Project Summary:
Blessed Sacrament Parish has been involved with the Rancho Nazareth
boys' orphanage since 1995. The orphanage is run by the Order of the
Sacred Heart for the Poor and though they provide the boys with a secure
and warm environment, they do not have time nor energy to devote to the
general maintenance of the Rancho's extensive grounds.
To date, members of Blessed Sacrament Parish have helped Rancho Nazareth
maintain their buildings and grounds, and have offered generous donations
of food, clothing, and financial aid. The experience has provided
parishioners with the opportunity to learn and grow in God through charity
and the cross-cultural experience of working with the children and
caregivers at the Rancho.
History:
Blessed Sacrament Parish discovered Rancho Nazareth in 1995,
when a group of volunteers from the parish went down to Mexico to explore
unique gardening methods which were being tried in third world peoples.
Rancho Nazareth was just one of many groups participating in this
agricultural endeavor. The team was also charged with collecting
information on Rancho Nazareth, its religious formation and education
programs, the religious leadership, the condition of the facilities and
the welfare of the children living there. They were to consider the
feasibility of Blessed Sacrament Parish taking on the work projects that
were needed to keep Rancho Nazareth viable.
The Garden:
The group discovered the garden in ruins. The chief culprits seem to have
been ground squirrels and rabbits. It was suggested that the Rancho
acquire two young, strong dogs to help rid the area of these pests. There
were more plans to construct raised beds and wire fencing, though these
projects are being reconsidered, given the poor quality of the soil there,
the labor required to keep up the garden, and the general (though
sporadic) abundance of donated produce.
Religious Formation:
The Order of the Sacred Heart of the Poor provide the religious formation
for the children at Rancho Nazareth. The Rancho is home to a fluctuating
number of school aged children. Some have no parents, most have
one parent who cannot take care of them because they must work, or whose
income won't support the whole number of children in the home. These
situations are common in poor communities. The children at the Rancho
have been given the opportunity to escape a life alone, locked in some
shack watching TV, or loose and at risk on the streets. Other thousands,
in Mexico, the United States and elsewhere, are not as lucky.
The children follow a routine that would do honor to a
monastery:
5:30 to 6:00 - Gather around Madre Marta to talk
6:00 to 6:30 - Wash, dress and clean the dormitory
6:30 to 7:00 - Morning Prayer (the rosary)
7:00 to 7:45 - Breakfast, wash dishes and set tables for dinner
7:50 to 8:00 - Walk to public school (located 1/4 mile away)
8:00 to 1:00 - School
2:00 to 3:00 - Main meal back at Rancho
3:00 to 5:00 - Work on property, organized games (soccer, basketball)
5:00 to 6:30 - Religious education and homework.
6:30 to 7:00 - Evening Prayer (the rosary)
8:00 to 8:40 - Supper (milk and cookies)
9:00 to 5:30 - Bed
No school on Saturday and Sunday. Mass in town on Sundays.
The most important moral guidance at Rancho Nazareth is not on a
schedule. The home-life provided by the Order of the Sacred Heart of the
Poor allows warm interaction during every moment of work, study or play,
to ease the young people into understanding, cooperation, honest fun,
directness, trust and self-responsibility. Spending a day with the kids
is an education.
The Cost of Aid:
We might ask why we couldn't aid something like Rancho Nazareth in
Seattle. In part, perhaps, because we could not expect to achieve as much
with as little outlay of money and effort (as much as our semi-skilled
volunteers can offer) in our own community. In the U.S., an independent
orphanage would cost tens of thousands of dollars per child, it would be
held to the highest and most costly physical protections of the children,
and yet likely fail them in their emotional and religious needs. Rancho
Nazareth runs on about 10,000 Mexican pesos per month, plus donated goods.
That is about $30.00 a month per person, including the adult staff.
The above leads us to believe that help for the kids at Rancho Nazareth is
our best choice. Such help seems to offer an excellent return on the time
and money we put in. Most of all, however, we have come to feel that
intervention by someone has become crucial to the orphanage's survival.
The Facilities:
The Rancho is situated on hard, dry, mountainous land. The grounds are
extensive, and there are some 13 structures (everything from a chicken
coop to a dormitory) in varying degrees of disrepair. Work groups in
the past have often been sporadic, unskilled, transient, in conflict with
the plans and goals of other groups, intrusive and uncommitted. When our
members from Blessed Sacrament Parish decided to take on the Rancho
project, it was with the understanding that our commitment would be
long-term, carefully planned, productive, and in the best interest of the
Rancho. While some projects are long-range, we make sure each is
completed to the extent that it is functional and safe.
Water:
Given an adequate pump, there is no limit on the amount of water available
to the Rancho. The region depends upon deep ground water that is pumped
from wells to a hilltop water tank about a quarter mile distant from the
buildings. However, there is a very high cost of pumping water up to the
tank, which amounts to about $200 per month, or one fifth of the Rancho's
cash budget. Also there is the cost of replacing the large, overworked
electric pump every few years.
Because there is always ample wind in this mountainous region, we've been
kicking around the idea of constructing a wind mill capable of supplying
electricity for the electric water pump.
Sewer:
The Rancho's sewage system needs a complete review and extensive repair or
replacement. Raw sewage is working its way out of the ground at two
points. Replacing the septic system would be a monumental undertaking
which we may wish to contract out. Another possibility is to rent a
backhoe/operator and have the volunteers lay out the pipe. Any expert
help in this matter would be appreciated.
General Plumbing:
Plumbing upkeep has become a problem in two of the Rancho Nazareth
buildings. In each case, drains from toilets and showers have come loose
at the floor level and they need repair. This sort of thing will keep
occurring because of problems with the interface between the floor and
drains.
Separating gray water from black sewage is another possibility if we are
going to do extensive work on the plumbing and sewage systems. A separate
drainage system for the showers would likely provide adequate irrigation
water which would reduce clean water consumption, thus reducing wear and
expense on the pump.
Animal Pens:
In January, 1997, the team from Blessed Sacrament discovered that the pig
pen was falling over and the pigs escaping. New fence posts were erected
and corrugated metal walls were set into place to provide a secure pen for
the animals. We also noticed that the chicken coop was located under the
high power lines that cut through the Rancho's property. Plans are in the
works to relocate this chicken coop.
Roofing:
The main classroom on the grounds was topped with a very poor, tar-paper
roof which leaked profusely during every rain. Because the winds are high
in this area, and the sunlight so extreme, roofs do not last very long.
In January, 1997, the Blessed Sacrament team placed a temporary tarp on
the roof, and returned in April to demolish the old roof and install a new
composite roof with three-tab asphalt shingles. By double nailing the
shingles and tarring down the exposed tabs, this new roof sets secure and
has so far withstood the winds of hurricanes Linda and Pauline.
Flooring: In October of 1997 the
volunteers were able to install two new floors in two classrooms. In each
case the old flooring was removed to the subfloor (one taken down to the
stringers) and new flooring was installed, topped with donated linoleum.
Painting:
Every trip to the Rancho involves painting of some kind. We have painted
the exterior of two classrooms and prepped the dormitory for future
coatings. Interior painting projects are too numerous to mention.
Mechanical:
There is no available mechanic to service the Rancho's vehicles. The big
yellow school bus, appropriately named La Agonia, takes the
children to Mass on Sundays, but is in dire need of mechanical attention.
Security:
To protect the property, our volunteers are constructing a 1,500 foot chain-link
fence, encircling the complex. It's been the most costly adventure so far!
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