Final Projects

Projects!

As we enter our last six weeks of missionary service we are opening just a few small projects, and trying to close, close, close things down.  

Vidativa

Volunteers Painting the Vidativa Women's Shelter

We are doing a project to help a woman’s shelter just blocks from our apartment on Fogo.  The project will refresh the shelter's interior and exterior, update the bathroom, provide new beds, and provide kitchen equipment.  The organization has years of service assisting women and children who have experienced domestic abuse.  It was a fun project, as we were able to visit the site each day as they transformed the facility.

Helper Painting the Inside of the Women's Shelter

Mosteiros Community Health Project

Casal Biven with "Sunday" a Red Cross Volunteer

While in Mosteiros last week we met with Sunday who is one of our partners in the community health project.  He reported that training continues as individuals needing help are visited.  We were very excited for the ongoing project success.

Relva Community Center 

Sr. Andrade - Associacao Juvenil de Relva

We met Sr. Andrade, the president of the Associacao Juvenil de Relva, in a somewhat miraculous way.  When we arrived 16 months ago there was a proposal waiting for us from the Associacao Juvenil de Relva.  It was outside of the scope of what we could do at that time, but we attempted to contact the organization repeatedly when we traveled to Fogo.  Then we gave up.  A month ago we were sitting in the Mosteiros chapel foyer during a district meeting, answering humanitarian and medical calls and a man walked in and introduced himself.  It was Sr. Andrade!  He addressed us by name.  He found us!  And we agreed to meet him in Relva the following week.

We traveled to Relva and learned more about his organization.  They have been working with youth to expand their horizons and help them grow personally and vocationally.  Relva is a small agricultural community with little employment, so the mentoring provided is invaluable.  Here is Sr. Andrade is in front of the community center which was built by local volunteers.  They have asked for tables and chairs to be used for classes to be taught by volunteers, and two computers for their ongoing effort to expose the youth to technology.  These will also give youth a place in Relva where they can do homework.  This was one of the first projects we encountered upon arrival, and it will be the last new project we submit.

Fogo water project closes!

Sr. Rodrigues - Chief Engineer for Agua Brava

Finally, through successful management of the accounting and final training efforts, we have managed to close the five year old, very large, Fogo water project.  Wow.  Before we left the Provo MTC the water specialist on this project drove to Provo and asked to meet with us.  "Can you please find a way to get the Fogo water project closed?" he asked.   It took diligence and patience, and reviewing lots of old and perhaps somewhat imprecise reports.  But we got it done!  Here is Elder Biven shaking hands with Sr. Rodrigues, the Chief Engineer of Agua Brava, the main partner on the project. This was a good project, providing water to over a thousand households.