My site assignment

My training group right after receiving our site
assignments. The map on the right is La Unión
department, and the lonely pink arrow on it
represents my site. (Photo credit: Catherine Lampi)

Yesterday was site assignment day, so now I know where I'll be dispatched for the next two years starting October 4. My community is Caserío Toreras, Cantón Lajitas, Municipalidad Polorós, which is located in northern La Unión department, just below the Honduran border. I'll be the only Peace Corps Volunteer in La Unión for six months, until the next batch of PCVs is sworn in. The other fourteen people in my training group are being sent to nearby Morazán department (9) and San Miguel department (5).

The tentative details I offered in my last post, before I knew the name and location of my site, still stand: it's isolated and mountainous; it has a population of about 230, with around 50 households; it has a school that goes up to sixth grade, a somewhat functional ADESCO, and has undertaken some projects recently with Engineers Without Borders. The community's economy is based mainly on subsistence agriculture and cattle raising, though the ADESCO recently funded the construction of three tilapia tanks, and the community is working to monetize this project. About 50% of the community lacks running water. The alcaldía (municipal government) of Polorós, to which the caserío of Toreras belongs, does not support Toreras due to some tension between the mayor and Toreras residents (I'm sure I'll mention this in future posts once I have gained a better understanding). Two Peace Corps volunteers have served in Toreras in recent years (one from 2008-2010 and the next from 2010-2012), and both have said the community is extremely safe.

I'll be living in the home of the ADESCO president and his wife, whose house is located in the middle of the community. I'll have my own room and access to running water and electricity. I should be able to access the internet at the home of the school director, who will be one of my Community Guides and someone I'll likely work closely with during my service. The nearest towns where I can buy groceries and access other basic services are Polorós and Nueva Esparta. To access these places I'll need to hike about forty minutes to the neighboring cantón, where the bus stop is located, then take the bus about forty-five minutes south.

Those are about all the details I have of my community at the moment. In about a month, once I've spent some time there, I'll be able to offer more than a superficial description. Feel free to contact me directly if you have any questions.