Final Day

This afternoon we went to San Rafael to visit our sponsor children. San Rafael is one of the poorest villages in the Antigua valley. We were met with the same warmth and generosity as we experienced throughout our time in Guatemala. Upon arriving in San Rafael we went to the clinic where we were introduced to Lesbia the social worker who accompanied us on our first visits with the children we are sponsoring.

Laurie’s child is named Susana. She is five years old, but appears younger than her chronological age. Her mother, Cecilia, shared that Susana had been looking forward to meeting her sponsor all day, but Susana hid behind her mother when we were first introduced. The family squats on a small piece of land in a rented home made of steel walls and roofing with a concrete floor. The only furniture was one standard size bed and bunk beds. There were no chairs or other furniture to sit on. Cecilia brought out Susana’s packet of art projects and drawings from preschool, Susana appeared proud but remained bashful. After a short time she warmed up and allowed photographs. Cecilia was asked if Susana liked school. Cecilia responded Susana wanted to go to school and not work in the fields like her parents. The beginnings of a bond between Laurie and Susana developed during the brief visit.

Mel’s child is named Lesbia. She appeared to be small statured, but otherwise healthy six year old who was full of energy and spirit. In addition, she has two brothers ages five and 10 with similar energetic outgoing personalities. The children greeted Mel as if she were a part of the family. Lesbia brought out DVDs of her favorite movies including Frozen and Stuart Little. In addition, she showed Mel her drawings. Lesbia is a talented young artist who loves drawing, painting, and the color pink. In addition, she loves rough housing with her brothers and playing with toy cars. The children begged to have their photos taken and enjoyed seeing themselves on Laurie’s camera. Mel spent time talking with Marta, Lesbia’s mom during this time. Lesbia’s father works six and a half  days per week in the field for 10 hours per day so was not able to be present at the visit. In addition, Mel learned Lesbia has another brother or sister on the way as Marta is six months pregnant. At the end of the visit, Lesbia held my hand as we walked up to the main street of San Rafael to leave.

We greatly enjoyed our visits and are looking forward to watching our sponsor children benefit from the education they so desire. We also hope to develop a life-long relationship with them.

Laurie Brodersen and Mel Flynn

Day 5 - House build & cooking class

Today the Allina Guatemala Experience group worked on making a wonderful new home for a family in Antigua. The first group started by putting together the walls for the home of Antonio and his family. Antonio is a 10 year-old boy affiliated with Common Hope. The family was living in a 10 x 10 meter home with cornstalk walls. Lisa, an Allina Health employee, worked hard with Antonio putting the rest of the panels together so we could finish putting up the walls for the new home.

While the home was being built, the rest of the group went on social work visits. Transporting via chicken bus each pair went with a different social worker to visit families. The first family Paula visited with Laurie and Suzanne, both Allina Health nurses, was a family of seven with two newly-affiliated students aged 9 and 12 all living in a small concrete building with broken concrete floors alongside chickens and ducks. The mother was cooking tortillas on an open wooden stove. She was so happy to talk to the social worker that she burned her treasured tortillas while discussing the hard work she does for her family. The second family was a single mother with six children. Her son was the youngest and had three other affiliated siblings. He is graduating next year as a chef. He was very proud of the recipes he created while in school and discussed his excitement for graduation.

At the end of the evening, our team finished the home. We put up the last of the cement walls, installed the doors and then finished the tin sheet roof. We ended the wonderful experience with a family blessing at the house with Antonio’s father, grandmother and extended family (Antonio was at school). Sean-Michael the one who lead the blessing, stated, “Que esta casa sea el comienzo de un futuro brilliante y que su familia logre su sueños. Que Dios los bendiga ahora y en el futuro. Gracias a ustedes por su trabajo y su dedicación.” (Let this home be the beginning of a new future and hope that your family make all your dreams come true. May God bless today and in the future, thank you for all the hard work and dedication you do.)

Cooking school at La Tortilla was a phenomenal way to end an impactful day. Laughing and bonding with new found friends. For dinner we made Pepian Pollo with a side of “salted” beet salad. It was hard work and with a few burnt tortillas and rellenitos we had a wonderful dinner. It was a good way to end the hard long day.

 

- Suzanne, Gus, & Jenny 

Day 4 - Wakami

After a late night fun game of “Monopoly Deal”, we woke up early. All of us were ready to go at 7:25 a.m. but we ended up starting our day at our usual Guatemala time. It was a beautiful day, a bit colder (in the 50s J) than usual, but it warmed up as the day progressed. Our host, Isabella, was very polite and energetic. On our drive to Wakami, she explained what the organization stood for and that they are in the “businesses of empowering women”. This includes making high quality bracelets, eco-friendly wooden products, education and promoting entrepreneurship in women.

As soon as we reached our destination, we got a very warm welcome by our host Thelma. The day started with drawing our individual dreams on a piece of paper and sharing it with the rest of the group, which included the locals as well. It was amazing to hear the dreams of the locals and to learn how passionate they were about achieving their dreams. This included, becoming a nurse, having a house with red apple trees and making sure that their kids went to school.

Today’s project included painting window trims and doors and assembling furniture. We had a lot of laughs and collaboration with the locals who were sweet and were always making sure that we had everything we needed. We had a quick break at around 11:30 a.m. when Thelma brought us some amazing homemade chicken chuchitos and hot hibiscus tea. She mentioned to us that during their initial training phase, all the women go through multiple rejections by the quality team before their first product gets approved. This is done to ensure that Wakami stands out from the other local groups by creating “very high quality” products. The locals presented us with their handmade bag and bracelets and explained to us the meaning behind their various types of bracelets. At the end of our day, they took us to a local restaurant for a wonderful meal and we ended our visit on a beautiful note. 
 
-Narayana

 

 

Day 3 - Common Hope

“They’re shoveling snow in Minnesota and we are shoveling dirt in Guatemala!”

Today was another amazing day! Team 1 spent the morning working on the house Common Hope is building for an affiliated family. The family of four (two boys ages 13 and 10) currently reside in a 32x50 foot open space with a dirt floor and outdoor kitchen enclosed by roofing steel. Our team’s mission was to create an addition to the home with a concrete slab. Working alongside our master mason Abel, and construction guru Mario, the team mixed concrete for a new floor in the home. Guatemalan’s do not have the luxury of having a concrete mixer so the team mixed the sand, concrete, rock and water by hand. It was a labor of love but we could all see how much it will benefit the family. Working in a small space our team of six laughed as we learned to work together without running into each other or accidentally knocking our co-workers in the face with a shovel (or wheelbarrow). By the end, we were efficiently working beautifully together with the common goal of creating a new space for this family. This team was made of six women who were the strongest, most determined women I have ever met!

After our afternoon lunch and siesta we re-grouped and the team split up to continue working on panels for the new walls in the Common Hope house, loaded school supplies and sanded furniture from the nursery that needs to be re-varnished. From there, we loaded the completed panels on to two trucks along with ladders and all the other equipment needed to construct the house tomorrow on the site.

We ended the day with a lovely team dinner at Welten where we shared more laughter, stories and continued to get to know each other.

-  Sandy & Katie

Day 2 - Hospital Escuintla visit

Today we went to Hospital Escuintla approximately 45 minutes from Antigua. We were greeted with open arms by an amazing array of staff including a beyond gracious, dedicated physician, Dr. Willy Melendez. We then received a thorough presentation about the hospital, followed by an extensive tour. I knew it would reinforce how extremely fortunate and spoiled I am in all aspects of life, particularly work, but didn’t realize the life-changing magnitude until this visit. Started in the ED, the first place on our tour. Escuintla’s pediatric ED is approximately the size of the two stabilization rooms of the 33 bed ED I currently work in. Census of five patients while we were there with only two beds. Multiple patients share beds and/or make shift beds are created with whatever is available. This includes everything from a two-tiered service cart to a parent’s lap. Furthermore, there was only one code cart with outdated monitor/defibrillator including paddles and sparse medication supply. The ED I work in has a 3:4 patient ratio in most areas. At Hospital Escuintla days and evenings have 1:2  RNs for the entire department. Overnight (my shift) consists of one RN with no ceiling on patient volume. Essentially however many patients can be crammed into the ED at any given time.

Regarding the remainder of the hospital, inspired by virtually everything else on the tour today. Highlights included immense overwhelming gratitude of staff, patients and families despite having so little. In addition, the dedication to patient care and drive for positive change was great to see. It was incredible to witness improvements made including a new NICU and PICU. The old vs new per previous trip participants, hospital staff and the tour was night and day. Furthermore, we saw nurse patient ratios of 1:2 on all shifts, in both departments. In addition, hand hygiene initiative including two sinks with soap in the PICU. Also, the first Purell hand sanitizer dispenser was recently installed.

Despite the inspiration, there are still multiple hurdles to overcome including overall hospital sanitation. A stairwell that was supposed to be yellow was brown from the dirt present. Birds with their feather remnants inside on the same floor many patients and families sit on waiting to receive various services. Also, there were bats on the walls, open large food containers on cart that roams the hospital to deliver meals, open specimen cup containing urine on sink at handwashing station, and large trash containers in the hallways of the units. Enclosed some pictures. Forgive my poor photography skills. Remember I’m an ED RN, not a photographer. Motivation, gratitude and love at an all-time high. Looking forward to returning home with plan in place of directing personal efforts to improve health care and overall quality of life in Guatemala.

- Mel Flynn

Day 2 - Common Hope

Today, Team 1 spent the day with the nonprofit, Common Hope. The first half of the day, several hours were spent constructing the walls and window frames of a new home for a Common Hope family. This project involved many unfamiliar, and somewhat challenging, tasks for our crew. The team members involved, along with the help from Common Hope staff, tackled this project head on and thoroughly enjoyed learning many new skills along the way. We put our hearts, sweat and determination into this project, and have much pride in our work. The Allina Health team in Guatemala is enjoying every moment of our time together and embracing all that we are learning about the Guatemalan culture. At the end of the week, the new home we’re building will be handed over to a much-deserving family of four. Several members of our team will also be fortunate to partake in the blessing of the new home.

In the afternoon, our group was split into pairs. Several of us went into the private homes of Antigua families and accompanied local professionals on social work visits. For all of us involved, this was a very challenging, emotional and eye-opening experience. The people of Guatemala, once again, showed us what an impressive community of people exists and their hospitality is beyond impressive and heartfelt. The purpose of the social work visits is to ensure those families affiliated with the Common Hope program are making progress toward desired goals of success in education and preparing for their future. This afternoon was life changing. We walked down the block, dusty streets, doors leading to mysterious and private places. It was hard to tell where one house ended and the next began. At one door, a grandmother popped her head out, standing in front of me with her withered skin that told the tale of the hard work of all her days. 

 

At one home, the father invited us in to a room, which turned out to be the family bedroom. He generously brought me a chair to sit, which in and of itself was a very intimate gesture. The social worker and my companion sat on the bed across from the father. It was incredible to see this father so engaged with the social worker. Keep in mind this entire visit was conducted in Spanish and I could pick up on only key words. I gathered they were talking about the children and I could see a sparkle in the father’s eye. When the social worker started asking him about finances, amount of the bills to be paid, he changed his posture, slouched in his chair and rubbed a pen back and forth across his knee.  This body language was the tell all and I’m crying as I write this.

 

- LeeAnn Smith

Cultural Experience Day

On our first full day in Guatemala, we were able to participate in cultural experience day! The majority of the group took an incredibly adventurous bus ride through all sorts of unique towns and ended up in Panajachel, a town on the north side of Lake Atitlan. The lake was beautiful and fairly smooth in the morning.

We were able to experience the Mayan lifestyle in two separate towns off the lakeside accessible by boat. There were a lot of dogs roaming the streets and sleeping in the shade. It was hard not to give them love. After challenging our cardiac capacity by walking up a steep hill in San Juan, we visited a Weaving Co-op and learned how the women make cotton into beautiful items of clothing and other house hold goods. We also visited an art gallery and herb garden where we learned which herbs, when made into tea, can cure everything from nausea to anger.

In Santiago Atitlan, we visited a church from the 1500s that had beautiful stained glass and intricate wood carvings. After a refreshing and invigorating boat ride back to Panajachel, we stopped at a restaurant where we dined on a traditional Guatemalan chicken dish and fish (bass and tilapia) from Lake Atitlan. The Vikings fans in the group convinced the bartender to turn on football and had a challenging time getting back on the bus before the big game started. Those who remained back in Antigua had the excitement of hearing and seeing Fuego, the neighboring volcano, erupt several times throughout the day. We were welcomed back from our 13-hour day with a delicious lasagna dinner.

 

Buenas noches!

 

- Mary & Miriah

2018 Guatemala Experience Trip

On Saturday, Jan. 20 a group of Allina Health employees arrived in Guatemala to begin their volunteer experience. During their time in Guatemala the group will participate in the following:

• Home build for a family affiliated with Common Hope
• School Supply Distribution for children affiliated with Common Hope
• Home makeover for a single mom that is an entrepreneur through Wakami
• Visit and tour a public government-owned hospital
• Tours to learn about the Guatemala culture and explore the beautiful country.

 These are just a few of the activities that the group will participate in. Check this blog during the week of Jan. 20 - Jan. 28 to read about the trip directly from the employees themselves.