 |
| Cathy Dufour with some of her little friends |
This is a report from Cathy Dufour, an an enthusiastic volunteer with NJT-Ottawa, who was recently part of a group of Canadian health care workers who spent 10 days in Guatemala working with their local counterparts. Well, let's get Cathy to tell the story:
Hola mi amigos,
 |
| Nebulizer from NJT-Ottawa! |
I just want to take this opportunity to thank Jacques and everyone else who was involved in helping gather supplies for this year’s Guatemala Project. This year's project was a huge success in many respects.
The Guatemala Nursing –ECCE project was a joint project with the Nursing Program and Early Childhood Education Program (ECCE) at Heritage College. Faculty from both programs and selected students worked collaboratively with the Guatemala Day Care Project under the direction of Brian Swan and Sheila Silver to build a partnership, deliver health care services and provide teacher training on Storytelling and Literacy Resources prepared by Heritage College ECCE students to several daycares in outlying villages in the La Laguna region.
The Guatemala Day Care Project was founded by Brian Swan and Sheila Silver, a Wakefield couple, nine years ago. It is a non-profit group associated with Aldeas Infantiles SOS – a nongovernmental group that promotes children’s rights through providing daycare services and education to disadvantaged communities.
We brought down a total of 14 suitcases and two 25 kg boxes filled with much needed medications and nutritional supplements, first aid supplies, respiratory, rehabilitation supplies (i.e. canes, knee and back braces), plus literacy and early learning kits to the local clinic in San Juan, Laguna and surrounding communities in the highlands.
Our 10 days flew by. Dr. Christoph Weber from Ottawa, his daughter, and Louise Killens, a Physiotherapist (Killens-Reid Physiotherapy) from Ottawa, worked out of the local clinic in San Juan and the rest of the team provided a one day workshop to nine regional daycares on first aid and early learning, followed by visiting the 5/9 daycares providing health assessment and promotion and assisting with their early literacy programs to over 170 children.
The Guatemala Nursing –ECCE project was a joint project with the Nursing Program and Early Childhood Education Program (ECCE) at Heritage College. Faculty from both programs and selected students worked collaboratively with the Guatemala Day Care Project under the direction of Brian Swan and Sheila Silver to build a partnership, deliver health care services and provide teacher training on Storytelling and Literacy Resources prepared by Heritage College ECCE students to several daycares in outlying villages in the La Laguna region.
The Guatemala Day Care Project was founded by Brian Swan and Sheila Silver, a Wakefield couple, nine years ago. It is a non-profit group associated with Aldeas Infantiles SOS – a nongovernmental group that promotes children’s rights through providing daycare services and education to disadvantaged communities.
We brought down a total of 14 suitcases and two 25 kg boxes filled with much needed medications and nutritional supplements, first aid supplies, respiratory, rehabilitation supplies (i.e. canes, knee and back braces), plus literacy and early learning kits to the local clinic in San Juan, Laguna and surrounding communities in the highlands.
Our 10 days flew by. Dr. Christoph Weber from Ottawa, his daughter, and Louise Killens, a Physiotherapist (Killens-Reid Physiotherapy) from Ottawa, worked out of the local clinic in San Juan and the rest of the team provided a one day workshop to nine regional daycares on first aid and early learning, followed by visiting the 5/9 daycares providing health assessment and promotion and assisting with their early literacy programs to over 170 children.
 |
| March 3 workshop participants |
For more information on our project, or to read our blogs, please visit http://guatemala-nursingproject.webnode.com
Warm regards,
Catherine Dufour, RN, BScN, DEd
Nursing Faculty, Heritage College
