The Scoop on Barzakh Falah

Things are picking up for the Barzakh crew as we continue to work on building a low-element challenge course for at-risk youth in Belize. Over the last two weeks our team has taken on a number of projects. We started putting together a needs assessment to better understand the community need for a challenge course as a therapeutic outlet for women and children who have undergone abuse or neglect. We have also begun a 'games & activities curriculum' that Barzakh can use when they run their "fun camps" for mothers and children. The curriculum will be filled with low-infrastructure games that help build self-esteem and teamwork skills, as well a section that provides information on future structures that can be built into the challenge course. Our last project consists of designing and constructing a challenge course structure that Barzakh can use.

Here's our main design for the structure so far.....

"The Hexagon"

       "The Hexagon" will consist of 6 sides, each with its own challenge for the children to complete. Some of the challenges we plan to build are a suspended log bridge, a wire traverse, a swinging tire traverse, a hanging ropes traverse, and possibly a ropes net.
        We have also set up "The Hexagon" so activities can be added to it by future volunteer groups. Some of these plans include  a 15 foot high climbing wall, and a possible zip line that will run from a nearby tree to one of the hexagon's poles. The structure will have a diverse range of uses.

 This Monday, the crew went out to Barzakh to begin building our hexagon. We spent the morning digging holes, gathering and smashing rocks, and wheeling loads of sand. And that was the easy part! By early afternoon we were ready to raise the 18 feet high poles that will act as the corners of our hexagon structure. With the combined brute strength of the Barzakh crew (along with some tricky maneuvering of  Jaime's truck) we were able to erect 4 out of the 6 poles. By the end of the day, our bodies were tired but our spirits were high knowing how much we accomplished in just one day!

3 guys, 3 girls and a truck.... that's how you raise some poles!

Breaktime Fun w/ Barzakh

As always, the Barzakh Crew likes to mix in a little fun and laughs with our hard work. During our breaks we enjoyed each others company under the shade of a giant tree. Jaime always brings our crew the most refreshing ice-cold drinks. This week we enjoyed fresh squeezed lime juice while we joked and laughed about the great times we've had working with Jaime and Nancy at Barzakh Falah!

We look forward to the next few weeks; we will be working on completing our hexagon structure and the games curriculum for the "fun camps" that Barzakh will be hosting in early April. Our only regret is that we won't be here to play the games with the kids! I'm sure we'll work some time into our busy schedules to test out all the games ourselves... ;)

The B.F. Crew,
-Julia P., Dylan E., John N, Demelza L, and Heather S.