Monday, July 27, 2009

The Epitome of Happiness


We were coming back from our last clinic of the week and I was excited to find there was an open spot in the uncovered boat (it didn't have a roof like the other one and therefore, everyone wanted to be in that boat). So tired, hungry, and smiling, I climbed into the uncovered boat. It was a beautiful day; blue sky, fluffy white clouds, perfect.

We waved goodbye to the villagers and followed the other boat out onto the Amazon. Soon, the other boat was out of sight as it was much faster than the one I was on. Yet, I didn't care because I was enjoying the beauty of this marvelous scenery. All the sudden I saw dark rain clouds appear out of nowhere. Just a minute ago the sky had been a sea of blue and white. As I thought this, it started to rain. I grabbed my backpack and held it over my head in an effort to stay dry. As it started to rain harder the two guys sitting next to me decided to stack our backpacks in a way that made a fort around us. We ducked down in a futile attempt to stay dry. As we huddled together, we caught each others' eye and suddenly burst out laughing, as we realized we were already so wet that the rain could not possibly do any more damage. We took down our stronghold and let the wind and rain do what it may. As we pulled up to our destination, I realized I had to capture this moment of pure bliss. I got out my camera and asked a young man if he could take the picture for me. Standing there shivering next to people who had become some of my best friends, I thought, "This is the epitome of happiness".


Lynnea

Monday, July 20, 2009

AaVI in Ecuador



Adopt-a-Village has partnered with nine Rotary Clubs to provide eleven water and sanitary facilities in single teacher rural schools in the Santo Domingo area of Ecuador . These schools are in the country side area, and unfortunately there are many without water which is essential to keep the children in good health. While each location may have a unique set of needs, the usual solution is to construct a block sanitary facility consisting of male and female restrooms, a shower for the teacher who usually lives at and watches over the school, and hand washing stations. Water is treated as necessary for domestic use purposes. In some instances a well must be added or the existing one improved. Students benefit from the project through increased awareness of the link between intestinal parasitism and lack of proper hand washing, reductions in spreading of Hepatitis "A" virus and raised awareness within the community of the benefits of clean water for the total population.

The value of the total project is $41,000.