Day 3 - Emily

Today was our first day waking up in Ile-A-Vache. None of us were anticipating the heavy rains that come during the middle of the night. I honestly thought the roof would collapse! Today’s main goal was island familiarization. Some of the key areas we visited were the new Kakoc community center, the Kakoc well, helicopter pads, the proposed road, Abaca bay, local businesses, and we also hiked to higher ground to get an aerial view.

At certain points on our hike, we would pause and discuss the social, political, and cultural significance of what was before us. For instance, at the Kakoc well, Capt. Lennon illustrated a picture of what getting water is like on IAV. Most of the wells have no record of their installation. All are contaminated with anything from Cholera to Giardia. This particular well has runoff from higher ground, including animal dung, debris, and possibly animals/insects. The cover is also broken off of the well, leaving it completely open and exposed. The pump was not functioning either. We watched a young girl arrive with a bucket attached to a thin wire. She would lower the bucket down, fill it, pull it up, and set it down. Since she was barefoot, she likely had stepped in something along the way. By setting the bucket down, this demonstrated the vicious cycle of water contamination on the island. The typical person getting water is the young girl in the home. Obtaining water is a full-time job. Some girls can’t go to school, as water for cooking, drinking, bathing is of priority.

The proposed road is the source of much tension on IAV. We saw areas where locals had laid across dung, trees, and barbed wire in silent protest. This was mainly to stop further demolition, and prevent government officials travelling by motorcycles from easily passing through.

Once we were closer to Abaca Bay, we noticed the two large helicopter pads. Although this is valuable from an EM standpoint, they are likely being used to transport wealthy tourists, rather than med-evac sick people. Abaca Bay clashes a bit with it’s surroundings. Although it is beautiful hotel, and something honey-mooners and vacationers would dream of visiting, it truly is sad for those who understand it’s implications on the island. We didn’t see many people staying here when we stopped by. Abaca Bay takes it’s water from the community. In theory, they are obliged to give back (possibly with water hoses, etc). In reality, there has been no effort on their part yet to create such a system.

On the way back to Kakoc, we met Bill from Just Mercy. Bill will be in charge of a cooperative on the island involving the saw mill. Most of us were tired from a long day of walking. We aren’t used to this type of terrain back home! Familiarizing ourselves with the island really did provide a deeper understanding of what’s around us, rather than just soaking in the pretty views and white sand.