Humble beginnings

Humble beginnings, because there's much in this little province on the little Caribbean island that the Dominican Republic is on, that I'll never quite capture in few words... and also because I don't have quite the time I need to even share what few things I can! I’m actually now writing from Quiche (read: “kee-CHAY”, not french egg pies :) ), the town where our work in Guatemala is based. :)  I absolutely LOVE this country! :) :) :) After a lovely but WAYYYYY too short :( 2-day visit to San Pedro La Leguna where I learned my Spanish about 2.5 years ago, I’m here in Quiche ready to start a couple days of talking with our staff here and visiting a couple communities/project (clean water supply, emergency relief). 

I’m a little afraid my time here over the next couple days is going to take over my headspace with Guatemalan projects before I finish writing all the reports for the Dominican Republic that I never got to finish (my last night there which I had designated Report-Writing-Time ended up being Biggest-Annual-Holiday-in-Ocoa-So-Everyone-Including-Me-Needs-To-Party-Til-2am Time.  :)  So needless to say, very little report writing happened. :) But I guess (or decided as much!) that’s part of work too, and Meringue with colleagues (easily double my age!) & their families in the town square, is indeed part of relationship building when it comes to the Dominican Republic! 

Everyone told me, next time you come – less work, more play! :) Haha. We’ll see. I love play. But I ALSO love my work. So I left the DR on a pretty darn good note, even with a mountain of notes and thoughts to compile into formal reporting. :)

But you know what’s even more fun than reports? BLOGS! :) Haha. Nooo that’s not true. I do love report writing too. But ANYWAYS. Blog. Here we are. :) Just a note or two for fun – I’m sure there will be more later. Soooo much I could share -- were to start? Hmmmmm......

How bout this photo :) 

ADESJO (“Association for the Development of San Jose de Ocoa”), HOPE's implementing partner in the Dominican Republic. Being a newbie staff (after 2 years, many things still feel new!), I still get kicks out of pictures in front of our country offices. :) 

ADESJO is nothing short of amazing. They work intensively and “integrally” with all 83 villages in the province of Ocoa, working alongside communities in sustainable agriculture, soil conservation, reforestation, education, health, and everything in between, empowering them to carry out the development of their own communities.

From here, we could verge many places. :) Behind me is a metal gate. Behind the gate is....

Boxes and boxes and then more boxes of: medicines, medical supplies, and medical equipment. Here’s Chicho on the left, and Dr. Maximo Briseño – medical doctor and the director of ADESJO. Both are actually really cheerful and smiley in person, but this was the very beginning of Day 1, and I guess they had their professional face on. :)

ADESJO works closely with the Ministry of Public Health in delivering primary health care and health programs in general. HOPE procures (ie, gets, from donating institutions) medicines and medical supplies and sends these to ADESJO in the Dominican Republic, as well as a number of other countries. Millions of dollars worth. And as I saw, facilitating millions of miracles in these rural communities that are otherwise working with rather empty shelves. 

I visited a number of hospitals and rural clinics. They do get some medicines & supplies from the Ministry of Public Health, but definitely not enough, and not covering the range of illnesses that they frequently need to treat..... When supplies run out or simply don’t exist, patients in these poor communities can only be sent on their way with nothing more than a prescription scrawled on a sheet of paper, and empty pockets with which to (not) fill them. Where treatment might make the difference between life and death (eg, surgical equipment or even “just” needles or clean gauze, antibiotics for infections, meds for hypertension, malaria)... these donations facilitate nothing less than miracles for the people who live in these communities. 

If I get better internet, I’ll upload a video I took of this doctor at a rural hospital telling a couple stories of patients that he was able to treat as a direct result of having access to critically needed medicines – a lady with severe respiratory illness, and another that had an accident. 

Clinic after clinic, all around the province, I heard the many but the same story --- these medicines save lives.

 

My key purpose in all these visits was to get a better sense of what is being used, what is most useful and what is most needed, so we can best take advantage of donations to meet needs. I heard time and again, that a huge problem in the province of Ocoa is diabetes and hypertension. Unfortunately... I wasn’t surprised.

Not to make light, but we were always served little tea-party-play-set sized cups of tea, and there was probably 12 spoonfuls MORE sugar dissolved into that little cup of tea than should be chemically possible! Yikes - somewhat also unfortunately, I "had to" politely accept one with almost every meeting I had -- I've definitely had my sugar intake that I need for the month.. or season.. at least! Yet, that's not to point fingers at Dominicans and say they "should change their ways" and not rely on donations of insulin for treatment, though that definitely even crossed my mind at first reaction. Yes, stepping up preventative education and resources alongside the Ministry of Public Health and Ministry of Education might be important, but it’s not just a lack of knowledge and a careless diet. Diabetes is skyrocketing in North America too, and one might notice that it is most often lower-economically resourced communities and populations that struggle most.

Hmmm. Ramble. I won’t make any more short and sweeping statements. :) But definitely at least, health is tied so closely to integral (holistic, not elementary :)) development that enables communities to have opportunities and resources to care well for their health. To really "be well". And treatment, prevention, and everything in between and around, there's need for support from all sides. And maybe some miracles. :) We'll hopefully be able to be a part of that even more and better this year.

I was going to write a little more about this, but the director of the local organization here in Guatemala gave me an 80 page report on the way out today before I finished writing up this post, that I'm going to try to read before tomorrow... and my day starts at 7am tomorrow :P... so my mind's not quite here anymore! :)  

In any case, they were good visits, and it was encouraging to hear many affirming stories of real lives being impacted by these donations that, from Canada, looks like endless lists and lists of antibiotics and medicines, etc. (I am thankful not to be responsible for this -- sorry Michelle!). Though in my visits, I also had a sky high learning curve very quickly, learning names of illnesses & pharmaceuticals for treatment, in Spanish. :)  (I smile now.) :) 

Some pictures.  :)

One of the rural clinics constructed by ADESJO (likely with HOPE's funding?)

Visiting with a doctor and patient

Me in front of the main hospital in town. I was with Dr. Briseño and he thought it fit that I wear his stethoscope for a picture instead of a picture of the building by its lonesome.

 

Many more photos and stories to tell that are more landscape-y picturesque as well. We’ll see what happens. I’m actually staying in a little room on the gated compound of our local partner’s office here in Guatemala, so it’s nice and close [and safe – best not to be out alone at night here, I’ve been told], and it’s a little more culturally mellow here so no one’s knocking on my door for a dance party anywhere:). AND I have access to internet here without needing to wander into town to find an internet cafe. (The director actually just gave me his keys on the way out today and told me to feel free to use his office! I’d known him for all of about 6 hours. That... does not happen at home. Lol.) Not sure what the next couple days will look like, but we’ll see! :)

Hasta la proxima! :)