Rabbits

Recently, Tio (great uncle) Roman caught a baby rabbit on the farm and brought it to the house for the girls to see. He was tiny and cute and the girls loved having a cuddle.

“We had 2 wild rabbits as pets once,” Tio Roman reminisced. They used to go wandering in the day and always came home at night to sleep. It was great having them around. They were two brown rabbits. Very friendly they were.”

I nodded, imagining this scene of domesticity and love.

“Then, one day, one of the rabbits didn’t come back,” rugged Tio Roman continued. “We couldn’t bear to see the poor rabbit left all alone, so we ate it.”

I blinked in shock at the sudden dramatic ending to his tale. And then I could not help laughing to myself. It was such an Ecuadorean thing to say! People here are always talking about “Accompaňamiento”, doing things together, the horror of being alone. Doing things with other people definitely trumps efficiency. People generally try to avoid spending time alone. And after all, guinea pigs, rabbits… they are all ultimately meat aren’t they?!

We let the wild rabbit go, and have acquired two pet rabbits… that are not destined for the pot. 

Do you miss medical work?

I stopped doing regular medical clinics a year ago. There were several reasons for this.

First, the government opened 2 new clinics in our area in recent years. Most local people started going to them for medical attention as they are free and you have to go there to be referred to the government hospital. A private doctor cannot refer. Hence, I had many fewer patients.

Second, as my girls grow, the homeschooling becomes more demanding. I had less time available.

Third, the support for the sponsored children, schools work and girls club grew. I decided it was better to dedicate the time I had to these ministries, rather than spreading myself too thin.

So, do I miss the medical work?

At first, it was a relief to stop as I was very tired! December 2015 was a busy month with many Christmas programmes which took up my time. A few months later was the earthquake, which led to us supplying food and receiving volunteers, until the autumn. There was no time to miss medicine! Once all that quietened down, I did miss the regular contact with patients and being able to help people with my medical skills. However, I still give people advice on an informal basis. I also still use my medical knowledge in the health promotion work that I do with the local children.

I mostly do not miss it because I love the things I am still doing. I love spending time with my girls in homeschool. I am inspired that we can now support 170 children in their education through sponsorship. It is great to be able to go into the local schools and help provide supplies they need and support volunteers who teach English. The ministry I love best is the girls’ work. Here in rural Santo Domingo, girls still have very limited prospects. I was concerned that despite sponsorship, many dropped out of high school early for other reasons. The girls’ club gives the opportunity to form friendships with these girls. It gives the chance to discuss important topics with them, build their self-esteem and broaden their horizons. It gives them tools to help them climb out of poverty. Most of all, as I teach them from the Bible, it gives them the opportunity to meet and know the living God who will be their companion and their guide for all their lives. It is a privilege to be able to spend my time in this way. 

FAQ How are things now, 9 months after the earthquake?

Six months after the earthquake the national newspaper El Comercio reported that there were still 7,000 people living in 24 shelters in the worst hit provinces. 3.7 million Cubic metres of debris had been removed. 9357 buildings had been demolished, with more still remaining to be torn down. Unicef reported that they continued to supply aid which allowed thousands of children to attend temporary schools in marquees. They also pointed out the continuing needs of people living in unofficial shelters and rural areas.

Our personal experience in El Carmen highlights the plight of people who have no land of their own and who are in unofficial shelters. Many small charities like ourselves, as well as larger ones and government agencies have rehoused people. However, those who have no land, and are not in official camps are not being helped. They continue to live in tents, share communal toilets and lack access to safe drinking water. We are in the process of building 3 more houses for families living in temporary shacks, who do have land on which to build, but who are not receiving government aid.

Rebuilding is taking place, but there is still a long way to go in towns such as Perdenales, which was almost completely destroyed in the quake.

On the 19^th December we were woken in the night by another earthquake, this time only 5.7 in strength, which again hit the coast. This time 3 people died, 62 were injured and many buildings, already weakened by previous quakes, were damaged causing millions of dollars’ worth of damage.

The economy continues to be hit by the ongoing impact of the earthquake. Taxes were increased (VAT and income tax) to pay for repairs. Some lost their businesses and homes. This means people are unable to repay loans and have less money to spend in general. There are other factors in play in the downturn in the economy, but, in general, the cost of living continues to rise, while unemployment rises and sales fall.

In October, the government said it had allocated all the resources generated by the Solidarity Law: $1.5 billion to date.

The psychological effects continue too. We continue to feel small tremors from time to time. Everyone is jittery about them. Those who were at the epi-centre of the first one are reduced to tears. Posts immediately appear on social media, “Did you feel that one?” My 6 year old is only just beginning to stop being worried by the windows rattling in the wind. I can only imagine how children who had buildings collapse on them are still feeling.

Despite the huge challenges still to be overcome, a lot of progress has been made. People are resilient. Life continues. Grief remains. Day follows day. Parents continue to fight to feed and house their families.