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| Collection's top | Natty Petrosino |
PROJECT WITCHI | |||
This past year, Natty has had a very difficult year, driving her truck for many thousands of kilometers very often alone, risking her proper life more than once. This in order to bring assistance to various minority communities all over the country, one of them being the tribe of the Witchi Indios in the village of Devisadero, in the northern state of Formosa. All who have seen the evolution and progress of this place over the last four years are extremely impressed and in awe of what one strong-willed, committed and devoted woman has achieved in such little time. We also realize how much effort, energy and patience it has cost Natty to get such spectacular results with people who only speak a local dialect and hardly any Spanish. Only four years ago, the village of Devisadero was non-existant. When Natty came for the first time to this forgotten corner of the world, about 120 Wichi Indios were merely surviving under totally inhuman conditions. They were living under the open sky, were completely undernurished and being decimated by terrible illnesses. Today, most of the original inhabitants are living in houses and there is a school where healthy looking children are being instructed by a teacher and his wife. A male nurse and his wife are providing for the necessary health care. Thanks to Natty's intervention, schooling and health care are being paid by the government. Some of the roads in this area have also been improved by the local government. A near-by petroleum company has financed the renovation of a small hospital. So far the biggest evolution in the progress of the Wichi community has definitely been due to the construction work. Natty does not believe in hand-outs, so from the beginning she asked the Indio men to help build their own houses in order to work for the food she was giving them. She regularly brought along from Bahia Blanca's shantytown a carpenter and a mason whom she paid for teaching their skills to the Indios. Construction work progressed at a very slow rate, with the unskilled labor as well as the many frequent misunderstandings due to the language barrier between the two groups of men - but what a great learning experience for both sides. The men from Bahia Blanca had to learn to be patient and actually felt quite proud to be able to teach something to these Indios. They in turn are by now working with their own hands for the first time in their lives, thus attaining some self-esteem.
A wonderful thing happened last spring, when somebody in Bahia Blanca donated a brick machine to Natty. She transported it to Devisadero right away, obviously not having the slightest idea how to use it. When seeing the machine, one of the Indios recalled having seen a similar one in a neighbouring village. There, Natty not only found the same machine already in use, but also an engineer who could explain to her the right mixture to make bricks. The Wichi Indios, who until very recently, had never worked in their lives, are now not only constructing their own houses, but manufacturing up to 500 bricks a day. The Indio men, after having at first worked solely to receive food, are now being paid small salaries. Natty wants them to learn how to handle money in a sensible way, e.g. not buying alcohol but rather food and clothes for their families. Again not an easy task, however, with her usual faith and love she will certainly also be guiding them through yet another new and difficult learning experience. In order for these people to become more and more self-sufficient, Natty has started showing them how to cultivate vegetables. At first, this is meant for their own consumption, later on it may give them an opportunity of exchange for other goods. Some of the staple foods like rice and pasta are still being brought by Natty from Bahia Blanca, where she regularly receives these goods as donations from big firms. Devisadero with its new infrastructure is quickly attracting Indios from neighbouring villages, bringing the number of inhabitants to about 500. Many families have moved closer in order for their children to go to school. Another teacher has just been hired by the government, and has moved to Devisadero with his family. In addition to building his house, the little schoolhouse now needs a second class room. Also, Natty estimates that about another ten houses are needed for the Indios. With your help, we hope to be able to finance some of these new projects. Through our fund-raising work, Tom and I have been fortunate to meet many other people who are helping in a small or big way to make this world a better place. We think it is wonderful to see that there seems to be more of a global awareness of our responsibility to help and that we can all make a difference. In our culture, we are conditioned to protect our resources, to think there is never enough and to assume that only people " richer than us " can truly make an impact with their money. However, the worst attitude we can have is the one of not doing anything out of fear that it would not be enough. In this respect, we like to quote Mother Teresa who used to say : " The ocean is made out of many small drops of water… " Please look inside yourself and help us to keep supporting Natty's fabulous work according to what your heart tells you ! Our sincerest thanks go out to everyone who has shown us their solidarity and precious support in the past and to all those who will be joining us in helping this cause at this time. Tom & Susan Berna |
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