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Ecuador News - Spring 2004
Notes from Gaby Ordoñez, our Executive Director
Plenty of exciting events are taking place in El Páramo!
The Health Center & Outreach Programs:
- We have a new rural dentist named Juan Baño
to stay with us for one year! Erin Lunde, a medical
student from Harvard Medical School is still with us until
July 2004 with support from a Fulbright Fellowship. She is doing
a wonderful job at the health center, and in traveling to outlying
communities to give women’s health and family planning workshops.
We also have our jolly green-thumbed volunteer, Knut Hjelleset
from Norway, who – among other activities - is cultivating
a wonderful garden around the health center with medicinal plants,
fruits and more
- Otherwise, local volunteers, fhn staff and
volunteers have been working hard on implementing a new system
of record-keeping at the health center, installing a new water
filtration system, and overseeing the construction of latrines
in all the communities (70% are now complete!). Soon, we will
have our new dental equipment and solar panels in place,
the dental equipment donated by fhn USA, via
United Way International.
Local Capacity-Building:
- A local community member, Kathy Caval, completed their
training as an assistant nurse and is now assisting our
doctor in the health center and with health education. Another
community member, Elsa Moreira is still in her training program
and will finish it in summer.
- Xavier Aguavil is our new health center administrator,
doing an excellent and spirited job organizing the health center
and its entire staff! With one assistant nurse, a doctor, dentist,
medical student, and our wonderful new administrator, the health
center is becoming a busy place, offering comprehensive health
care. We are so excited!
- The health promoters trained by fhn
have held a number of workshops in recent months, which have focused
on: reviewing their knowledge about malaria and the use of bednets,
nutrition (fruits and vitamins), planting of a fruit garden around
the health center, and collecting data for the annual health indicators.
Other News
- In February, Isabelle Frefel, an ex-volunteer from
Switzerland, visited us. She donated used clothing which the health
committee used to raise money for the health center fund.
- The celebration on International Women´s Day was
phenomenal. First, women from the local Women’s Association
and their husbands gave speeches, shared personal anecdotes and
expressed the importance of valuing women of El Páramo
and worldwide. This was followed by a march in the Plaza San Francisco,
where 60 women walked with signs, gave speeches, played music
and overall, the community expressed public support to women.
Even a game of bingo took place! It was a great day.
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