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| Sofia taking the pulse rate of young a Nicaraguan boy in the triage station |
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.
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!
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!
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.
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| 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.
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| Left to right: Peyton, Jordan, Sofia, and Olivia outside of the school in Llano de la Tejera, where the medical brigade was set up |
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.
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| Peyton, Vi, and Sofia cementing the drain for the latrine that was built for a home in El Limon |
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!
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| Peyton, Henry the coordinator, and Sofia with some of the community members outside of the home where a sanitary station was built |
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
