HOSPITALITO ATITLÁN LAND PRESENTATION
The Hospitalito’s land presentation was very nice. Congratulations to Kaslimaal and the hospitalito for all their hard work.
It was a very nice sunny day. The property was cleaned up, a stage was made, balloons and ribbon decorating it. Lynn had made a display with lots of photographs of the old hospitalito, the current one, and plans of the new one.
Chairs were set in front of the stage and behind them there was a little booth, attended by the local staff from the Hospitalito. They were doing a campaign, “one block for your health”. A high quality block costs five Quetzales.
Members of the staff and volunteers were there. A group of comadronas came, older Atitecas. The Red Cross came with the new Santiago Atitlan ambulance. Cofrades showed up. Diego Esquina, the mayor, was there as well, sitting up next to the stage with the Comite Kaaslimal. At first there seemed to not be a lot of people, but when the event started all these people showed up.
Irene first took the stage and did an introduction, welcoming everyone.
Francisco Sojuel then gave a moving speech.
Before beginning he asked everyone to observe one minute of silence remembering the victims of Stan.
He then talked about four basic phases that the Hospitalito has gone through. The first phase was in the late seventies, when Care was funding the hospitalito out in Panabaj.
The second, when Comite Kaslimaal was founded and started and incredible process; to clean and rehabilitate the Hospitalito.This was fruit of many volunteer groups and local football teams.
The third phase, Francisco said, was Hurricane Stan and the reestablishment of the hospitalito in Tzanchicham.
About five days before the anniversary of the disaster, Francisco began to remember the day Stan happened and he relived this experience with several people from the audience. Francisco talked about how Leah and him went out to the Hospitalito the morning after the mudslide in Panabaj, and how it took them an hour to get out there (a trajectory that normally takes about 15 minutes approximately).
The perseverance of all the doctors and people involved with the hospital is incredible, said Francisco; -“it only took us fifteen days to get the hospital up and running”-.
The fourth phase is the current phase, says Chico. The hospitalito has bought land. The hospitalito has architectural plans. The hospitalito has a future.
Francisco talked about all the people and organizations that have helped. The majority of them are not from this town, but want to help.
He talked about Ray and Ron, and the piece of land that they bought for the Hospitalito.
He thanked Ken Wood and PuebloaPueblo for all the work they have done and are doing.
He then pointed out the outline done on the ground with chalk of the Hospitalito’s planned building area. It is truly amazing to stand in the middle of this outline and see the size that the hospitalito will be.
Francisco then asked the mayor and the Municipalidad, whom were present, for all their support in making the entry road wider so that the ambulances could get through.
Juan Tzina got on stage to show the measurements of the land.
Kathy and Irene got up to talk about the statistics at the Hospitalito (how many people had been treated, for what, what age, sex, etc.). This portion surprised me, for the quantity of people treated is incredible if you think that the Hospitalito has only just started working not two years ago.
Diego Esquina got his turn. He was very brief, saying he deeply respects the effort done by Kaslimaal. The effort has borne fruit. He said; -“any organization that uplifts and develops the town in a positive way will always have the support of the Municipalidad”-.
At the end Francisco asked if anyone wanted to say any words.
A man from the audience got up and said he was thrilled to be there. He asked if all the members of the Comite would stand up on the stage and be recognized.
The next activity was the digging of the first ditch. Different atitecos including teachers and coffee beneficio members and members of the community got a shovel with a ribbon around it and they dug into the ground along the chalk outline.
David from the Posada. Betty from the bank. Little atiteco children. The pastor of the Alfa y Omega. Comadronas. Many others.
At the end, the hospitalito handed out donated trees to everyone, to make up for the trees that have and will be cut down to build the hospitalito.
The hospitalito handed out Pine trees because the name of the area where the new hospitalito will be is called Xet’chaj, meaning “Under the Pine Trees.” Everybody left with a little tree under their arms.
-Xelani Luz Foregger Velasquez
