New team member! …. And a lot of meetings

A week and a half ago Felipe and I finally hired the new team member to help us implement the project. Silvia Ariyegua speaks the local indigenous language (Guarayú), which is an asset in many of the communities where COBAGUAL will work, and has a certificate in environmental health. She has previous experience working in rural communities in Guarayos with waste management, has worked on latrine projects before, and has a very solid understanding of health issues affecting rural communities. Silvia and I are in the process of developing our approach for the community diagnostic and participatory planning phase of the project.
Finding the right person to help with the project was not an easy task. I spent several days in meetings with officials from local governments and NGOs explaining our project and asking for them to recommend people who they thought would be a good fit. For a couple of weeks we did not hear anything, but then within a few days we had three fairly well qualified candidates express interest in the position. After interviewing each of them, Felipe and I felt sure that Silvia was the best fit, given her ample related work experience, previous training, and deep connection to the Guarayos region and people.
A further benefit from the meetings is that local government officials and several other NGOs in the Guarayos region are now aware of our project. Local governments have even offered material support to help us reach more people, although only time will tell whether their offer is serious or not.
Most of our meetings have been in Guarayos, a pleasant change from our hectic travel schedule of the first few weeks of the project, however, so far this month we have made a couple of trips to destinations near the city of Santa Cruz. We returned to Mairana for another meeting with Irwin and Juan to discuss COBAGUAL´s incorporation, as well as a visit to an impressive nearby organic farm where Irwin used to work. We also met with an NGO called Etta Projects, which implements participatory projects focused on community health, composting latrines, and school gardens near Montero, Eastern Bolivia. Most recently we have met with representatives of the Grigotá Rotary Club in Santa Cruz to discuss possible collaboration and funding opportunities. The meetings have provided us with valuable tips and information that will no doubt improve the outcomes of our project.