Update 3/18/26
Well, I hope the fall and winter have been good for you, it’s been a long time! I have another update: Good news - the work on the school playground has started.
And some challenging news: the needs of Rafaela continue...
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Work has begun on building the roof for the school playground in Chontal. I'm including a few brief videos and a picture that I just received from the former community president Ines. Thank you again to everyone for collaborating - I hope you feel like a part of the effort, even though it's been 6 months or more since you gave!
Video 1:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1t100y-3CGJXmRw9oYRs0QnCL6jXzuBb2/view
Video 2:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rfPTpBmcLjU9GuTDtLQ4iGGafsjG_1WL/view
Delays were caused by several factors. There were strikes against the government early on that shut down relevant commercial connections, coupled with a turnover at the company that was providing supplies, plus turnover in the leadership in Chontal.
But the work is finally started, and you can check out the beginnings here. I will post any more updates as well.
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Rafaela's recovery from open heart surgery continues along well enough, thankfully. However, she has a number of other conditions, and doctors just raised her expensive thyroid medication dosage. In the meantime, the operation for her tear ducts is suspended because the clinic doing the operation doesn't currently have all the right medications on hand for it.
I'll be reviewing whether it's a good idea to open up the fundraiser again this mid-year for Rafaela's needs. If so, I'll post again.
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Thank you again for your collaboration and support in making something special happen in Ecuador. As we've seen, sometimes our efforts don't show outward effects until after a while. In fact, a lot of the most important things we do in life often don't have an effect in the short term - and sometimes not even in our lifetimes. Hopefully, you might agree with me that the deeper joy and satisfaction in simply doing them - and the relationships they form and grow - are the true reward.
-Jerome
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