Please review the following message by Danielle. We have about 100 excellent photographs of three villages that she has worked with in Latin America. She could prepare a Quest for the National Town Meeting that could help promote the MediQuest program. I have invited her down to SQUIRE for a weekend to discuss this concept.

Allan

-----Original Message-----
From: Danielle Schami
To: Allan Baer; Ron Swenson
Sent: 2/11/99 8:13 PM
Subject: Ideas... at last!

Dear Allan and Ron,

After carefully thinking about your proposal, I have come up with a few ideas and adjustments to your suggestions.

PROBLEMS:

While setting up computers in these communities might eventually prove to be an excellent and valuable tool, at this point in time, I don’t feel that this would be appropriate. Essentially, the costs would likely outweigh the benefits for the villagers if the project is set up too soon.

Such a piece of equipment in their communities would not only put the equipment at risk of being vandalized or stolen, but, more importantly, would also put the community members in a vulnerable position. They have already been attacked by bandits who attempted to rob the village’s treasurer or vandalize their medical supplies, the latter not having been replenished since that incident occurred in 1995.

It seems inappropriate to bring into the communities such an expensive piece of equipment that cannot serve immediate basic needs when there are so many still to be met. This could lead to resentment on behalf of the community members, and build barriers between us. More practical and tangible purposes for having computers in the communities would be essential. For example, if several computers were brought in with programs that could contribute to improving literacy and numeracy skills, then there might an incentive to having them there that the community members could clearly understand and immediately benefit from.

SOLUTIONS:

In 1994 and 1995, the Canadian members RUES UNES (University Network for El Salvador) were accompanied by student from MECA (Movimiento ecologico de ciencias agonomicas), based at the University of El Salvador (UES). These students collaborated with us in organizing tours and workshops during our visits to the capital and they occasionally joined us in the rural communities to help with the agricultural projects and workshops we had set up there. When I visited in 1998, these students were learning computer skills yet had limited access to computers. The MECA students could make great use of computers and could serve as a go-between for the communities and the students in the American schools. Some of them also speak some English. They are required, as a part of there degree in agronomy, to do a certain number of hours of community work in order to graduate. They could combine this with correspondences for SolarQuest projects.

If I move to El Salvador, another possibility would be for the equipment to be set up with me and Dorian in Jucuapa, the town where he lives and where we have discussed starting a small organic farm. I could make weekly or bi-weekly visits to the communities in order to follow the progress in such-or-such a project that could be planned and funded by the schools in the US. Then I could return to Jucuapa to communicate the information the American students.

In order for us to develop a clear vision of the project, I feel it is essential that the three of us travel to El Salvador together. It is important that we meet with the communities members and other resource people down there (for example: MECA and CRIPDES, the NGO RUES-UNES has been collaborating with since 1992), and that you see the context with your own eyes.

I look forward to hearing back from you.

Best wishes,
Danielle