The road is steep and the land narrow. Yellow butterflies fly cross it freely, oblivious to the oncoming traffic. On the right, where the slope begins to sag, is the home of Mary Minyetty Dilcia Diaz, a housewife of 70 years with over suntanned skin - she has always made a living from the sale of pigeon peas (guandules) , cassava, and domestic animals, but today has nothing to offer, "because things are difficult" she says. Her humble home, located three meters from a cliff, is on a row of tin houses, as poor as the rest of The Lagunetas.At the entrance of this community are huge "jobo" trees that serve as the central park, with three cement blocks used as seats.
"In one week I can work 3 days and I get paid RD$300 per day when there is work. Right now there is not much," says Jairo Solano Minyeti, a young man in his twenties who never passed the fourth grade of elementary school. At his side, under the shadow of jobo, three boys sit to kill time. They are not alone - recently a long drought affected agricultural
production, left dozens of "campesinos" (country person) without work. The land has now been prepared for farming but they have no seeds to plant. From the park can see how some adults talk under the midday sun with nothing to do. There is no electricity, and because, at the lunch, there is nothing to fill the empty cooking pots. Hunger is also reflected in the boys stomachs as they eat freshly cut cucumbers. A cucumber, with 97% water in its composition, may be the highlight of any young persons day in Las Lagunetas. "Here you eat what is produced, and if nothing is produced you dont eat," says Jairo while greeting fellow neighbors.
Production and future
The women in the community have a greenhouse of 300 square meters, and the knowledge needed to operate it. But they do not have the resources to put it into production. Josefa Amarilis Andújar, president of the Mirabal Sister Producers Association, says that some "Americans" brought in by the Jarabaoca Development Board will be in charge of getting things started including the planting of garlic cuttings that are grown widely in the area. Today the women need seed, fertilizers and general repairs before being able to start up once more.
On the other hand, men have their hands full when confronted with the problem of irrigation. They do not have the necessary pipes needed to connect to their community to the Arroyo Palma dam, located about a mile away. The lack of constant access to water was what exacerbated the effects of past droughts, and caused the land to change from a lush green landscape to the yellow aridity it is today. As Angel Emilio Andújar, Elijah and Matthew Tejera evaluate the costs of the pipe they need, the mayor complains about the continued lack of support from the authorities.
"They just come to seek votes. No one remembers us after the campaign," says Maria Andujar Luis Solano, 82.
Multi-grade school
In The Lagunetas is a multi-grade school, where children and adolescents of different ages and levels are within the same classroom. School supplies are donated by outside sources.
Juana Maria Franco Mateo is the teacher who twice a day, every week, arrives in his motor to run the classes, struggling to navigate the rocks and mud en route to the school. Matt Franco was a teacher at the school 8 years ago, and knows all to well that many of their students have the intention and capacity to learn, but they live in large families with material limitations.
