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| Once again; the non governmental organization “Charity Anywhere” in Ecuador had the chance to visit the city of Otavalo. All of this under the covenant signed between the city government of Otavalo and Charity Anywhere to help provide Humanitarian Assistance of a great quality. The mayor of this city promised to its citizens to build a communitarian heath care center in a piece of land where a big factory used to be located at. This facility was partially rebuilt since its interior patios were absolutely abandoned and need urgent maintenance promised by the city mayor: Mr. Conejo. The neighbourhood where this health care center is known as: “The Jewel”; in Spanish “La Joya”. Every single time when our NGO sets up a project in Otavalo; our volunteers can now go with us from Quito and work in Otavalo as long as the project lasts. That was precisely what we did on this very project. We still wait and trust on what the Mayor of Otavalo will keep doing in order to improve the working facilities of the “Jewel” medical center. From our side, our NGO will keep supporting all the efforts that bring to pass the successful achievement of all of our projects between us and Mr Conejo´s administration. The geographical characteristics of Otavalo had been commented on previous reports; consequently on this particular report we will only inform this time statistic date on this particular mission. Our duties as part of a team made of mobile clinics only consist on providing of the delivery of medicines, humanitarian donations, and check outs that will not eventually change the Epidemiological profile of this area. Our job consists in delivering a small contribution that hopefully will partially beat the everyday poverty and abandon that Otavalo families deal with. We took advantage of our visit to Otavalo to mobilize our day the day to Tulcan. This population known too as the “North Sentry” is the capital city of the Ecuadorian province of “El Carchi”; and it is 7 Km away from the Colombian boundary. Ecuador and Colombia are united by the International breach above the “Rumichaca” river. Tulcan´s cemetery is quite neat; because it counts with alive-sculptures engraved as woodcuts on pine trees; which is considered as a truly handmade wonder. The altitude of this city is 2500 mts above the sea level and its weather is known as moderate Andean. Leaving from Quito, it normally takes 5 hrs. to get there using a highway on a very good condition. Since Tulcan is located in the natural boundary city with Colombia; commerce there of goods and products is quite fluid and busy. Under the direction of Dr. Washington Zambrano DDS and the volunteers: Dr. Alberto Vargas Medical Practitioner-Epidemiologist; Dr Gloria Polo Medical Practitioner-Intern Medicine; Dr. Isabel Zambrano DDS-Dental Paediatrician; Eng. Julio Zambrano- Sterilization; Mr. Carlos Celin-Equipment Technician, Mr. Juan Pablo Trujillo-Logistics. This project was done in association to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints- Quito Missionaries. The two sister Missionaries that volunteered were: Ligget and Rosito. We also counted with the significant support of the Dr. Russ Larsen DDS and his family. Our team visited the neighbourhood of “Ciudadela Del Maestro” (The Teacher’s Citadel). Our team was welcomed there and our work started organizing our cubicles for our medical and dental stations. As it was mentioned before; our team previously served at the city of Otavalo. Those volunteers, doctors and nurses who were part of that project in Otavalo came along this time to join again our team and serve this time in Tulcan, instead. |
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BARRIO CUTUGLAGUA, QUITO - ECUADOR, APRIL 5, 2008 |
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| The First expectation was the continuation of the covenant signed with the “Mariana de Jesus” Foundation. And the Second was the very start of the covenant signed with the Ecuadorian University-Medicine School; which prescribed that on every expedition the medical interns of this university will partake of our medical projects. We believe that the common ideal of both non profit organizations (“Mariana de Jesus” Foundation as well as the “Charity Anywhere Foundation”) is always very significant; when the time comes to do humanitarian service to those in absolute need. It was very representative for us that the Ecuadorian University of Medical School did satisfy on its totality the agreement of sending alternate-turn medical students to collaborate us on this mission. Dr. Fernando Duran did send 5 students this time that punctually showed up. Our medical doctors worked very well with these medical students keeping on mind that they still were only students yet. These students were affectionate to people and very helpful as far as the scientific point of view; which collaborate to the success of this expedition. Cutuglahua is one of the many Quito’s marginalized neighbourhoods inhabited by quite poor families where the very basic needs still are unsatisfied by the organisms of control, either governmental health/infrastructure or projects of any kind. From the very minute when you enter to this community; you can picture mall prefabricated houses where is almost impossible to fit all the dense population that each family poses. This fact immediately told us about the phenomenon of overcrowding houses only designed for not more than 3 individuals; and where the light, water and sewer systems are also very poor and limited. Cutuglahua´s inhabitants then are forced to collect in water containers that majority is not the most ideal for this function and especially on terrible sanitary conditions overall. All of these situations have a serious impact on the communitarian Epidemiological Profile. The lack of sewer system had forced the locals to design on their own septic-wells on a very primitive manner; and some anti-technical issues had been appearing mostly owed by overflowed residual waters. To make this situation even worse; recent water falls had cause caused destruction almost anywhere in their infrastructure. Although this neighbourhood is on the further south side of Quito; we believed we mostly felt like on a rural area where technological advances have not arrived yet. The only thing this placed did not have were horse drawn vehicles to re assure us we weren’t on the capital city of Ecuador; but on very limited village. The poverty is close enough to misery on the inhabitants of this Quito neighbourhood. Having as our mission leader to Dr. Washington Zambrano DDS; a medical Doctor from the Mariana de Jesus Foundation and the medical coordinator of the “Charity Anywhere Foundation”: Dr. Alberto Vargas; and having five alternate-turn medical students (Christian Aguaysa, Larry Arciniegas, Ana Baquero, Carlos Benavides and Patricia Camacho) were en charged if giving the medical attention to this neighbourhood. The medical consult did behave on the following manner: |
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Cutuglahua |
Men |
% |
Women |
% |
Total |
% |
Less than 1 year |
2 |
10.5 |
2 |
5 |
4 |
6.8 |
1 up to 5 |
6 |
31.6 |
13 |
32.5 |
19 |
32.2 |
6 up to 15 |
4 |
21.10 |
9 |
22.5 |
13 |
22 |
16 up to 45 |
3 |
15.8 |
11 |
27.5 |
14 |
23.7 |
46 up to 65 |
3 |
15.8 |
3 |
7.5 |
6 |
10.2 |
Older than 65 |
1 |
5.2 |
2 |
5 |
3 |
5.1 |
TOTAL |
19 |
100 |
40 |
100 |
59 |
100 |
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The consult distribution according to Age and Sex at next:
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On the Paediatric group a 37.5% of patients did consult because of High Respiratory Track Illnesses such as: IRA disease, |
Pharyngitis, Tonsillitis, Rhinitis mostly owed to the whether conditions and population/settlement issues. These negative circumstances make that the respiratory infections would be the main reason for a medical consult. We have already mentioned that healthy conditions of this neighbourhood eventually affect a 66.6% of all of our children seen there. Children often visited us because of Poly Parasite Disease, Low Weight Disease and Mal Nutrition of the Kwashiorkor kind on a percentage of 13, 8% of our paediatric consultants; situation that for a population like Cutuglahua can always signify something very sad. Certainly the approximation to food gathering centers and the easiness to find nutrients through governmental programs have made this kind of disease will be gradually overcome.The Skin Illness diseases had an incidence on these children with an 18% of consults on Mycosis and Bacterial Dermatitis. Although of the overcrowding; it was only found two cases of Scabiosis and Louses. Within the adult population a 22.7% did consult because of Poly Parasite Disease; which helped us confirm that the environmental/ sanitarian conditions as well as the bad nutritional or hygienic habits truly affect the Pathologies of this community. A 17.2 % complained because of ball joint aches, Lower Back Aches and Althralgies mainly owed to the weather and the kind of work these individuals do. Pharyngitis and Rhino Pharyngitis were present on a 13.2%. Anaemia of unknown kinds was present too on an 11.8%. Since we could not count with a Clinical Lab we could not classified the kind of Anaemia presented there then. A 10% of the population and all females had symptoms related to Urinary Infections; most of them with added diagnose of Vulvo Viginitis. Three women were found on the stage of emergency and consulted us because of pregnancy control. |
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PACTO - ECUADOR, APRIL 12 - 13, 2008 |
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The “Mariana de Jesus Foundation” has been displaying an interesting social labor at the north western side of Ecuadorian province of Pichincha. This organization works after the re organization of communities to help understand its inhabitants of what rights and responsibilities they have. In order to achieve this praiseworthy labor, the “Mariana de Jesus Foundation” decided to include “Charity Anywhere Foundation-Ecuador” hoping to expand certain social programs where medical and dental will take care to these communities. With these previous antecedents it was decided to create a medical expedition to the region of Pacto and the surrounding village of Paradise too. Several volunteers of “Charity Anywhere Foundation-Ecuador” did work as always of Dr. Washington Zambrano DDS. At next is a list of those last-year Medical Students who volunteered for us on this mission: Gabriela Cedeño, Andres Carrera, Monica Chachalo, Maria Escuadero, and Maria Cortez. At next is a list of those who permanently volunteered for us: Dr. Alberto Vargas General Physician and Epidemiologist; Dr Isabel Zambrano DDS and Dental Paediatrician; Dr. Salome Arias DDS; Dr. Ximena Tapia DDS; Eng. Julio Zambrano-sterilization; Mr. Carlos Celín-Technician; Mr. Juan Pablo Trujillo-Logistics. These towns are 2hrs and a half away from the Ecuadorian capita: Quito and they have a moderate whether with a fairly considerable tourist attraction. Foreign naturalists visit this area thanks to the great waterfalls and a jungle like sceneries. The impressive varied flora and fauna of a great natural interest for scientifics have changed this area into a busy tourist and agricultural society. The cultivation of sugar cane; but specially the production of jaggery is meant to be exported out of Ecuador. Stockbreeding and cattle farming represent another interesting activity of this region. Hopefully these activities help the region to be somehow financially stable and self-sufficient. It should be mention to that as it happens in other societies; certain part of the population is not completely benefited but displaced by those who posses the farms. That totally reduces the chances which certain families might stand to increase their wages and financial situations above all. We tried hard to benefit those families from Pacto and Paradise that belong to poorer economical stratum. Our team had to use a highway of very poor conditions for over forty five minutes from Pacto to be able to arrive to the village of Paradise. This village does not have the basic services as drinking water or even worse a descent sewer system. These negative situations helped us classify this village as one of those that are completely left out from governmental assistance of any kind. Our proposal of medical and dental clinics to serve the families of this village did change on the last minute. Certain technical conditions had to be adequate along the way for the right development of our work there. Some members of the Church of the Seventh Day voluntarily offered their church building to set there our clinics. Our crew members accepted and we could see certain help from the locals to have us work for their benefit. |
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