Sat 3/19 Trash Competition

Each month that he is here, Dr. Lambert offers a prize of 5000 Gourdes (about $125 US) as an incentive for five groups in the village to work together and pick up garbage. At about 3 pm Ken and I went down the hill with him and watched him measure and talk to each head of household that had organized a group around their house to collect garbage.

 Lambert told each contestant that this month for the first time he has added a new criteria to the competition, a grade for how clean the area around actually is. No matter what size the pile, if the area is clean around the house and neighborhood they will get an “A”, almost clean a “B”, if so so, a “C”, not very good a “D” and “like a pigs house” an “E”. He tells them he will take 1500 G of the prize money and divide it based upon the grade, and the rest will be divided based upon the size of the pile of garbage. After carefully measuring each pile, taking notes and writing down each dimension, a man douses each pile with some diesel fuel and lights it on fire. We move from house to house throughout the village finding 9 piles instead of five, but that is fine. Lambert says he will use an Excel spreadsheet to calculate the division of the money and it will be distributed next week. It is quite a good way to keep the village clean, seems to be working, the village is cleaner each month. Good job Lambert.