They did come.

Not at 8:00, but at 9:00.  We’re the ones who operate on American time.  Rumbling up the hill in a very experienced, nearly blue truck, about a dozen government-hired day- laborers set up shop at the crossroads of the two main streets of Esfuerzo.  Finding a conspicuous location, they posted a small billboard complete with the mayor’s picture, proclaiming, essentially:  Another community project brought to you by Mayor Francisco Fernandez.  They set about their work with machetes, rakes, and brooms, and the SOMOS crew jumped in to do the unskilled work of loading plastic bags.  Tree limbs were trimmed, grass and weeds were mowed, and some road-leveling was accomplished – all with machetes.

Negotiations ensued as the paid workers proffered their notions of the work, and SOMOSeros and residents lobbied for more inclusive efforts.  (Example:  the work crew wanted to limit their responsibility to the main roads and, more specifically, to the central crossroads.  The residents and SOMOS wanted more:  side roads, trash dump sites, vacant “private” property.)  Team members kept pace with the paid workers and demonstrated their enthusiasm for fulsome efforts.

Noticing that the workers (and they themselves) were flagging, the SOMOS crew made a colmado (small general store) run and returned with soft drinks for workers and residents.  The drinks were appreciated, but there was a strong sense that a little food would help as well.  The workers very likely are among those who struggle daily for survival, so back we went, returning with coconut cookies, which the crew leader jokingly called “pico pollo pobre,” or “fried chicken for the poor.”

By 11:30, the day’s work is winding down.  Work crew members are showing the effects of heat and hard work, and the SOMOS troops are less than fresh and shiny.  The president of the local junta de vecino (neighborhood association) is concerned that the second truck, the one intended to collect trash, will not come into the neighborhood but “pass by” on streets beyond the neighborhood.  We provided a phone and phone number for the president and urged her to call the government representative, who provided reassurance.  Tomorrow will tell.

Meanwhile, Kevin Salinas (3rd year) and Lindsay Scheifler (1st year) accompanied Dr. Mark Ryan (’96) in making house calls in Esfuerzo.  Toting medicine for the medical visits, they assisted Dr. Mark in collecting registration information and basic clinical data.  The day ended with an impromtu visit to the home of a Dominican physician who also is director for community medicine for the mayor’s office.    Her hospitality was impeccable, and the sodas and cold beer provided much needed relief from the day’s rigors.

Joanna Weeks (2nd year and clinic coordinator) continues to provide steady and thoughtful leadership in a role that requires close attention to details, including the pharmacy and its inventory; the schedule of roles and role participants, and the overall functioning of the clinic.  Her work has been first-rate.

The field team returns to the community tomorrow to meet the trash truck and to add to the pool of labor for collecting and bagging trash.  Our field observations have revealed that local residents might be able to re-cycle plastic bags as receptacles for the trash that is to be collected by government trucks.  We will begin to work towards encouraging this very simple recycling practice.