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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2003-01-29, Page 20PAGE 20. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 29, 2003. Ethel man does mission work in El Salvador Building a future When Bob Alexander of Ethel headed to El Salvador last November, he helped construct six new homes for villagers along with six other men from the Ethel and Listowel area. In back, from left: Lloyd Klages, Alexander, Art Pommer and Ron Bowles. In front, George Gracey, Russell Fair and Jeff Potter. (Photo submitted) By Janice Becker Citizen staff It was not only a mission to take much-needed supplies to an El Salvadoran village, but a journey for seven men from the Ethel-Listowel area to help build new homes for its residents. Bob Alexander of Ethel was one of the six seniors (one participant was a university student) who travelled south last November to build six steel-framed and sided homes in the community of Cantdn Las Lajas in the west end of El Salvador. 55 kilometres from the capital of San Salvador. Ron Bowles, a veteran of humanitarian trips south and the father of Alexander’s son-in-law, asked the Ethel man to accompany him on the most recent excursion. While Alexander contributed to the aid venture financially, Bowles and others collected donations and goods which would be given to the villagers. The group transported 12, 70- pound hockey bags filled with clothing, hospital and school supplies and even a wheelchair. Alexander credits Bowles with much of the work done for the trip as he goes south twice a year and has been doing so for the past four years. Sun at a premium Continued from page 1 and two that had a mix of sun and cloud. “We’re hard-pressed for sunshine.” And while all of this snow may seem a bit much, for the declining lake levels it’s only a drop in the bucket. Geoff Peach of the Lake Huron Centre for Coastal Conservation explains that what has been happening has been localized as lake-effect snow. This is basically the evaporated water from the lakes which is picked up and dropped inland. “There is no net difference,” said Peach. Looking at the precipitation over the lakes. Peach adds that Lake Huron has actually received 52 per cent of what it usually gets. Arriving at a resort on the banks of Lake Coatepegue. the team prepared for 10 days of travelling into the mountains for the construction work. “There were armed guards at the gateway to the resort every night and every delivery truck has to have an armed guard,” said Alexander. Once the supplies were purchased locally, and contact made with the local humanitarian agency Asociacion de Desarrollo Integral Masada, the men journeyed to the village where Alexander said the people were “just poor”. Construction began on the 20- foot by 20-foot homes. Of that size, four feet was used along the front for a covered porch and the inside dimension of 16 by 20-feet was divided in half for two 16 by 10 sections. The one half was then divided again into two bedrooms, each eight by 10-feet. This would serve for a family with several children. Alexander tells of meeting one woman whose husband had left her with eight children. They would occupy one of the new homes. Each house costs $1,000 for the steel framing and sheeting. Each home has it own sink, though it is cement and sits outside. While the Canadians were responsible for constructing the frame, and adding the roof and siding, locals would eventually put cement floors in the homes. No serious impact from closures Continued from page 1 purposes so those are not counted as closed,” he said. He also noted that the same schools were not closed on each of the three days so some students may have had only one or two days off. While most schools in The Citizen's readership area were closed all three days, Stratford-area schools remained open. Howe said the secondary schools there were more severely impacted than the elementary schools because there are more students bused in from rural areas. It is not expected the closures will have any serious impact on school These homes are among the 48 built by Canadians since a earthquake in 1990 destroyed 2,800 homes. Medical supplies were taken to the local clinic and books and pencils given to the school. The teacher asked if we had a pair of pants for a seven-year-old boy, said Alexander, but by then all the clothes had been given out. We had nothing. While the young girls are always dressed, Alexander said the boys often are not. However, the boys are the first to be given the opportunity to attend school which costs $100 per year. The children particularly loved the wooden pull toys someone had donated, he said. In this community of 3,000 people, Alexander said there were 25 cars, three big trucks and five pick­ ups owned by the co-op. Much of the farming in El Salvador is done through co-ops, with 50 to 75 in existence. The Cantdn co-op has 237 members. With the volcanic surroundings, the main crop of coffee is grown on a very steep incline where manual labour is the only real option for planting and harvest. The fact that coffee is the main crop is also part of the reason for the poverty in the region. While the crop sells for $45 per 100 pound bag, it costs $65 to grow, said Alexander. Though the farmers are not getting programming at this point said Howe. “There are 194 legislated instructional days and there are 198 or 199 calendar days.” Though there may be some tightening of schedules, Howe does not expect to see any extracurricular event cancellations unless several more days are lost to the weather. Most teachers in schools that rely heavily on bused students have a plan in place in preparation for missed days, said Howe. Students are encouraged to take their reading materials home with them as well as spelling and math books so studying can be done on snow days. paid, the coffee business fuels much of the rest of the economy in El Salvador so the government supports the continuation of the harvest, he said. The other crop grown on the mountains is corn. The Salvadorans grind the corn to make meal. Alexander was not very fond of the result, saying it tasted likes his field corn had been ground and a little water added. While the Canadians were impressed by the ability of the women and young girls to carry five CRA/G N/CHOLSON A Riding Revolution By Craig Nicholson (©2003 by Craig Nicholson. All rights reserved.) Regular readers know I'm not a sled head or a technophobe. I wouldn’t know a piston from a carburetor. All I want is a sled that performs reliably and comfortably on tour, and I really don’t care how that happens. Last winter, I rode a sled that was so remarkable even I had to break tradition to write about it — although I still don’t care how it works... The Ski-Doo MXZ REV 800 hits the snow this season. It may be destined to change the way we ride snowmobiles. Ski-Doo engineers built this new platform around the rider, instead of adding the rider to a preconceived design. They shifted the operator forward more than 12" , off that hard-working rear suspension and on to the centre of the sled, approximately where the gas cap would now be on a conventional machine. The biggest benefit: no more being jarred by bumps! This shift forward forces the rider to sit more comfortably, back straight and upright. When sitting on a conventional sled, my back is in exactly the position my doctor tells me to avoid at my office desk, one that allows it to suffer every bump on the trail unprotected. With my feet directly beneath me on the REV, it took little effort to stand when necessary, using the strongest muscles in my body, my thighs. On a normal sled, standing involves pulling oneself upright by reefing on the handle bars using arms and shoulder muscles. The rider back position of a conventional sled also requires significant upper body strength to steer. Not so on the REV, as I believe many women will soon appreciate. Riding the REV is unlike riding Mike KellsJim Bauer Service to most makes of small engines Automotive farm and tire service ARCTIC CAT What Snowinobiliiig's All About.rM Your Arctic Cat Sledquarters 519-345-2248 gallon containers of water on their heads, the locals were equally impressed with the six seniors who came to build homes. The age range of the Canadians was 65 to 71, a rarity amongst the villagers, let alone being able to work. “Few men lived past 60 and if they did, they were (unable to work),” said Alexander. Though nonchalant about his mission to Central America, Alexander said he would probably go again if asked. any other snowmobile. From the saddle, there is very little sled to be seen in front, so the sensation is like sitting in front of an IMAX movie of the trail, with nothing between rider and the snow but handle bars. How impressed was I by the Ski- Doo MXZ REV 800 as a touring sled? I put on almost 450 miles on trails that ranged from chattery to tabletop and have never felt more relaxed, comfortable or in total control. No doubt, the Ski-Doo MXZ REV is one unique looking sled, but with electric start and reverse, the REV becomes ideal for touring. You can even carry four quarts of oil in the rear compartment and add a removable two-up seat to carry a passenger comfortably. And the new roomy saddle bag stayed in place like glue. Best of all, that sled is designed so that the wind deflects, not slamming your chest or freezing the rider. On smooth trails in a touring situation, I didn’t always sit in that up front ‘jockey’ position unique to the REV. But even when I shifted my butt back into more traditional seating, 1 still wasn’t as far back on the REV as I would have been on a conventional sled nor subject to the same pounding. Ski-Doo has raised the bar on snowmobile evolution and I can hardly wait to take my new REV on tour this winter! Until next time, remember that snowmobilers care about the environment too. For trail condition reports check out ofsc.on.ca Craig Nicholson is a regular contributor to Snow Goer, Canada's Snowmobiling Magazine. The Intrepid Snowmobiler also appears on radio and on Snowmobiler Television. The opinions expressed are solely those of the author.