Piranha Party Fundraiser 2018: Join the fun!

For this year we are holding the event at Flatbread Company in Rockport, Maine.  We are raising money to support the education of indigenous students in the Colombian Amazon.  The party will be on Tuesday, October 23 from 5 to 8 pm.

Here is a photo of the outside of Flatbread Company.  They are located on Route 1 in Rockport.  You may read more about the event and Flatbread on their Facebook page.

In addition to delicious flatbread pizza, Tuesdaynite jazz combo will be playing.  They are a part of MoJO, (Mondaynite Jazz Orchestra) based in Camden.  They will be playing a variety of well-known traditional and modern jazz arrangements.  MoJO's Facebook page is here.

We will be selling Colombian emerald jewelry, indigenous handcrafts, blowguns, and piranha.

At 7:45 we will have the raffle drawing for a Colombian emerald and diamond pendant valued at $1,200.  Tickets may be purchased throughout the evening (1 for $10, 3 for $20).  You do not need to be present to win.

We hope to see you there!

Aceras de concreto en el pueblo de La Libertad

Después de un día de lluvia, de los cuales hay muchos en una selva tropical, los pasillos del pueblo se convierten en pozos de resbaladizo, sucio, barro. Las personas se caen. Los zapatos y los pies están cubiertos de capas construidas de tierra fangosa.

Cuando el alumno llega a la escuela cubierto de barro, no se les permite entrar en las aulas.

Una solución es esperar a que el gobierno dé los fondos y para hacer el trabajo. Después de 10 años sin una pasarela patrocinada por el gobierno, algunos aldeanos han decidido construir ellos mismos.

En la primera foto, Gustavo se muestra junto a las formas pasarela. Gustavo ha guardado el dinero para cemento y barras de refuerzo. Se ha recogido y llevado a la arena de un río local para mezclar con el cemento.

Ben Angulo, un voluntario con Amazon Pueblo, ayudó a Gustavo y su familia para traer la arena y para mezclar y verter el hormigón.

El hijo de Gustavo, Duvan, lleva una bolsa de cemento. La pasarela se vierte en un día.

Este proyecto es un excelente ejemplo de los aldeanos que toman la iniciativa para encontrar las soluciones a sus problemas!

Concrete walkways in the village

The first concrete volunteer/villager-built walkway in the village!

After a rainy day, of which there are many in a rainforest, the walkways of the village become pits of slippery, filthy, mud.  People fall.  Shoes and feet are caked with built-up layers of slimy earth.

When the school children arrive at school mud-covered, they are not allowed to enter the classrooms.

One solution is to wait for the government to give funds and to do the work.  After 10 years without one government-sponsored walkway, some villagers have decided to build it themselves.

In the first picture, Gustavo is shown next to the walkway forms.  Gustavo has saved the money for cement and rebar.  He has collected and carried sand from a local river to mix with the cement.

Ben Angulo, a volunteer with Amazon Pueblo, helped Gustavo and his family to bring the sand and to mix and pour the concrete.

Gustavo's son, Duvan, is carrying a bag of cement.  The walkway was poured in one day.

This project is an excellent example of the villagers taking the initiative to find the solutions to their problems!