Mano Amiga & Community Development

On the weekend Margarita took me to a couple of other barrios where Mano Amiga was involved in different activities. They are very much interested in bringing health and social education in very remote and mostly very poor areas that are also mostly dominated bz agricultural work. The informal educators of Mano Amiga distribute basic food rations sponsored by a local church and also medicine against parasites. They furthermore facilitate talks and workshops in the community in which everyone can participate. They are very well respected and their knowledge and advice is sought by the people of the communities they work in. Yesterday I went with Maria to a barrio which was far out of the city and higher up as well. Up there it is mostly agriculture that people live of and because in this barrio most men have gone to the city of Quito to work and sometimes only return once a months or once every two or three months, women and children are heavily involved in agricultural activities. Yesterday we held a workshop about child abuse, emotional, sexual and physical abuse. The women listened and were very interested but because of my presence ("gringita" although this means someone from the USA) they were very shy and did not talk. For me it was quite strange to see how dogs were running about inside, came very close to little children their food etc. The women did not really care. When I walked back with Maria, she told me that today it was still quite good. When they started working in Pantús it was worse.
Hygiene does not exist. Margarita told me, that when she had a workshop with some mothers about washing hands before eating to avoid parasites, the women answered that it is not necessary because Margarita will just give them some more tablets against parasites. Yes, a different way of thinking. Poco y poco, a bit and a bit, like Maria said.