The most difficult school:
Since our teachers agree that the Catholic School in El Torro is the hardest one to reach, and since the teachers depend upon motorcycles for transportation, part of the Elko fund will go to purchasing a motorcycle which Miguel Angel, the El Torro teacher, will use as he works to repay the loan for the vehicle. He and his family live in his parents´home, so he also needs to work towards buying a piece of land on which to build a home. For that reason, the sisters in our parish (who administer the godparents fund for some of the school children) will charge him one thousand pesos a month as a way to pay for the motorcycle loan. This amounts to one fifth of his monthly salary (which used to be four thousand pesos - and with Elko´s help for the salaries of the 10 teachers - and now will be five thousand pesos).
La finca Torral:
The Torral family has extensive holdings in the Paraíso area. They provide work for over thirty Haitian families. The school on their property lies about two thousand feet above the valley floor; above the orange tree plantation and in the middle of the coffee trees. The lower picture was taken from the school evelation. Because they live so far away from town, the children have very little chance of going beyond the level of education that the school can offer. None of their parents can afford a motorcycle.
Another motorcycle:
With the Elko fund we also purchased a used motorcycle for Manuel Feliz, the Haitian catechist. He lives in El Platón and has a proven record of free service to four communities in the area: El Torro, Lanza Arriba, Lanza Abajo and his home community of El Platón. He leads the Celebrations of the Word and the catechetical program as if he were a Deacon, but his level of education is way below the requierments for a Deacon even in the Diocese of Barahona.
Manuel´s Suzuki:
For the longest time, Manuel has had his heart set on obtaining a motorcycle. When he first asked me about it, there were no funds. He and Marino (a Haitian health promotor and adult education teacher in Platón) found one that only costs 16,500 pesos. Since we changed dolars into pesos at 33.1 the last time around, this motorcycle is around 500 dolars. It is a Suzuki A100 and went into service in 2003. This transportation will allow Manuel to attend meetings and give more attention to the surrounding communities. He teaches beautiful Haitian hymns.
The Torrales again:
With the tropical storm Noel, the Torral family lost buildings, infrastructure and a good portion of the orange tree harvest. The roads needed major improvements. The family has big political connections and is able to keep making a profit from their other investments. The finca provides work for lots of immigrant families because of its size. Each Haitian worker has his family on the plantation, and has access to a piece of land where he can grow his own subsistence crops. The arrangement holds steady for the time being.
Who is to judge?
Some people would look at this business and quickly judge that the Torrales are exploiting the haitian families... but the reality is more complex than a simple black and white assessment. By owning a major piece of property with over 65 thousand orange trees, the Torrales can weather bad years better than a small land owner. Their other businesses keep them going when the agriculture investment is in the red. All of this adds up to stability for the Haitian immigrants and their families. Perhaps it comes close to being capitalism with a strong dose of common sense and a touch of humanity. Also, large land owners understand better than most people the importance of protecting their investment from erosion. Thus they contribute to future generations by conserving what they can pass on.
