While I am here, I am studying medical Spanish and volunteering at their clinic. Clinic days are 5 hours/day, 3 days/week. Students can do triage (take vital signs), take history and physical, give medication, and observe the doctors (an American pediatrician from the Timmy Foundation and a local doctor). Every Wednesday is an outreach clinic to a rural village. On Monday morning, the doctor gives a lecture on local health issues. For example, today the pediatrician Meg lectured on nutritional deficiencies in rural Guatemala. ~50% of kids are stunted (clinical definition is low height for age) and is primarily due to malnutrition. Although Guatemala is not the poorest country in the world, it ranks 3rd for percentage of stunted children. Which, makes me a tall woman here (finally, I know what it feels like to be tall... so far, not a big deal).
I'll also have the opportunity to volunteer at a midwife's clinic.
When not in clinic, I am learning Spanish one-on-one for 4 hours/day.
Here's the website for the school: Pop-Wuj Spanish School
Here are links to photos I've taken so far. You can click on the slide show for a larger view.
- First couple days in Xela, including a morning trip to San Francisco el Alto:
- Saturday hanging out in Xela:
- Sunday trip to Laguna Chicabal:
Hey Eleanor,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the update! The pictures look great. That is really curious about the stunted growth... is the malnutrition something their government is trying to address? Keep us all updated here stateside as you're able!
@ Christopher - The last civil war here ended in 1986. Since then, the government has been trying to re-establish the nutritional practices that were implemented well before the war. Now, there are fortified foods, such as milk and cornflakes (very popular), and they are accessible to the people in the city but it is doubtful the rural folks have the same access.
ReplyDeleteAlso, the soil here is very fertile and you can see gardens in the rural villages, but the families primarily sell the food they grow and short themselves on the nutritious food.