I like to think that time has also been affected by covid-19. Our planned expansions and visits have been put on hold. It's hard to give any project on-the-ground a fixed date. Our current reality has us waiting until the days before to see what mobility on the Frontera looks like, while the Honduran government continues to renew civilians's schedules to travel every two weeks. All of this constant waiting makes it feel like time is passing by slowly. It's only another Monday... another Friday...what number day, who knows??
Yet, for our team members, work has also picked up. We are working on project after project to continue involving our teachers and students through robotics, tablet distribution, reading, Kolibri use, creating a library and our usual behind-the-scenes work on our CREE channel with the Ministry of Education. When I think of how much we've accomplished in these months it also warrants how quickly time is passing, that now September is creeping up. Time has been slow...and also fast!
One of our efforts that was caught in this time limbo was our Intibuca STEM Center, a project we pitched late last year to local government officials as a space for creation and exploration for our entire Frontera. A space resembling the world-wide MakerSpace movement, with possibilities to recycle local materials and address waste management. We were put in contact with the community development government division, SEDECOAS, in early 2020. They would help us fund the building, making this effort shoulder to shoulder with the Honduran counterpart. An official release was signed (pictured) to start construction right before covid 19 struck Honduras in March and since then plans were put on hold.
After waiting two more months we finally saw some stirring. A construction leader arrived in Camasca to see the land where the center will have its home, but no construction started that day and then silence again.
Then another two months passed and a sign was posted, signalling an official construction site. We thought we were going to wait another two months before we saw movement again and before we knew it, the land was cleared, marked and construction was underway!! All in a matter of TWO WEEKS.
The secretary of SEDECOAS, Engineer Nelson Marquez (wearing white in the picture above) even visited the site with his team and they are excited to see how it develops. Our STEM Center is officially loading so make sure to stay tuned for how things progress in the next few months!
