by Janet Gee

The following information is taken from our Santa Teresa facilitators’ monthly reports since Fall 2007.

• Number of families being helped by SCP in the Chacocente Refuge communities of Escalante, El Papalon, La Poma, and the Buffer Zone communities of La Chota and El Terrero: 150
• Total number of people helped: 750
• Number of pupils supported in 5 schools: 178
• Number of teachers supported: 6
• Number of health promoters being trained: 19
• Producers now in the Agriculture program: 20
• People in the Beekeeping program: 20

Health We give Dr. Quintanilla a small monthly stipend. In return, he visits each of five communities one time a month, and also holds a monthly training workshop for the health promoters in his clinic. Here they learn first aid, health care and some midwifery. In addition, we have provided basic medications, difficult to get in rural areas, and have also given help with a vaccination program.

Agriculture Following the very heavy rains which lasted through the month of October, there has been some serious crop damage, especially with the beans. However, several producers have told us that they had fewer problems than they expected because of the contouring system learned in our agriculture program. The number of participating producers has dropped from 40 to 20 because some have completed the three year program. However, we plan to continue a similar program as we expand into the Buffer Zone where agriculture is more important and less restricted than in the Refuge itself.

Education We have continued to monitor school attendance by students and teachers and have also helped with providing book shelves and books for the classrooms. We have given a small stipend to teachers who are willing to spend extra time in the afternoons helping students with their work or encouraging more reading. School supplies are still provided for all the pupils and there are also extra materials to help improve the quality of the teaching. Extra help for the hot lunch program includes some meat and fruit in addition to the regular beans and rice. The facilitators have been meeting with the local delegates from the Ministry of Education to encourage them to provide more assistance in this very poor area.

Environment Environmental education programs have been developed and used in the schools and the communities. There has been continued support for the leatherback turtle hatchery and SCP has supported, and participated in, the national “I Don’t Eat Turtle Eggs” campaign.

Now it is once again “summer”, or the dry season in Santa Teresa. SCP-funded construction projects are underway as this newsletter is written. With your financial and moral support, we plan to keep on providing much needed basic help for this rural area.