Easter 2010

Here are some pictures from our Easter here in Carmen Pampa.

Here is Father Freddy blessing palms on Palm Sunday.



The students did the passion play -- and a student named Jesús played Jesus.



A crowd of people from the congregation -- kids, mostly -- stood and followed Jesus as he carried the cross around the church. They were laughing and whispering and taking pictures and carrying on, which I thought was a little rude. Then Fr. Freddy said during his homily that the real crucifixion was like that, too: a spectacle, with people crowding around and talking and the like. It gave the story a new meaning for me.



At the Thursday night mass, Fr. Israel washed the feet of some church members, in remembrance of the Last Supper.



Friday we did the Way of the Cross.



Last night was the Easter Vigil mass. It starts out outside at the fire.

(This picture is from Joel Vaughn. He and his wife, Lynn Myrick, are here contemplating the College as a possible home for the next 3 years as Franciscan Mission Service missioners.)

Happy Easter to all! You are in our prayers here in Carmen Pampa.

Kyle Piispanen

Rural Andean Bolivia is made up of small-scale farmers that feed large urban populations with poor access to markets, political instability, no mechanized equipment, and in altitudes of up to 13000 feet -- or more. Kyle Piispanen came to study this phenomenon as a graduate student in Applied Anthropology at Oregon State University, and is sharing his ecologist skills by teaching a tropical ecology at the College. Kyle writes:

“Ecology is the interdisciplinary scientific study of organisms and their interactions with the environment. In ecology we use the ecosystem as a unit of study, and in class we find ourselves in the field measuring populations, writing in our journals, thoughtfully stepping from one ecosystem to the next. It is becoming apparent that a rapid response to the global crisis confronting an ever-shrinking biological diversity will be necessary.

“Ecology has become a hot topic here because Bolivia is among the most biodiverse countries in the world. Recently it was announced that the country will host a meeting initiated by President Evo Morales called the First World Conference of People on Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth. The results of this conference are yet unknown, but it demonstrates a move in the Morales government towards recognition of critical issues in conservation and environmental health.

“I believe that students with a good background in ecology will help to guide society toward the conservation natural systems, and toward sustainable management of environmental resources. It is also important to integrate ecological knowledge into agriculture and ecosystem restoration. Students often describe ecosystems and biodiversity in Bolivia in terms of pisos ecológicos (ecological zones). Bolivia is known for 5 distinct pisos ecológicos: Puna, Altiplano, Valles, Yungas and the Lowlands. When one travels to Carmen Pampa from La Paz one passes through all of Bolivia’s distinct pisos, with the exception of the Lowlands, in less than 100 km!


Kyle in the classroom.

“Many different civilizations have worked in these ecological zones to develop a great diversity of food. The Yungas is an incredibly diverse and important zone itself. The Yungas forests that surround us are extremely diverse, ranging from moist lowland forest to evergreen montane forest and cloud forests. The steep valley walls are where people carve out their agricultural lands. This extremely rugged and varied environment contributes to the ecological diversity and richness. There are high levels of biodiversity and unique species throughout the Yungas regions. Unfortunately forest in this area is being lost due to the intensification of agriculture and increasing demands from the world’s cities.

“The students here at the College are introduced to concepts that are becoming increasingly important, and many of them have first-hand experience. They have experienced the many uses of native forest, the effects of contamination and conservation, and the consequences of population growth. These topics are especially relevant in the agronomy department: the futures of agriculture and food security are directly related to these issues.

“Saint Francis was an early ecologist and naturalist, observing animals, writing about them with affection, and recognizing their importance. Student come to class with a combination of direct experience in the field and a respect cultivated through the teachings of Saint Francis. They understand the natural environment, they know plant and animal names, and they have seen population dynamics in action in agricultural pests and diseases.

“By applying concepts of ecology to agriculture, we can produce food that is healthier, and conserve the natural environment for the important services it provides, services that help maintain life on this planet. It is my hope that these students will begin to learn how to make agrarian environments more livable, integrating ecology with food production; and the youth of Bolivia will start to return to rural areas for a better quality of life while contributing to food production. My students are asked to do a research project on a topic of ecology that interests them, and students have chosen topics as diverse as contamination of water, deforestation, and the introduction of exotic species. Students have demonstrated a high level of commitment to working towards resolving environmental issues that rural areas are facing.


Ecology student José Luis Chipana counts beans in a biodiversity exercise.

“Farmers are often the people most aware of the environmental changes. They are also aware of a need for a combination of environmentally sound food production and conservation. At Carmen Pampa, by empowering young farmers as future community leaders, I am hopeful that these leaders will bring thoughtful consideration and positive change to their communities.”

We are grateful for Kyle’s presence here, for his contributions to the College, his research that will lead to a greater understanding of how food is produced and used, and the spirit of unity and knowledge that he brings.

Anniversary of nursing department

Yesterday was the anniversary of the nursing department -- and it was incredible to see all of the young women and men in their "hospital whites"! It was a beautiful day, with a mass and a toast to these amazing young people, followed by a dance on the basketball court. Congratulations to these exceptional young women and men.

Here students prepare for the anniversary mass.



Two students with their family members.





Lidia Cuevas, the Director of the Nursing program, speaks to the College, with fifth semester student Hilarion by her side.



Donato Monrroy was recognized for his over fifteen years of service to the College.

Sonia Moy

One of the students that I supervised, Sonia Moy, graduated yesterday -- she studied the life cycles of two butterflies, Mechanitis lysimnia elisa (Lysimnia clearwing)and Phoebis philea philea (orange-barred sulphur). These species are common in the area, and of commercial value. The project benefited the Nayriri Butterfly house, community-run project at the end of the Inca Trail near the College. She got a score of 86%, considered distinguished!


Photo:Sonia with her senior research project defense committee.

Ramiro and Juan Pedro

Saturday was the day to see students successfully defend their graduation projects.

First was Ramiro, the third education EVER to finish his degree. He worked with elementary students in Guanay, his home town 6 hours from the College, to see how students understood garbage and what happens to it -- and he found that they have a LOT to learn.

Photo: Ramiro with his defense committee.

Juan Pedro studied a family of beetles, some of which eat other insects, possibly crop pests. He found that the populations of these beetles has some species in common between crop land and forest, and some distinct. It shows that the forest is a possible resevoir for beneficial beetles.


Photo: Here is Juan Pedro talking a sample from an insect trap.


Juan Pedro was working for the Benson Institute on the Altiplano, helping farmers build underground greenhouses (I wrote about that here).

Dani and Victor

Two more grads! Yesterday was vet student Dani Chambilla, the sister of graduate Rosa and tourism student Guido. She looked at different methods of measuring bacterial contamination of milk from udder infections (mastitis), and found that the California Mastitis Test was reliable and easy for farmers to use.


Photo:Dani with her defense committee and her two children.

Today was education student Juan Victor Ajllahuanca, who worked at the elementary school where he himself studied, examining how students learn math in third grade. He found that students had more problems with multiplication than with division, because it uses more steps (lots of carrying numbers into the next column, something less common with basic division done at that level). The teacher in that classroom was grateful for his observations, and his help with the class when he wasn't doing his research.


Photo:Juan Victor and his defense committee.

Congratulation to these two young new grads!

Sistema Plurinacional de Certificacion de Competencias

In December of 2008, President Evo Morales established the National Service of Competency Certification. Under the supervision of the Ministry of Education, this entity gives certificates to workers recognizing outstanding skills gained in the School of Life.

This weekend, a graduate of the College, Miguel Ángel Sánchez, stopped by the house, and explained that he and another four graduates are heading up the section that certifies farmers (and ranchers) in Bolivia. "This is a huge help for rural people," he explained, "because it gives them easier access to funds from the government's rural aid program."

The process requires that farmers apply at a government office, then have an interview with a certifier. The last step is a field evaluation where the certifier evaluates whether the person has the base of practical knowledge that is expected of a successful farmer.

"The certification can also be used for credit for a higher degree," Miguel told me. "A lot of older farmers are taking advantage of it. It is an outward sign that traditional knowledge is appreciated and valued." That is something in a country where as recently as 1952 farmers were considered unintelligent, good only for hard labor as indentured servants under the hacienda system.

It is sometimes difficult for students to find work in the place they were born, so many look for opportunities that impact their communities in other ways. These graduates are impacting rural areas by granting certificates -- and the means to a higher quality of life -- to community members like their parents and grandparents. Others with with micro-financing banks that get capital into the hands of enterprising farmers. Yet others work with NGOs that empower rural people. The spirit of our mission lives in these young people, and it inspires hope.

Forrages and Lentils

Friday, student Joel Bautista successfully defended his graduation project about the adaptation of different forrages to the local ecosystem. He tried out five species suggested by our collaborators at Brigham Young University, and found that weeping lovegrass (Eragrostis curvula) adapted well to our environment, and that this species could be cultivated to feed cattle, or even dry and sell as hay to the Bolivian Altiplano in their dry season.


Photo: Joel signs the defense document, with his mother, father and aunt in the background.

Yesterday, another agronomy student, Silvia Sevillanos, presented her research project about the adaptation of lentils to the land around Carmen Pampa. Of the four varieties that she planted, French Green was the best producer. Lentils are great soil improvers, full of protein, and cook much quicker than most legumes. This variety will become part of the university's cache of plants that both improve food security and permit greater economic stability.


Photo: Silvia with her son and husband, also soon to graduate.

Carnaval and Ash Wednesday

This week was a special week for Bolivia. A mix of indigenous Andean and Catholic traditions make the days leading up to Ash Wednesday -- know here are Carnavales -- a time of giving thanks to God and God's many manifestations. In and around Carmen Pampa, people decorate their houses with streamers and confetti, set off fire crackers and sprinkle alcohol in thanks to the Virgin (conceived as Pachamama, the Mother Earth), the saints (manifest in spirit guides called Achachilas) and God on High, known in Inti, the sun.

Sister Helena invited us to Cochuna where the Missionary Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate Conception run a boarding house for rural students. With the help of the boarders, Sister Helena runs a farm that feeds the students and generates income to pay for other housing costs. The Bishop of Coroico, Monseignor Juan Vargas, blessed the school and the farm.


Photo: Bishop Vargas sprinkles holy water on the farm's new tractor as Father Freddy looks on.

Later, with the help of the students, we blessed the College's dormitories and classrooms.

Wednesday Father Freddy lead the Ash Wednesday mass on Campus Leahy, and later Father Eulogio on Campus Manning. Both reminded the students that Lent is a time of reflection on forgiveness. There is a saying around here: Pueblo chico, infierno grande ("Small town, big hell"). "We need to live together as brothers and sisters, with peace and understanding," Father Freddy reminded us. "It is not easy: we come from all different places, with distinct viewpoints and customs. But there is no other option. If you do not learn this now, you will have difficulties your whole life long."


Photo: Father Freddy places ashes on the forehead of agronomy student Janet Ramírez.


Photo: Father Eulogio places ashes on a high school student.

Meetings with students

This week, Father Freddy and I met with the students from each of the 5 majors, and with the students in the Pre-University program. We wanted to greet the new students in each major, and talk about the mission of the College, and our wishes for them.

It was also an opportunity for the students to share their concerns, from a light that is not working in the dorm, to concerns about how the student body is elected.


Father Freddy speaks to the nursing students.

Another nurse, another agronomist...

The family of graduates grew by two last Wednesday, two students from old times.

The first was María Rey, wife of 2008 graduate Martín Alejo. She did a survey examining what people know about leishmaniasis, a parasite that destroys human tissue, leading to disfiguration and worse. Maria discovered that the groups that knew the littlest about this disease were older women and people that spoke only Aymara. Her research will lead to more effective information campaigns, most likely educational radio programs in Aymara.

Photo: María receives her nursing cap.

María's father was at the defense, and said, "I made a promise to support my daughter until she finished school, and she had a debt with me -- until today. Maria has made this family proud." María herself recognized her family, her husband, and Sister Damon as the people who most influenced her path to her profession.*

Photo: María looks on as her father speaks of his satisfaction.

That same afternoon, Victor Hugo Belmont successfully defended his research project. He looked at how to dry coffee beans, and found that for a small added cost, plastic tents set over the coffee drying racks speeds coffee drying times, and makes better use of space; it also protects the beans from the frequent rains, and helps ensure that mold won't grow on the otherwise slow-drying coffee. The College can use this data to convince farmers who want to produce high-quality coffee to use this technology: with a higher price for better-tasting coffee, the tents become economically feasible.

Photo: Three generations: Victor Hugo with his father and son. The US-Bolivian NGO conBolivia contributed the drying tents for the coffee.

We are very proud of these graduates, students who started their studies ten years ago. Maria took time out to raise her two sons and help her husband through school, and Victor Hugo went to Spain to work for a few years and gain some international experience. And both finished and now plan to work here in Bolivia, and live the mission of the College. Congratulations to both of them.

_________________________
* Diane Rickerl at South Dakota State University is directing a cross-cultural "Ethics is Science" project with universities in the U.S. and South America, including the College. While reading for this project, I stumbled upon this: Traditional, indigenous ethics in this region are conceived communally: responsibility for ones actions is shared. Culture studies professor Alison Spedding writes: "The idea that a person does not act alone is extended to activities that are not done in a group. It is frequently said that someone's parents, or other family members, 'made' their child study. Of course, studying is something that an individual does: the student goes to classes, reads, writes. Family members can cover costs, encourage and even help with an assignment, but they cannot pay attention in class or take a test for the child. However, people don't say, 'paid for her studies,' they say 'made her study.' The success of graduation is not the achievement of the child alone; instead, the success is shared by all of the people that surrounded and helped that child while she studied" (Religión en los Andes, 2008).

In the Aymara Indian tradition, everyone who contributes to educating these young people at the College, be it by donation or volunteering or through prayer, has a direct spiritual bond to them -- and that is you. May their appreciation reach you where you are, right now.

Brecha B

A short while back, I visited a project that some graduates of the College started a year ago. The project, called SIEMPRE FORJA, has it base in a small colony near the town of Palos Blancos called Brecha B. It is about 5 hours from the College via a series of mad taxi rides on dusty roads. (Sarah wrote about it last year on her blog Uchumachi.)

The project has grown and changed over the past year. The founders bought a small piece of land a few hours away to demonstrate to farmers how to produce more sustainably. They are doing research organic banana and cacao pest control without chemicals. They are developing better techniques to raise queen bees and organic tomato production without slash-and-burn agriculture. And they are training farmers and students about land stewardship.


Photo: Project intern Daniel Criales, co-founder Fortunato Velásquez and intern Gladys Jahuira took me to visit their experimental farm. The farm is two hours away, requiring a boat trip across a river.

Our mission dictates that students return to their communities and become the change that we stand for. It is rare that a graduate has a job waiting come graduation day, something to step into when the ink on the diploma dries. Ingenious, inspiring grads like these put the final piece in place, and make the dream real.

Photo: Co-founder Andrez Florez showed me a plot where they are researching banana pests. Instead of clearing the land around the banana trees, they allow saplings to grow alongside. This mimics a natural system that will require less weeding and reduce pests in the long term.

Christmas dinner

Every vacation at the College, some students stay with us to help maintain the gardens, care for the animals and repair the dorms. Sister Jean bought food for the students to make a Christmas Day meal. Roasted chicken, potatoes, sweet potatoes, sweet plantains, and salad. Yum!





In the evening, Sister Helena and her nephew Sean came from Coroico to have dinner with Sister Jean, Sister Carmen and myself. Dessert was King Kong, a special cake that Carmen brought from Peru.

Christmas in Carmen Pampa

The Midnight Mass in Carmen Pampa is a sight to behold. Every year, women from the community teach the children a dance -- and this year it was a dance of angels.










I don't know what happened to my camera, but the effect is kinda cool.

Felicidades, Fico

Federico Carrizales has been in Carmen Pampa for much of his life. After being orphaned, he and his sisters were taken in by Sister Damon to finish high school in Carmen Pampa. Federico's sister Cecilia, and later his other sister Claudia, came to the College and graduated; with a final push from Sister Chris, Federico's graduation marks the fulfiling of a promise made to Sister Damon: graduate and contribute.

And contribue he does: Federico runs the College's hog farm. Doctor Federico is leading the transition from production of hogs for the meat processing plant to production of piglets and sows for farmer groups that will produce hogs for the plant.

Federico graduated mid-December. We expect his wife Dani (center) to graduate in February.

Advent

Today we had an Advent service with all of the departments at the College. Our Director Father Freddy gave a short presentation about the liturgical focus of each of the four weeks, and Sister Marleny lead us in a reflection interspersed with singing.


The reflection focused on preparing your heart for Christmas. How can better put into practice our love for our brothers and sisters in the world? How can we better serve our students who have entrusted in us their future, their hopes?



At the end, we each lit a candle and each asked for a gift from the Holy Spirit during this time of preparation: patience, understanding, peace, forgiveness.

November grads

November 20th brought two new professionals into the family of graduates at the College. In the morning, Juan Carlos Ballivian defended his research project analyzing a survey of families in the municipality where the College is located (Municipalidad de Coroico). His results showed that most families have from 4 to 6 members (though some had as many as 12!), and that families on our side of the mountain make on average 29 bolivianos per day (about $4/day). 63% of heads of households have not finished elementary school.

His results also showed that farmers with less land looked for more opportunities for courses about better farming techniques. Juan Carlos explained that farmers with less land need to be more efficient to support their families, and so they seek out information.

This research gives us information that helps us develop more effective extension strategies. Gracias, Juan Carlos!


Photo: Director of the College Father Freddy poses with the morning graduate Juan Carlos Ballivian.


In the afternoon, Carmen Pampa native Lucila Cama presented the results from her project looking at the production of stevia, a plant that serves as a natural sweetener. She showed that using an organic foliar fertilizar called biol lead to increased production, and more profitability. Bienvenida a la familia de titulados, Lucila!


Photo: (L to R) Research advisor Manuel Chino, René Villca, College Director Father Freddy,new grad Lucila Cama, Desiderio Flores and Agronomy Director José Luis Beltrán (photo from Sarah Mechtenberg).

Thanksgiving

We have so much to be thankful for here in Carmen Pampa, but the thing that I appreciate the most is the opportunity to do something meaningful with my life that I also love to do. And surrounded by wonderful people!

We celebrated Thanksgiving early this year, on last Sunday, and invited the Franciscan Sisters, the priests from Coroico, and some friends from along the way. We were going to have one of the free-range turkeys that our neighbor was raising, but it was too skinny (lucky him!), but we did get a picture out of it (Thanks, Lee). Here is our T-day crew (photo from Sarah Purcell).

A place for professors

Our professors who teach on Campus Manning (vet, tourism and nursing professors) were living in an old building from way back, when the Franciscan Sisters and Xaverian Brothers ran the high school. This year, we are adding a second floor and remodeling the whole thing. This is how it looks so far:



One of our "indispensables" is Donato Monrroy, our Campus Manning maintenance man and keeper of Carmen Pampa history: he was invited by Sister Damon to help at the high school in Carmen Pampa long ago, and has supported the College since its conception. Three cheers for this incredible man.

More Todos Santos

The second day of Todos Santos, November 2nd, people go from house to house, visiting and praying for the souls visiting from the Other Side. Tara Nolan and I did some visiting Monday in San Pedro, a nearby community where some students at the College come from.

We prayed for the souls of the Mamani family, then watched as kids came in to pray. Around noon, the souls leave the house for the cemetery where they hang out.



The next day we went to the cemetery in Carmen Pampa where community members were saying their goodbyes to the souls departing for their world until next year. Here some community women rest after the souls had gone.



Later Tara and I went up to the little cemetery at the Puerto del Viento where the community members of Choro were dispatching the souls of their family members. Here a family stands with the t'antawawas (bread people) and phasancalla (puffed corn) that is given to people who pray for the family souls. (Tara and I went home with two bags full of bread people!)



Thank you, Tara, for your photos!

Todos Santos, Part 1

Todos Santos, All Saints Day, is a special time for the families around Carmen Pampa. The souls of departed family members return to the community once per year, and visit their living relatives. Last night I went up to the neighboring community Chovacollo to see friends and pray for the souls that were at their houses, visiting.

At one compadre's house, the family was up baking bread for the family altar they were preparing for the parents and other relatives who no longer lived on Earth.



At another house, the mother had made an altar for her daughter who died this year ("She just wasted away," the mother explained). I sat for a few hours talking to the farmers that had congregated there.



It is a nice time to slow down, reconnect with old friends, hear stories about the past, and contemplate our lives and the time we have left to make a difference for our brothers and sisters, wherever they are, however we can.

Javier Alvarez

Sister Damon Nolan's niece Tara Nolan and I went to see Javier Álvarez this weekend to chat about the College's coffee project. Javier used to organize the coffee purchases from communities around the College. When Tara asked about what he is doing now, he told us part of his life story.

Javier and his wife studied at another campus of Catholic University on the Bolivian Altiplano, and Javier graduated with an associate degree in Agribusiness. Then he went to work for an organization that helped farmers near Carmen Pampa. Sister Damon encouraged him to get a licenciatura degree to have more skills and credentials, and make a bigger impact. helping farmers be more profitable and improve their quality of life. She offered him a job at the College while he studied.

He took her advice and worked on an agronomy degree. However, half way through his studies, he got in a motorcycle accident and was in the hospital for a year and a half. Even this could not discourage him from his dream: though a limp reduces his movement, he continued working toward his degree and finished in 2007, researching how the coffee plant water treatment works.

"Sister Damon was like a mother to me, and never let me get discouraged," he told us as we sat with his wife and daughter in the shade of a tree near his house. "Her vision carries us far, and will carry us into a future of dignity and understanding."



Sarah writes about what Javier is doing now on her blog Uchumachi.

More grads

Last week the College had two more graduates, both in the agronomy department.

First was Rosemary Gutiérrez who compared 5 different varieties of beans here in Carmen Pampa, and discovered that two of the five were good producers, especially when inoculated with a bacteria that helps the plants get the element nitrogen from the atmosphere. Beans are important because they can improve protein intake, especially important for growing children.


Photo: Rosemary stands with Father Freddy after her successful defense.

The next day, Wednesday, student Daniel Choquetarqui defended his work with Beauveria bassiana, a beneficial fungus that kills coffee borer, a coffee pest. We grow it in the laboratory to bring to the field and apply in coffee fields. His laboratory trial of production of fungal strains from different communities at different temperatures showed that the strain from the community La Asunta produced the most spores, and that 24ºC is the best temperature for growing the fungus in the lab.


Photo: Daniel poses with his parents.