A couple of years ago I was fortunate enough to be a part
of a medical mission trip to El Salvador. A large team of medical doctors,
psychiatrists, dentists, nutritionists, pharmacists, and farmers visits 5
different villages over the course of a week, and a smaller team stays behind
year-round to help on a smaller scale. Data is collected each day based on what
the village specifically needed- dental needs, eye care, mental
health, proper nutrition, etc. The data is later analyzed so that their needs
may be better met in the future.
For example, the year that I participated in the mission trip the
village we visited on the 2nd day had very little dentistry needs but the
village on the 5th day had very high needs. The problem was that valuable
resources that the 5th village greatly needed were already mostly used by the 5th day. The next year, the team visited the 5th village on the 1st day
so that their high needs could be met with full resources. Similar situations
occur with all of the specialties, so detailed data is gathered at each village
each year so that assessments can be completed and plans can be adjusted as needed.
Jennifer,
ReplyDeletehow fortunate you are to have participated in such a beneficial research project. One of my college friends is from El Salvador, and I had the opportunity years ago to visit and stay with her family for almost a week. The country is stunning!! I, however, saw a completely different aspect of the country than you did, since the family is well-off by Salvadoran standards, and I stayed in the capital city. Do you think you'll go back and help with the research again? ... though I suppose having a baby now changes that possibility.
Thanks for sharing your experience with us!
Lydia
We stayed in San Salvador at night in a hotel, so I did get to see that side too. I would love to go back someday. I keep in touch with the doctor that stays all year and I also became close friends with another girl my age who keeps me updated on a few people and families that really touched me. I hope that when my daughter is old enough I can give her a similar experience.
DeleteJennifer, what a great story. It sounds like this mission trip really helps those facing poverty in El Salvador. Have you keep in touch with the program to see how these people are still doing? It would be interesting to hear how this changes their lives.
ReplyDeleteWow!!! That was such a great experience you had. I know so many people including my self that would live to experience and be part of such a research. I love the fact that each year they made improvement so as to address the needs of all of the villagers.
ReplyDeleteJennifer,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your blog. I wish I could have been part of such a wonderful mission trip. I think it would be so wonderful to be part of helping others with medical and dental issues. This research could be so helpful for many people around the world.