Literacy Program Failure

My literacy program should have hypothetically started days ago.  A couple things have prevented that from happening. 

First, I spent the whole last week in Santo Domingo helping out at the 50th Anniversary of the PC in the DR.  It was so neat to meet all the RPCVs, listen to their stories, hear about what they have done since.  I was invited in a few special things because of my participation in the conference.  I had dinner with two RPCVs who served in the same providence as me in the early 90s.  They were good friend during their service, and have stayed in contact ever since.  I got to check out the ambassador's house at a party held there.  The free food and open bar made the party extra awesome.  To wrap up the conference, there was an outdoor dinner at a museum in the capital.  I had a great time!  All that time away was beneficial for my mental health, but not helpful to my literacy program.  You have to remind people here a relentless number of times about a meeting, and they still don't show.

Second, a teenage boy from my community was killed in a motorcycle accident.  The funeral was the very day I returned to my site.  The whole community gathered at his house. His mother was wailing, his aunt fainted, people filled plastic chairs that lined the street.  My heart aches for his family and friends.  The whole community has a grey cloud hanging over it.  There has been no music for days.  They light candles all along the main street. He was a joyful person and will truly be missed.  This tragedy has diminished the student's motivation.

Third, the weather is not cooperating.  It inconveniently starts to drizzle at 5 pm, the exact hour of our class.    

Realistically, I do not know if this literacy class will happen.  All of the above will continue to happen.  The schedules of adults here are already full.  Then there are the excuses like, I had to wash my hair, it rained yesterday so it is muddy today, or I don't have a pencil.  

The uncertainty surrounding the success of the adult literacy program has motivated me to pursue other projects.  My new plan is to work with children's literacy.  The teachers and I are identifying students, we are looking for a location to tutor kids, and the evaluation of the students begins next week.  The other facilitator and I will start tutoring our small groups after a training day in March three other volunteers and I have been planning for a couple months now.  We recently received our grant money and have been busy spending it.

Things will work out in the end as they should, but that doesn't make thing less frustrating  now.