The Monkey Graph is Full!

Last week we completed our fundraising drive, $2,000, to build a dock for La Libertad.  We filled up the monkey graph!

Thank you to our directors Sarah, Mark, Julie and Pat, without whose help this would not have been possible.  Also thank you to everyone who came to our fundraiser, bought products to support the village, or donated their time to make things work (especially Dianne and Lisa).

Next week, after working out the details with the members of La Libertad, we will start to build the dock.  The project will buy the materials (metal roofing, nails, paint, etc...) and the village will supply the labor.  This is also one of the times when we cook a big meal for everyone who is helping.  We may even have some chi-cha, a traditional fermented beverage made from cassava root!

However, it is not as easy to simply say, "We will build it and everyone will be better off."  Other questions arise:

• Who will do and pay for the maintenance?
• Whose and how many boats may be attached to the dock?
• As the dock will also include a store, who will sell things in the store?
• Where do the profits from the store go?
• How will we deal with theft from the store?
• How complicated will the record-keeping be for the store and who will do it?
• And I'm sure there will be many other things that come up about which I cannot even guess.

I should have some preliminary answers to these questions and more within the coming weeks.  Only four days until I return to La Libertad!