Cárdenas
During
the second half of SST, students generally do some sort of service work,
often in a rural setting, and Cuba is no exception. SST students are
now at the Centro Cristiano de Diálogo y Reflexión
(Christian Center for Dialogue and Reflection - CCRD), an ecumenical
project in the city of Cárdenas, about two hours east of Havana.
Alisa is pictured on the third floor of the very comfortable
CCRD dormitory, where the students are lodged. The Center hosts foreign
groups and national church conferences and is involved in a variety
of community activities.
Scenes from Cárdenas
The
city of Cárdenas has a much more rural feel
to it than Havana. Transportation around town is almost exclusively
by horse-drawn cart (Photo with Anna) and bicycle.
The symbol of Cárdenas is the crab, and there is a large
statue (pictured with Elena) at the entrance of the city.
- A horse cart bringing sugar cane to town (to make guarapo - a drink made by pressing the cane), and another taxi-cart.
- The unusual metal market place building in central Cárdenas
- Andres with a bag of crabs
given to him by co-workers
On the farm
Deb
(pictured), Lisa, Anna, Brandon, Beth and Kyle are all working
on the farm. The CCRD's farm provides employment and technical assistance
(about food preservation at their canning facility) for locals. A portion
of the food is also donated to schools and institutions.
Between
the attractiveness of the big cities and Cuba's very low fertility
rate there is a shortage of farm workers, so the government was happy
to loan the land rent-free to the CCRD. They raise tomatoes, beans and
many other fruits and vegetables all without artificial pesticides or
artificial fertilizers, more by necessity than by choice: Between the
U.S. economic blockade of Cuba and the fall of the Eastern bloc in the
late '80s Cuban agriculture has been forced to get along with very little
oil or oil-related products.
- Kyle
- Lisa and Deb with co-workers
- Deb with co-worker
Social work
Andrew,
Jamin, Alisa and Ann are helping with the CCRD's social work
efforts. The kitchen prepares meals (at right) for old people living
at home - sort of like the "Meals on Wheels" that folks in
the states are familiar with, only here the meals are delivered by bicycle
and horse-cart.
Children
are very well provided for in Cuba. But because of the low birth rate
and emigration (again, mainly of the young and healthy), many elders
no longer have as many family members to care for them. Students help
CCRD staff (pictured) who do laundry and regularly visit elders in the
community.
Construction
A number of the students are doing construction work around town. Simon is working at a local Presbyterian church. We did not get a picture of him, but here are the other sites...
Mark
and Neil (pictured mixing concrete) are working on an addition
to a local Episcopal church.
Pete
is working at the site of what will be a school
for developmentally delayed children. He's shown here with
his co-worker Cuco, an expert mason, in the bathroom they've been
working on.
Pedro
goes to work by bike. He is painting at the Municipal
Museum which is on the verge of opening.
