THE STORY OF FIVE MONTHS - A PERSPECTIVE AFTER 31 YEARS (5)

Chapter 5

Living the Life

There were still a lot to do. We helped in making the first water-sealed toilet in the village. As the water source, lines of bamboo were connected together and placed at the water source higher in location and let in drain to collecting drums downstream. Whatever excesses the water spills over to a rivulet downstream and joins the bigger Saltan river.

Taken from http://toiletcrisis.weebly.com/water-sealed-latrine.html

We started to see patients in the clinic and started planning our community diagnosis. We met the village leaders, community workers, teachers and volunteers and told them that the survey is to determine their health needs and not for any other things. We planned with the community and set our deadlines. In a week’s time, we had our survey and then we came out of a community diagnosis.

 

Photo taken form Community Medblog Medchrome

Community Diagnosis (community assessment) is the foundation for improving and promoting the health of community members. The role of community assessment is to identify factors that affect the health of a population and determine the availability of resources within the community to adequately address these factors. Because of limited reach to medical services due to geography and terrain a lot of people are not reached by medical services. We studied their health indicators and we presented the findings to the community. We discussed the possible solutions and find what can be done? The community proposed to us a volunteer community health worker training. We were happy about this because it is a major strategy for increasing access to and coverage of basic health interventions.

We prepared a customized curriculum for the volunteers. Each Sitio of Gawaan had their own representatives. We had also a representative from Mabaca. The training was a once a week lecture that would culminate on October. The volunteers were assigned to assist us in our clinics too. 

Photo taken from https://www.doh.wa.gov/portals/1/images/8349/CHWT5.png

While we worked in the community, we were assimilated into their lives. We ate their food and lived their daily lives. We learned to eat sardines laced with a handful of siling labuyo. We learned to eat the eel (iwat or igat) which was caught at the Saltan river. And we loved most their own version of tinola made of native chicken. We learned to bathe in a tributary of the Saltan river and it was where we also was our clothes. We have learned the fear the great Saltan River. In one picnic along its bank, Chita attempted to swim across but she was carried downstream because of the rapid waters of the river.  It was good Chita was assisted downstream by a strong and mighty Gawaan lad. 

A collage of Kalinga food

When it was harvest time for coffee. We joined our family in going to their coffee farm. We were amazed how vast the coffee plantations were. For the people of Gawaan, coffee is a culture. They took extra care in planting their coffee seedlings. They have found out that the best species of coffee to be planted is the arabica species. They have a technique in planting. We noticed that they do not wait for all the coffee seeds to ripen. They harvest the mature green fruits. The coffee fruits were dried under the sun and were then placed on a crackle. When seeds come out, they are ready to be roasted. When roasted they are keep in a container cans to preserve the aroma. When they brew the coffee, the roasted seeds are pounded and eventually brewed. The Gawaan brew is reminiscent of the brewed coffee I tasted in Bologna, Italy. All of these processes were filled with diligence, dedication and laborious toil of the Gawaan worker. 

Photo taken from gmanetwork.com

Coffee is a cash crop. Once it had undergone the laborious process, the seeds are sold in Salegseg where a trader eventually takes it and sell in the capital city. In the present, there is now an increasing interest in the Kalinga coffee. Filipinos love coffee and I am sure that they would love the aroma and taste of the Kalinga coffee. I hope in the near future, a cafe like Figaro that utilizes Cavite coffee beans will be made and this time will only utilize the Kalinga coffee beans. 

Photo taken from uwsp.edu

When we went to the coffee farm, we noted the workers sporting long sleeves and long pants despite the warm and humid weather. This to protect themselves from the sun, insects and mosquitoes. Unfortunately, we had mosquito bites that made us wary about malaria. 

When we went to the farm we passed by the place of our midwife assistant - Lily. We met her brothers and sisters. We were warmly received by them in their home in the middle of the forest. One of Lily’s brothers asked us why we were with the “kakadwa” the other day. Since I am an Ilocano, I translated the word into “companion” and I told him we do not have any companions except the three of us. But he insisted that they saw us with the “kakadwa” that other day. How innocent of me when it dawned on us that they were referring to the NPA cadres. The word cadre was translated to kadwa or if many, kakadwa. We thought they were probably the men who had coffee in the house and were carrying rifles. We just told them, they just went to have coffee in the house but we never have a talk with them. 

My interaction with Lily’s brothers made me realized that we were being watched. I began to realize the risks of health workers volunteering in far-flung areas. They do not have to contend with the military alone but other armed forces in the community. Unintentionally, we began labeling people - red for the NPA kadwa, blue for the military, pink for the CPLA and white to the neutrals. We had to be very careful as we feel our lives were at stake. 

Note:

If the pictures are not attributed to a website or a person, it is mine. Those who own the pictures I have used and does not want to appear in this blog, please e-mail me at rqmallari60@gmail.com and I would be more than willing to remove them. Thank you.