27 October 2007

Field Trip Day 2



This past week, we decided to provide the mothers and children of our child sponsorship program with a change of scenery. In so doing, we hoped we could, if only for a brief while, help them escape the harmful environment that infiltrates every aspect of their life. In addition, we sponsored a talk with the famous “Señora Soya” who provided the mothers with demonstrations on cooking with soy. By promoting soy, we are hoping to provide community members with an alternative form of nutrition that is free of many of the toxins contaminating the foods they normally obtain.

Once we loaded all of the mothers and the children in our microbuses, the looks on the children’s’ faces as they experienced their very first car ride were priceless. As I peeked back, I saw an absolute sense of awe as they watched cars and people pass and felt the new and strange sensation of sitting in a moving vehicle. Once there, the mothers were put to work in the kitchen while the children played.

Though the mothers were working very hard, there was no doubt that they were having a great time. Watching them in the kitchen, I marveled at the sense of camaraderie they displayed and saw smiles from people I never thought possible. All the while, the children were simply being children on the play set and soccer field. Running around and laughing with them certainly wore me out, however while laying down for a nap afterwards, I felt so fortunate that I could give them the opportunity to enjoy a healthy atmosphere for playing. I cannot wait until the next time we take the mothers and children to the land, seeing them away from the dredges of their everyday life gave me new hope and inspiration.

23 October 2007

Field Trip: Day 1



Today was an early morning at the Manna house. After chugging our respective cups of coffee our group started loading up the micro. By 8am we had filled up the car with milk, oatmeal, vitamins, cooking supplies, art supplies, and toys. We then went off to the ranchon...

Tessa, Julie and Dane got dropped off at the ranchon. They took care of set-up while Geoff, Matt and I drove to La Chureca to pick up the moms and kids in our program. Because of the heavy rainfall that Managua has experienced over the past two weeks, the dirt road into La Chureca was in terrible conditions. Thankfully, however, we had Geoff at the wheel. He managed to get us in and out without a glitch.

It was about 9:30am when we drove out of the dump. Instead of having food and supplies in the back seats, we now had a handful of excited children. Milton and Wendy were particularly adorable. Throughout the drive they looked attentively out the window and pointed things out to one another. It's amazing to see how happy kids can be with the littlest things. A simple car ride was an adventure for them.

Once we arrived at the ranchon, we set up two scales and started measuring the kids. As soon as a child was done being weighed he or she could get started on their coloring activity. Most of the kids were eager to color in their turkey. We even had some mothers that were happy to pick up a crayon and chip in.

Around 10:40am we gathered up all the mothers and had Maria (better known to us as the Soy Lady) begin the presentation on soy. While the mothers listened attentively to Maria, we entertained the kids. With a video camera on one hand and Josue on the other, I walked around the ranchon video tapping the kids as they played soccer, swung on the swing set, ran around, and ate their fair-share of cookies.

The mothers, meanwhile, were being put to work in the kitchen. Maria had them slicing and dicing, cooking and cleaning. The mothers seemed to be really enjoying themselves. Together with Maria, they transformed soybeans into a delicious cinnamon flavored soymilk. They also learned how to convert soybeans into soy meat. I have to admit that when I first saw the soy meat I thought it looked more like a paste than anything else. As soon as I tasted the chorizo and fried tortes that the mothers made out of it, however, I was won over.

17 October 2007

The Gringos are coming! The Gringos are coming!

After weeks of planning, the Austin Samaritans, led by Dr. John Doty, flooded into clinica Funjofudess today to provide not only general health care but also to screen women in the community for cervical cancer and its precursors. The doctors, nurses and interpreters entered the clinic and presented their willing hands to the clinical staff-- a gesture I know the staff appreciated. From the very beginning, it was obvious that they day was not about paternalism or trying to pull people out of the dirt, but rather cooperation and walking hand in hand to create change.

I had the pleasure of interpreting for Dr. Lane and Nurse Earline, as we saw the three major complaints in Chureca: respiratory, dermatological and gastrointestinal. By the end of the day we had seen so many patients that I knew the prescription dosage for bronchitis in two year olds by heart and was admittedly a little worn out. Nonetheless, Lane and Earline never slowed down and were ready for more. I thank them for their hearts, their hands and the love that they showed the community in La Chureca.

In 3 and a half hours the clinic staff, Manna Project and the Austin Samaritans saw 12 gynocological and almost 20 general cases, in addition to completely restocking our pharmacy and bringing countless smiles. It was a good day.

Hanging round, downtown by myself...

So things in Nicaragua work a little different than in the states. It is a rarity for people to be on time. Most of our students are very punctual because they are on our schedule, but people not accustomed to our ways are traditionally late. This is especially the case with the nurse we work with at the dump. Usually we arrive by 9 or 9:15 with the plan to work with her, but she'll stroll in around 10 or whenever she feels like it. It's frustrating, but it's part of living in Nicaragua.

So yesterday, Erin and I waited until 10 for the nurse to show up so we could explain what is going to happen this week. We have a medical brigade coming in from the United States who are going to screen for cervical cancer. They are also bringing in a nutritionist to give a talk to the mothers in our program. After explaining all this to the medical staff at the clinic, we walked around the town, meeting with mothers to explain the situation to them. It was really impressive to watch Erin in action. She has really gotten close with the mothers in town and they really seem to consider her a friend. She is doing a great job. While I usually end up spending the majority of my time in the dirt, playing with kids, Erin has really worked closely with the mothers (and grandmothers) and formed some really incredible bonds.

09 October 2007

Dropping by to say hi


After a bit of rearranging, Matt and I were able to add a new Chureca day to our weekly schedules. We both wanted to spend more time walking around the dump and talking to the families, so this came as a welcome addition.

Last week marked our first Friday-morning excursion. We got off the bus at 9am and made our way into Chureca through the back entrance. It hadn’t rained very much the previous day, so we were able to arrive at the clinic mud-free. Once we got to the clinic, however, my excitement dwindled a bit as I realized that the clinic’s gate was locked and the staff was nowhere in sight.

Determined to have a productive day, Matt and I decided to venture off on our own. We started by visiting the houses closest to the clinic. Although we made a few navigational mistakes as we strolled through Chureca’s dirt paths, we ended up having a really worthwhile day.

At our first stop we saw Kenan and Marlon. Kenan was full of smiles and he looked absolutely adorable in his white button-down shirt and khaki shorts. Marlon was not quite as cheery but seemed to be doing well nevertheless. We then walked over to Erik’s house where Jenny greeted us with a warm smile and invited us in. Jenny asked us if we wanted to see baby Erik, but since he was sleeping, we opted for staying outside and talking to her.

After saying our goodbyes to Jenny we made our way to the Vanegas' household. We got there just in time to catch Miriam and Katy walking out the door. Miriam told us that they were on their way to the pediatrician’s office. As the two of them waved us goodbye, Matt and I started walking towards Salezka’s house.

When we arrived we saw Salezka’s mom working hard on the family’s laundry and Salezka sitting outside, watching her. Salezka’s mom informed us that Salezka hadn’t been feeling well the past few days. When we asked her if she had taken Salezka to the clinic she told us that she had, but that the doctor couldn’t do much because Salezka’s condition was viral in nature.

We then took a few steps over to Danilo’s house, where we found him mid-bath. Danilo’s mom had a sad expression on her face, so Matt and I spent some time just talking to her about how she was doing. I was truly touched by how open she was with us. I only wish that I had more to offer her.

It’s really hard for me to see individuals dealing with such difficult situations. I often hear people say that where there is a will, there is a way. As badly as I want to believe in those words, I have to admit that being in La Chureca makes me question them at times. One of the most challenging things for me is seeing our kids getting sick all the time. I try to remind myself that the reason I am there is two-fold: not only is there an acute need for improvement but there is also a very tangible opportunity for change.

05 October 2007

Hanging out in the Clinic



On Tuesday Geoff, Matt and I went into Chureca with the goal of visiting families. However, like is often the case here in Nicaragua, circumstances made us change our plans.

As Geoff mentioned in the previous post, after months of speculation, one of the mothers in the program was just officially diagnosed as HIV positive. Dr. Lesly made it clear to me that we have to change several of our practices: 1) while we traditionally make coming to the clinic to get the milk and vitamins a responsibility of the mothers, we will have to be more proactive with this mother, insuring that she does not breast feed and increase the possibility of infecting her daughter, 2) we need to include discussions about STD's and HIV/AIDS in our weekly health talks with the mothers, and 3) someone has to locate the father, who we've heard has moved to Masaya.

Obviously, the conversation I had with Dr. Lesly and Esmo was somewhat daunting, but in other ways it was encouraging. After three months, we, as the new Manna Project directors, have begun earning the respect of the clinic staff. I sat in front of Dr. Lesly, a notoriously gruff man, and he asked for our help and said that we needed to work as a team. In doing so, he counted me as an equal, an important part of healthcare in Chureca. It was a great honor.

On Wednesday I saw that that respect extends not only with the clinic staff, but also with the mothers. Rita, Jose Angelo's mother, dragged me and our two friends, Micah and Mark, to her house to introduce us to her mother and grandmother-in-law. The abuelita, MariaJoseOrtegaMolina (she insisted we use all four names as one), thanked us for giving her great-grandson milk and told us that she would pray for us. I felt so honored and humbled that this precious 90-year-old woman with no teeth will pray for us, some gringos who happen to give out milk every month.

When we got back to the clinic, some of the mothers were complaining about the requirement of going to two health talks a month. I told them that the reason we require the talks is not to annoy them or to make their lives more difficult, but to empower them so that they have the knowledge to care for themselves and their children. When I finished, several heads were nodding in agreement and I felt that I had some friends in the room. It was an incredible moment.