Meeting my Ipeti Community

Walking the kids to school

Typical house in Ipeti - it takes lots of balance to climb
 those "stairs, especially carrying a load - no handrails

I’ve been getting to know my service community of Ipeti Choco. They are descendants of the Kuna tribe, who used to live along the river and shores of this area. Thus, the houses still built on stilts. That also provides some security from critters and ground insects and get more breeze. You can pull the ladder up at night for even more security. The folks are short and a little chubby. I don’t think anyone is much over 5 Ft. The women love their colorful wrap-around skirts and some wear colorful bracelets. Everyone is really pleasant, polite and they smile a lot. Very hard workers, also. Whenever I'm in the village at meal time, somebody offers me a plate of food. Always very simple and good - carne asada (roasted beef) with yucca or the classic chicken, rice and beans.

A coffee tree in full bloom - great fragrance

No churches in the village. They mostly worship nature. Panama in general is much less Catholic than most Latin countries. Only 75% identify with Rome and most of them are “in name only” like in Peru. Lots of Evangelical churches here.

There is only one small school, with 2 elementary classes of about 30 kids each. One class is grades 1-3, the other 4-6. Education in Panama is only required up to 6^th grade. A few of the older kids, mostly boys, go to Secondary school (7^th to 10^th grades) in Torti. They walk about 2 miles to the highway and then catch a 30 min bus.

The bathrooms are nice, but nowhere for kids to wash hands

I met the primary school president and she is excited about helping me rehabilitate the adult handwashing sink (just needs a new faucet) and building a new sink, at child level and installing a soap dispenser and towels , so the kids have a place to wash. I’ll do some education about the importance of hand washing (reduces intestinal problems by up to 50%), as well.

Very nice toilet (right),shower (left) and sink (center) unit

The nifty plastic toilet seat - beats
my concrete units in Peru

Another project in town is working with an NGO called Global Brigades on their toilet/shower/sink units, which I’ll just call banos. BG brings teens and college kids from the US to (briefly) experience the 3^rd world and get hands on with helping other folks. The banos are well designed, though I have made some suggested changes for more ventilation and a men’s urinal. They feature a 2 chamber composting toilet, very similar to the ones I made in Peru. An attached shower and an outside sink complete the plan. I will also experiment with converting the toilets to the US standard flush toilet with septic tank – much less maintenance and cleaner.

I’m also working with the village Water Committee. They are in a state of total disarray and really need some help getting going again. After they are trained and up and running, we’ll address some maintenance issues, cleaning and disinfecting the storage tanks, patching some leaks and installing air bleeder valves along the 11 KM of 2” water line that supplies their water from a natural spring in the mountains.

Main water tank (left) with chlorine tank above (never used)
The secondary tank has some leaks

No improved cook stoves or biodigesters here. Most folks cook with propane, which is subsidized by the government and cost only $5 a tank. The older folks, who still like to cook over wood (better flavor), cook outside and have PLENTY of wood for fuel. So, no need for gas from a digester. Nor do they have any animals other than chickens. Free range, so collecting their poop is impractical.

Riding Nula to the jungle resulted in sore butt

                                                                                                                                        They have a heath post in town, but a nurse shows up just one day a week.

The jungle is dense and green - lots of birds

Universal health care is the rule in Panama, but it pales compared to Peru. Fewer clinics and much less manpower. Very few doctors. Since the system is only used by the poor folks in rural areas, it doesn’t seem to get much attention from the boys in the Emerald City. Everyone there uses private doctors and hospitals.

I got to visit the nearby jungle a couple of times this week – once on horseback. It is dense and thick and loaded with birds. Though I can rarely spot them. When I do, they fly before I can get the camera out. I met some interesting trees – one with wicked sharp thorns in the trunk (Hercules Club) and the other a towering monster (Ceiba), which was sacred to the Mayans. One look at this giant of the forest and you understand their respect.

I tried the local alcohol, called Seca. It is just fermented distilled sugar, pure and simple, with a bite like gasoline. Only good for mixing – they like coconut milk or Coke. Some is aged and makes a decent rum.

A natural stand of teak in the jungle

I learned from a woodsman about teak cultivation. The giant teak plantations, which line the PanAm, are planted with a teak selected for its straight and fast growth. He says it is not as beautiful as the wild teak, as the grain is not as tight. A 12” diameter teak tree sells for about $200. In the US, a 6ft length of 1”x6” teak sells for about $50. There’s gold in them thar trees.