Life in LaBocaina

2006-12-27T10:12:00.000-08:00

TO KEEP THINGS SEPARATE AND UNCLUTTERED I AM PUTTING A "RECENT THOUGHTS AND STORIES FROM THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC" SECTION SEPARATE ON THIS RELATED SITE : http://eddufortnotes.blogspot.com/

BIG THANK -YOUS ;

Just wanted to note some of the following people who have helped out over here so far ;

- Laura Anderson - $40 unspecified

- Susanne StYves - funds for a cement floor $40

- Elsie and Gilbert d'Eschambault $200 unspecified

- Roger d'Eschambault - crop investment / now turned donation - $500

- Dean Schrader - cement floor -$40

- Wayne Klassen - cement floor -$40

- Curt Vande Velde $40 (unspecified)

- Michelle Schrader - cement floor -$40

- Carmelle Daigneault - cement floor -$40

- Room 200 Social Club - Niakwa Park Plaza $100 (unspecified)

- Roger Fournier and Paulette - funds for rechargeable flashlights, very usefull as it saves on batteries here, we are now flashlight winding fools. $100

- Holy family Parish - $350 for 5 cement floors and $ 400 helping put in a crops for Monroa, Josée and Milsiarde, as well as few cell phones. (they are planning on coming over to help put in some floors)

- All those who came to the two Wpg concert fundraisers, funds for 4 floors and for building a swim area.

- Phil Dufort - for helping generously with Julito`s crop and for some very useful walkie talkies.

- Taraneh Rohani - $50 for a cement floor.

- Anne Marie Gignac, for a very nice Radio Canada television piece, and $80 funds for cement floor.

- Margaret Dufort, for some generous funds and Christmas gifts.

- Norma Lacroix-Gagné - $100 funds for 2 floors

- Jaqueline Lacroix - $500 funds for crops (2 0r 3), probably for Neero and for Josée Castillo, crops for March 2007.

- Erique Duhaime - $40 funds for a cement floor.

- Alexandre Duhaime - $40 funds for a family to take a trip to the beach!
can see some of the swim-trip at http://eddufortnotes.blogspot.com/ 1/4 of way down webpage

- Alvin Kaskie and Linda Zacharias $100 (unspecified)

- WE'RE DOING WHAT WE CAN AND WE'RE ALWAYS HAPPY TO GET MORE HELP ...

VIDEO - crops near village, cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes - spring, summer 2006 - workers and kids (working on some subtitles)

2006-12-03T01:13:00.000-08:00

VIDEO OF LOCAL FOLKS, AND AREA + BEAN HARVEST 10 KLICKS UP THE ROAD,

2006-12-02T01:21:00.000-08:00

Neero and his cows as we're breaking the land for the main crops with Father Quinn's tractor, they are like his pets, it's a constant challenge to get pasture land for them though. You can see the entrance to the village across the river in the background.

My motorbike and local ambulance, or for fast chicken delivery service, meds delivery or just "who took my bike!"

Building the small blockade to raise the water for a swim area and possible future eco-tour swim area, where people could stop for lunch. They did a great job of building it so it blends in naturally. We let it run naturally and just have to plug a small section to raise the water to swim. - Big thanks to everyone who came to Dale & Rhian's house concert to make this happen!

2006-12-01T13:54:00.000-08:00

THE STORY :

I left Winnipeg to experiment with something new, also on a quest for simplicity. I landed in a little place I visited years ago in the Dominican Republic. The people here remembered me from having volunteered there long ago, and welcomed me with open arms. It's a land of coffee farmers, no electricity, beater cars (my fellow car club members), little supplies, no local super value. I have chickens running through my room, bachata playing loud at the neighbors, much smaller and less various diet but good. (continued after photo)

(Entrance to LaBocaina, it doesn't go much farther)

After making repeated excursions from my safe hotel base in San Jose de Ocoa, to this town of LaBocaina one hour north, I was integrated in the Community as a live in guest with a family who ran the local store, which happened to be located in their house. They basically adopted me. I spent time getting to know the local people, the culture and the area as well as learning Spanish.

As a way to get more involved, as well as a way to try to help out, I engaged in growing crops with Julito, the papa, and a coffee farmer. I offered to assist other families put in crops too. (continued after photo)

(friends from up the mountain coming in for supplies at the store)

They were curious as to why I would leave the land of milk and honey in order to come to the land of rice and beans - everytime I answered the same thing; something different, more quiet pace, nature, an opportunity to try small scale agriculture, the adventure. The dream of so many Dominicans is to make it to New York, and I am dreaming the opposite way, so they have accepted me as insane.

I never set out to look for differences but I noticed that one does enter into a world of 'con Dios', ' gracias a Dios' or 'si Dios quiere' - a sincere expression of their richness of faith.

Moré picking oranges - we planted 40 papaya trees in his yard up the slope. We had enough money to floor one room in his house.

Just like when I was in China, society here seems more close-knit and interdependent. I don't know if that is a survival trait of all poorer countries, or just a consequence of having avoided the information and technological booms of North America, but they seem to spend much more time visiting and talking. I think we may have been like this decades ago in North America and lost a lot of that to the information age, but enough of my sociological rant.

Cooking supper in the back yard. It's illegal to use power tools to get wood, all is with machetee - this was a law put in to prevent excessive deforesteation.

Apart from enjoying life here, I am trying to see what I can do. I got friends in Winnipeg to help raise some concert money which went to put in cement floors for some houses that had dirt ones. Upon the request of the local people, we also used funds to damm an area of the stream for kids to swim and for a possible future eco-tour? and I am investing in crops with some families. I do a bit with my own funds, like helping a bit with those who can't afford meds, some food, lending my motorbike etc... something always comes up (continued after photo)

(Marisol, Julito's wife, & my girlfriend's mom, (basically my mom too) in her 20 item store, it's an important social center of the village - she's an amazing and tireless worker, cooking, cleaning and selling all day, sometimes all at the same time - whoever is hungry will always get a bite to eat here, (which happens everyday... ) How does she wake up? usually a customer yelling out her name, wanting eggs, buns or cigarettes etc.

.... I am trying to put more effort in helping them help themselves. I don't have the money to help too many families in the area with crops. The website is not only to share this experience with my friends back home but I am also inviting anyone who would like to help families put in crops or help them in other ways. The crops are not charity, an investor can make a profit off helping out, the risk is that it is agriculture, which by nature is not always successful. However it is a means of helping them work at what they know. Whatever amounts invested will help in putting in an ensemble of crops, and the return to an investor is %50 of averaged profits of all crops after costs, the families there do the work once they are enabled with the funds, and receive the other %50 of profits. The videos are about my pilot projects with that. There is an address at the end of this entry with suggestions for donations or ideas for investment if you are interested (where the writing is orange color). I am not an organization so I am not able to give tax receipts. Our crop figures for 2006 are posted at the bottom of this website.

Milsiarde dropping off banana bunches, sold to passing car or trucks. A banana bunch sells for an average 30 to 45 pesos, about $1.25 CAD - a fryer chicken costs about 140 pesos - $4.60 CAD.

I am not an expert in their financial means or budgets, neither do I like to inquire too much about private details. What I do know is that they do struggle, many often have to take out loans to eat and to make ends meet, and hope the next coffee season will pay it off. They often have to sell land to pay for such things as medical expenses, which deteriorates their income capability - most don't have any savings and can use improvements in their living conditions. They often can't afford to take the extra financial risk of paying to put in a crop, but if they have the time and someone else provides the financial means, they will work and share 50% of the profit with the financer, after costs are paid off to the financer.

Typical home with outdoor cooking, this is one eye'd Pedro's home, happy chap.

Our pilot project did fair, we had two straight weeks rain and 2 of the 5 crops failed to make a profit. @ had success, one broke even. 3 families lost some labor time in the field - they didn't loose money because I was the investor. One family made $1702.94 Canadian, one made $100, - which means I made the same amount as I get 50% being the investor. The total profits made up for the crops that failed. In the end, over all, I made a profit of $980.93 Canadian after averaging all losses and gains together. This profit went into a new green (and yellow?) pepper crop with one family. So far we have had tomatoes, peppers, beans, onions, cucumbers. (continued after photo)

(wow, I have a cow)

They are already experienced farmers but we still we look for all the advise we can get, we talk to as many farmers and agriculture specialists as we can as we go. My hopes are that I will eventually be able to use profits to buy land so they can run this independantly.

so apart from seeing what I'm up to from this site, if you are interested in helping out too, there's 2 ways

*** INVESTMENT IDEAS ***
- Co-investor in part of a crop (anywhere between $20 and $200 canadian).

- Investor for an entire crop ($400 to $500 canadian can put in a crop for a whole family)

- Next crops would be put in somewhere from January to March 2007.

*** SOME DONATION IDEAS ***
- $40 CAD puts in a cement floor for a house.

- Donate for part of a crop instead of invest - same $dollar choices as investments, but families there receive all profits instead of 50% of profits.

- Donation to leave it up to me for whatever I feel is needed (odd meds or hospital costs, shoes, ambulance rides (not my bike, real ambulance) etc as things come up.

- Also I would love to take some people to the beach, especially some kids, it's the Dominican Republic and many have never seen the ocean as they can't afford the bus ride, so I may look for help to try to rent a van and do this once or twice, I went twice on my motorbike.

- Small electronics, walkmen, radios, watches cellphones are popular, used or not, most can't afford these things, they are also assets for them if things get tight.

- You can also give me any of your ideas/thoughts/questions...I may try other things to help out, like raise rabbits or a make fish pond.

I am doing my best to give where it seems most appropriate, I do this in consultation with the village council and other people in the area or in San Jose de Ocoa.

The above is a paypal button, but if that doesn't work for some reason, anyone interested in helping with an investment or donation can send a cheque at the address below. You can email me at ed_dufort@hotmail.com and specify how you may want to help according to the above choices in orange, or send a small (or large) note with a cheque.

If not specified I let people know how their funds are used.
the following is the address to send a cheque :

Edmond Dufort
997 Chancellor dr
Winnipeg Manitoba
R3T 4S2

or to contact me, email
ed_dufort@hotmail.com
thanks

This is the land we rented across the river from the village, where we put in tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and onions. My horse is actually under the tree, (you can see it if you click to enlarge), we use it for plowing - it lets them ride it but not me - (so far).
I can actually zoom in on "Google earth" to see this plot of land and the shape and shadow of each individual tree bordering the plot- blurry mind you...as well as each roof in the village...then zoom out a bit and follow a path to Winnipeg - blows me away!

JOSEE'S FAMILY

2006-11-19T22:18:00.000-08:00

2006-11-19T22:17:00.000-08:00

Red bean crop growing beside a bowl of what we'll harvest, usually cooked in tomato sauce - and eaten with rice, together they make up the main staple food around here.

Seeding after the horse broke the land, Julito eating sugarcane

2006-11-19T22:15:00.000-08:00

Milsiarde, Josee and wife Nena drying coffee, one of the 4 families who received a cement floor for their house Nena just had her first baby so this will contribute to a healthier life for him. Thanks to Sue StYves for financing putting in a floor!

Oranges from José's tree - am telling Nena "you press the big button!" they live up the mountain where it's half coffee half forest, coffee grower, always smily and offering something.

Julito my main agriculture associate, his 2 grandkids Diana and Alexanderon on the left and his niece Arrabelli on the right
the tank is for cooking with gas when there is money for it, otherwise we use wood

___________________________________________

DETAILS OF FIGURES, PROFITS AND LOSSES, BY FAMILIES IN 2006 :

- In my own investments, monetary gains are hopefully made by the families I support, while I keep a small percentage of benefits to get by myself - However monetary losses, if they occur, are incurred by myself only.

- in 2006 - 2 weeks of rain did in the peppers, cucumbers, onions.

* * * Total salaries for work in the fields = $95 650 pesos ($3,271.82 CAD) went straight into the community in 2006, this is significant as there is high unemployment, as well it helped some students pay for university.

SYNOPSIS:
- Julito's tomatoes - he made $1702.94 canadian - (I made same figure to make up for my other crop losses)

- Julito's beans - he made $85.00 canadian (I made same figure) and about 2.5 month's supply of beans for Julito's family.

- Neero's tomatoes - crop made $5.15 canadian, I left him with $108 canadian to pay his work.

- William's + Fabio's cucumbers - loss of their labor time in field, I lost part of investment, - $9795 pesos loss (minus - $336.15 CAD loss)

- Josée's peppers - he made $102.86 canadian as I bought off his %50 the crop while the crop was in it's growing stages, so the crop became 100% mine ( he left to tend to moving his family ) - after rain and harvest I lost part of investment, -$11400 pesos loss (minus -$390.89 CAD loss)

- Josée's onions - he lost time in field, I lost total investment, -$2500 pesos loss (minus -$85.65 CAD loss)

Total gains and losses together averaged out that I came out on top with a $ 980.93 CAD profit as an investor (which went into helping with next crops to harvest in 2007).

DETAILS :
_______________________

Julito's family (Tomatoes in 2006 - successfull profit) ( tomatoes suffered from rain and disease but we came out on top)
Total Costs Invested = $213, 013 pesos - ($ 7,312.00 CAD)
Crop Made $312,290 pesos - ($ 10,719.00 CAD)
Profit = $99,227 pesos - ($ 3,406.00 CAD)
Profit divided by 2 = each got $49,613 pesos - ($1,702.94 CAD each)

* a used fumigator, an essential piece of equipment, was purchased for everyone's use using tomato profits, they are part of costs, $8000pesos or $ 273.98 CAD.
* about 95% of salaries were derived from Julito's tomato crop as it was labor intensive.
total salaries = $95 650 pesos ($3,271.82 CAD) which went straight into the community.

________________________

Neero's family (Tomatoes in 2006 - small profit) (he did his own labour, tomatoes suffered from rain and disease)
Total Costs Invested 13,526pesos ($464.294 CAD)
Crop Made - 13,825pesos ($474.535 CAD)
Profit = 300 pesos ($10.30 CAD)
Profit divided by 2 = $150 pesos ($5.15 CAD each) ** gave him extra $3000pesos to encourage him ($103.00 CAD)

________________________

Julito's family (Bean crop in 2005 semi-successful)
Total Costs Invested $25 000 pesos ($855.00 CAD)
Crop Made $30,000 pesos ($1,026.24 CAD)
Profit = $ 5000 pesos ($171.06 CAD)
Profit divided by 2 = $2500 pesos ($85.53 CAD each + 2.5 month's supply of beans)

________________________

William's + Fabio's families (Cucumbers were rained out, incurred loss) (they did their own labour and worked together)
Total Costs Invested $10,845pesos ($372.19 CAD)
Crop Made (recovered) - $1050pesos ($36 CAD)
Loss $9795 pesos ($336.15 CAD)

________________________

Josee's family (Peppers were rained out, I incurred loss) ( he did his own labor)
* Total Costs Invested $18,850 pesos ($646.494 CAD)
Crop Made $7450 pesos ($255.48 CAD)
Loss $11400 pesos ($390.89 CAD)

* Total costs includes me buying off pepper crop for $3000 pesos ($102.86 CAD) to free Josee up, this was before the rain, he had to tend to moving his family - so I became sole owner of peppers. Josee made $3000 pesos ($102.86 CAD).

Josee's family again (Onions were rained out) ( he did his own labor)
Total cost $2500 pesos ($85.65 CAD)
Loss was total $2500 pesos ($85.65 CAD)

________________________

TOTALS

- $1793.62 CAD my total profit MINUS losses of $812.69 CAD = $980.93 CAD gain or total average profit from gains and losses of all crops. This profit is going into paying for a crop of peppers already in - so far $40,000.00 pesos ($1,369.90 CAD) have been put into peppers. Harvest should be in January, will keep you posted.

I came back to Winnipeg to try to make more cash so that the next investments would not be so nerve racking.
Was not so successful in working in Winnipeg which is why I hope to open this idea up to other investors.

best mama in the world (eating her famous soup) who put up with me back home and helped so much, thanks to dad too for donating $500 for a crop.

Gua - and his 2 kids + 1 neighbor kid - he's our 'energizer bunny' worker, still hoping to make enough to fix his motorbike ... finds sporadic work in agriculture in the region. I hope to help fund him to put in a crop sooner or later.

French teacher and friend from San Jose de Ocoa, kids from his neighborhood