ZTA Ladies Give a Helping Hand in Nicaragua

Sofia taking the pulse rate of young a
          Nicaraguan boy in the triage station

My name is Sofia Silver and this winter break I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to travel Nicaragua with a group of 35 other students from the University of Texas at Austin. Two of my other Zeta sisters, Olivia Trzepacz and Peyton Cramer were also a part of this group of intelligent, diverse, and driven students. We travelled with a student-led organization called Global Brigades to bring medical care to the poverty of several rural communities. Our group was the first ever brigade to enter Nicaragua, and I believe we set a high precedent for all future brigades.

                  Olivia, Peyton, and I flew with 8 other students out of DFW on the first day on a bright and early 4 am flight! We flew in to Nicaragua’s capital, Managua, and were greeted by our cute, peppy 22 year old brigade coordinator Nicole. On the 2 hour drive to our compound in a city called Estelí, we were all surprised by not only the breathtaking landscape, but also by the “homes” that lined the winding road. Tiny, square shacks the size of our bedrooms and covered by metal tin roofs were normal homes for the majority of this third world country. This was the first of many eye-opening sights we would witness during our week in Nicaragua.

Left to right: Jordan, Peyton, Sofia, and Olivia
at the active Masaya Volcano

Despite the early wakeup, once we arrived to our compound we were put to work sorting, counting, and labeling tons of different types of medicine under the direction of our Nicaraguan pharmacist Brenda, while we waited for the Houston group to arrive. On our first night, the power went out throughout the compound, so we had to take freezing showers in the dark, giving us our first insight into the lives of the majority of Nicaraguans.

For the first three days of the trip, our group, along with an incredible staff hired by Global Brigades, set up a free medical clinic and pharmacy in the poor rural community of Llano de la Tejera. We worked with 4 remarkable and ambitious local physicians, along with one of the most hardworking and passionate dentists I have ever met to treat over 300 patients throughout the three days. I had the opportunity to work in the triage station taking blood pressure, temperature, respiratory rate, and pulse rate for a large multitude of patients. This was one of the best parts of the trip for me since I am a pre-med student, and it gave me some hands-on experience with patients. The patients most commonly suffered from breathing problems, coughs, parasites, and malnutrition, resulting from their extremely sub-par living conditions and lack of access to clean water.

Left to right: Peyton, Jordan, Sofia, and Olivia
outside of the school in Llano de la Tejera,
where the medical brigade was set up

During the medical brigade, I also was able to shadow several of the physicians during their consultations with patients. I got to see a baby suffering from laryngomalacia, which I learned is a condition in which the larynx does not fully develop for a baby when it is an embryo, causing the baby to make a high pitch squeaking noise when it inhales. We were also able to inform an overweight woman of her high blood pressure, and give her the steps she would need to take to improve her health to avoid a heart attack or a stroke. However, the most exciting case to come into our clinic was an eleven year old girl who sliced open her finger with a machete (which are apparently very commonly used by Nicaraguan children!). She came running in with blood spurting out of her finger. One of the doctors handled the situation very calmly and efficiently, even when the girl’s mother fainted from the sight of all the blood!

In another important part of the medical brigade, we taught the children of the communities the proper way to brush their teeth and gave them free toothbrushes and toothpaste. It was shocking to us that these children did not even know the right way to hold a toothbrush, so often we had to adjust their hands so they could brush correctly. This was another one of my favorite parts of the trip because I was interacting, in most likely awful Spanish, with young kids who were extremely excited to have us there. We played tag, red rover, and “ring around the rosy” with the kids, and their energy and giggles masked any hint at the horrible conditions they were born in to. The little ones especially loved the “selfie” camera on our iPhones! Seeing these happy and gracious children definitely gave me a real sense of perspective due to their positive attitudes despite the fact that they were living in severe poverty.

Peyton, Vi, and Sofia cementing the drain for the latrine
that was built for a home in El Limon

Since we were in Nicaragua for New Year’s Day, we were able to have the day off, and we travelled to an active volcano near Managua called Masaya Volcano. I had never been to a volcano before, so this was yet another amazing experience on the trip, and the views were spectacular!

For the last 3 days of the brigade, we travelled to the even poorer and more rural community of El Limón where people lived in homes made of wood scraps with tin roofs, dirt floors, and no bathrooms. Many dug holes in the ground to go to the bathroom, and some bathed in rivers. All types of animals roamed freely throughout the area, from plain old dogs and cats to cows, pigs, and chickens – my fear of birds was definitely spiked when I had to worry about walking past a rooster or a hen every couple of minutes, even inside the homes!

Peyton, Henry the coordinator, and Sofia with some of the
community members outside of the home
where a sanitary station was built

We performed the public health aspect of our brigade in this community, and we started by tearing down the falling apart home of the poorest family of El Limón, and by beginning the reconstruction of a new home that would be large enough to house 3 families. Our group also worked hand in hand with community members and Global Brigade technicians to build sanitary stations for three different homes which would include a shower, latrine, and washboard to help improve the lives of these families. To first witness the diseases and health conditions many rural Nicaraguans suffered from and to then see the terrible living conditions they lived in gave me an incredible understanding of the important correlation between public health and medical health. It was especially rewarding to know that I was leaving Nicaragua having improved the lives of several people, and that hopefully my efforts would help in preventing the development of some of these illnesses in the future.

Overall, my experience in Nicaragua was eye opening and unforgettable. I met some astonishing and inspiring people, and the true graciousness of all of the Nicaraguans we helped was extraordinarily humbling. The most memorable part of the trip was when we arrived to El Limón to the entire community congregated outside the house we were going to rebuild. I was almost moved to tears when the community members joined together in a song for us that sang, in Spanish, “welcome my brothers, give me your hand, and I’ll give you my hand.” I will never forget the time I spent in Nicaragua, and I hope to return in the future to further assist in improving the lives of these well-deserving, compassionate people.

ZL,

Sofia Silver, PC '11