The Agusan Agriculture team has been doing all
kinds of work this summer. The team consists of Eric, team leader, Sam, and their
Filipino partner, Weng. They started with planting rubber trees on a hillside at the
BOOST during week one, which involved digging holes, filling them with
goat manure, and planting the tree. At their peak, the team would dig 50-70 of these
holes in a day. The downside is that they would come home covered in manure and
dirt.
The team also poured cement
walkways for the BOOST and spent time fixing water filters in villages.
These water filters use sand and carbon to filter water, and are usually good
for life. However, some water sources have high iron content that can clog up
the filter, and if people scoop out the sand to unclog it the filter no longer
works correctly. Some new sand and cleaning up does the trick to provide
much-needed clean water for villagers.
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| Part of the fixed fence |
When I was with the team we were fixing the
barbwire fence around the BOOST property. Some wooden posts
needed to be inserted and some cement ones reattached to the wire, which was
often covered by fallen trees and other jungle foliage.
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| clearing foliage and trees off the fence boundary |
Working in the sun (and with the high humidity) means that the team often comes home covered in sweat. Fortunately, they
have pretty good facilities at the BOOST. They've rigged a hose to create a
makeshift shower. They have electricity so they can run a
refrigerator and fan. This means they can have fresh meat, relax
with a fan and enjoy cold desserts such as mango float. Weng is an excellent
cook, and comes from a family that owns a restaurant in Davao, so every night
is another delicious meal. While the guys have once or twice expressed a pang
of guilt because other teams don't live as nicely, they remember the first week
of work and being covered in manure and they don't feel so bad anymore.
All in all, the team works hard. They get great
facilities to rest hard. We had great evenings of music, food and fun stories
to share. Though only a team of three, they plow through all tasks before them.
And although Eric and Sam go to rival schools, Auburn University and University
of Alabama, respectively, you wouldn't know it. I found in the team a
brotherhood; three men who were ready to work as hard as they needed to to get
the task done. Know that these men are doing well here despite the heat and
hard work.
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The BOOST... Home for the team and base for the local ministry they work with.
The healthcare teams are also operating out of this project. |
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| Burning out the bees. |
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| Rocks for a stable post base |
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| a rubber tree sapling being planted |
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| Fixing a water filter |
