Construction site Fundacion

June 29, 2017

The red building, which has been seen in several photos, is the old part of the fundacion. It consists of a kitchen and dining room, as well as a smaller hall for childcare, which is occupied by the children in the afternoon. The office, the large auditorium, and a cleaning and laundry room are located on the first floor. Outside, at the same level, there are sinks. Alba and Marco and their two children live on the top floor, as well as the foster child Benito.

The spatial conditions are tight depending on the number of children, but everything works remarkably well. The staff and the children are well-coordinated, simple processes and clear rules facilitate living together. I can see that there are very different types of children here, including those who would be sedated with Ritalin with us. As I said, living together works very well. However, the learning ability of individuals under these conditions, especially under the local school conditions, I would describe as insufficient compared to us. But that is not the topic here now and has probably already been addressed for the umpteenth time. So ...

Today, Marco came down the stairs of the new building beaming, just before noon. 'This is a good day for me.' He was just on the top floor and inspected the work of the tile layer. He made very good progress (and actually completed the entire room until the end.) The windows and doors of the future childcare rooms were all installed, and several craftsmen, in total I counted seven at that time, were busy with their work or pre-work. Of course, the entire construction will not be finished, impossible. The residential part doesn't have to be either. Marco will finish it himself later. No rush, because it will be his new apartment and the old part will then free up space. As I said, no hurry.
By the way, I notice that Marco is a versatile person. He is familiar with construction and could probably do all the work himself and can therefore accompany it very well and critically. He enjoys his work and knows the places and offices where he has to knock at what time. He is knowledgeable about nutrition and kitchen and probably can do a lot more that I don't know about. His wife Alba is active in childcare and enjoys the highest respect from the children. She appears very strict in dealing with them, as she is very clear and speaks thoughtfully and clearly. And yet, she is a very cheerful woman who is often seen laughing.

Marco is responsible for the construction. He is on site and says what, where, and how things should be and work, and what needs to be improved or even redone. So today is a good day because although the fundacion will remain a construction site for a while, one can see that the new childcare rooms will be finished in one week. And that was the goal. They will be available after the summer holidays, and Marco can travel to Switzerland peacefully on July 7. He returns to his old homeland every two years to promote his project and, of course, to raise money. The fundacion needs that because this construction also entails an expansion of capacity.

There was a barbecue night tonight, an Ecuadorian one. Not with a gas grill and fixed bench. No, it was a drum personally converted by Marco, which was fueled with construction wood and then topped with beef and sausages. We ate around the drum, with beer and the pasta salad made by Laura. Everything was very good, including the pasta salad, although it had avocados, which is not my favorite thing. But really, very good. The meat was a bit tough at times, but I have never had beef served differently in South America. Once again, I had to realize that better Spanish skills would be of great use. I could have laughed more often because the atmosphere was great. By the way, all employees were invited, cleaning ladies, cooks, office staff, maintenance assistants, childcare workers, and volunteers. Not everyone came, but for those who were there, it was absolutely fantastic and harmonious.

So not only are buildings being worked on, but the working atmosphere is also being maintained. From this point of view, there will always be a construction site here. What is good must be nurtured. That's how it is everywhere, that's how it is with everything.