Health projects in Cooperatives
Hoja Blanca and Agua Dulce
Monthly reports 2022 / 2023
January 2023
News from the Health Center “A New Hope”
For years now, Macedonio Vásquez has been the person in charge of managing the Health Center “A New Hope”. The highly experienced professional nurse cares for the sick and injured and is an obstetrician for women who cannot afford to give birth in a faraway clinic. As he says in an interview, for various reasons there are almost no local midwives nowadays who assist women during pregnancy and childbirth according to ancestral customs. That means the risk of serious problems from home births goes up. As each year there are more women interested in the services of the Health Center, he suggests investing in the infrastructure to care for them in the best conditions at the time they give birth.
It also seems like a good idea to take advantage of the collaboration of Cleidy Hernández, who continues to manage the women's group of the Cooperative Hoja Blanca. She works mainly as a nutritionist and even created a bakery service supported by a USAID project (2017 – 2022). Now the idea is that she will give more training on nutrition and hygiene, not only in women's groups, but also in primary school, secondary school, and other local institutions. Likewise, we will try to establish a contact between the Assistance Center of the Hoja Blanca Cooperative and the local Health Post managed by the state that only offers training, weight control of children, etc., but neither cares for the sick and injured nor provides medicine. We hope that this synergy will strengthen healthcare in the Hoja Blanca area.
Here is a report that Cleidy sent us recently:
A healthier home
The Hoja Blanca Cooperative, the Health Center “A New Hope” and the UGK Foundation, work together to improve the nutrition of the entire population in the area of Hoja Blanca, with recommendations and promotion of better healthy home practices through constant training for associates' wives of the Hoja Blanca cooperative.
Doña Lissette and Doña Jacinta live in the Hoja Blanca village, both are mothers, wives of members of the Hoja Blanca Cooperative. They have participated in training and have replicated healthy home practices. They state that their home is different, that thanks to the councils their family lives in a healthier environment and the children get sick less. (see pictures)
The new Health Center in the village of El Boquerón
(Cuilco, Huehuetenango, Guatemala)
NEW: NOVEMBER
The Health Center meets the local high school
Irineo Vázquez, the nurse in el Boquerón, visits the high school students once a month to discuss topics such as healthy eating, the importance of a vaccination, hygiene rules in everyday life, and sex education. On November 5th, he briefly met the girls and boys in front of the primary school, where the afternoon classes for the secondary school - which does not have its own building - take place. It was 1 o'clock in the afternoon, a school and work-free Saturday, the meeting was intended to give the Swiss supervisor of the project "A Health Center for el Boquerón" the opportunity to get in touch with the young people and to find out about a coming talk on health issues.
The short interviews gave a good insight into the life of the people in the village near Mexico. Like adults, children and young people are very active. Since they don't have to go to school in the morning, they can help their parents with their work. Girls support their mothers at home, prepare food, wash, look after younger siblings. The boys, on the other hand, accompany their father to work in the fields, on a coffee plantation or on a construction site. When asked whether they prefer to harvest coffee or go to school, the answer is clear: 100% vote in favor of school lessons. All affirm that knowledge is important when it comes to apply for a decent paying job.
Two topics that are intensively discussed in the USA and Europe are also addressed in this context - from a different point of view: migration and child labour. Coffee production is hardly profitable, agriculture as such is in crisis. Anyone who wants to be better off financially thinks of working in a wealthier country, mainly the USA. If a family does not receive support from abroad, it is very likely that young people under 18 also work as day labourers: both solutions are illegal but essential.
Before the end of the school year in two weeks, Irineo is to tgiven another talk. I asked the boys and girls to document the event with photographs. They all communicate via Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and other social media. Let's see if that will work!
August / September / October
Home visits in the area of el Boquerón
This is the ninth monthly report on one of the two local health centres that the UGK Foundation is supporting in 2022. They are often posted online at the last moment, which could indicate carelessness. But, that is not the cause. We are in regular contact with the nursing staff, who show a lot of goodwill in sending us new information and pictures. However, they are not always able to satisfy our wishes. A major problem are power cuts since the rainy season started. So Irineo could only send photos and videos of the home visits in the area of Boquerón's Health Cntre while the interview did not take place at the schedulded moment. However, the pictures are particularly impressive..
In the last two years and half I have not traveled to Guatemala. So, as the person responsible for this site I am updating it at a distance of 10'000 km. However, I am glad that since 1996 I have had the opportunity to practice adapting to complicated living conditions in the course of more than 30 trips lasting several weeks each. Actually, today the newspapers in Europe are warning of possible power failures, cold radiators and medicines that are no longer available...
The August report had reached this point when Irineo and Dorasely took me via WhatsApp on one of their visits on August 31 in order to be able to answer my questions in good time. Their confidence and joy in her job gave me a kind of moral boost after the bad and dreadful news.
So, I'm hiking with the two nurses through a landscape that is familiar to me, see the stony dirt road, the humble houses, sometimes a few people, I'm happy that Dorasely finds a few ripe blackberries. It's a beautiful day, but I know that if it rains for a long time, the streams can rise tomorrow and it will be difficult, sometimes dangerous, to get to the patients. We will find a solution there too... Let's just be thankful that the sun is shining today!
September
Home visits - First part of the interview with Irineo
The interview with Irineo and Dorasely will take more than three-quarters of an hour. It begins after a desparasitizing campaign at a school, on a hot day. Dorasely protects herself from the sun with an umbrella on the way, Irineo films the way to the house of the first patient on today's visit list and patiently answers the questions. Here is the first part of the interview.
Please note: the percentages listed are not based on research that has just been carried out but indicate a trend. I could ask Irineo to send me exact statistics, which he and his colleagues have to compile for the higher authorities. In order to spare him time, I didn’t. In the projects that the state and countless NGOs carry out in the country, entire libraries with statistics and graphics are created. Unfortunately, describing the extent and causes of poverty as accurately as possible does not solve the problem - the failure of the political system and the lack of resources of many families aren’t addressed. The impressive thing is that Irineo, Dorasely and Yanilet do their job day after day without ever losing heart, what's more: they are doing it with joy and trust in a happy ending.
Jurik: How do you plan the visits and how many tours do you do per week?
Irineo: The visits are scheduled with the patients, but in emergencies they call us. On average we see three to four people per tour, depending on the distance and type of visit. Each day, a member of the team is on duty at the clinic to attend to clients who come for general consultation. Two of us examine pregnant women, postpartum women with their newborns, and children with low birth weight or with malnutrition problems.
Jurik: How do you get to your clients’ homes?
Irineo: We always walk. Of course, a vehicle would be very useful, a motorbike for example, if access to the houses is by road. I have a driver's license but no car or motorbike. Dorasely would like to drive too but doesn't have a driver's license yet. There are houses a two-hour walk away. Sometimes there are steep paths. In the rainy season, the trails quickly muddy when the streams rise rapidly. Dogs and bandits can also be dangerous. Violence is a big issue in Guatemala. My colleagues sometimes say that they don't feel comfortable walking alone. We often find ourselves in areas with no traffic, no people, no houses.
Dorasely: Neither I nor Yanilet have ever been molested. But especially in the mountainous part of the area we don't feel comfortable. Three years ago, during a vaccination campaign, a colleague was the victim of a hold-up just here - Irineo shows us the place on video - and they stole all his belongings.
Jurik: I see very different methods of construction here. What materials are the houses made of?
Irineo: There are about 550 houses in our area. Half of them is built of cement blocks. Then there are those made of adobe, i.e. mud bricks – about 30%. The rest consists of wood or corrugated iron. Not all the families have electricity and water. An estimated 10% of the population has no electricity, while 30% only have a common tap, i.e. no water in the house itself. 5% of families have only one room. It could be that 50% don't have a kitchen at all. Few have a cooking stove, maybe 30%. Most families prepare their meal on an open fire on the floor. (see photos).
Jurik: Please tell us something about the woman and her newly born daughter that you filmed during your visit last week. (see photos)
Irineo: On that tour, we visited Noemí Méndez for a first check-up after the birth of her still unnamed daughter, the couple's first child. Since the family has little money, the birth took place in their humble house with only one room. At first only a midwife was there to help, but in the end due to a complication, it still needed our support to make everything go well.
Of course, Irineo and his colleagues will continue to visit them, so that it stays that way. We will try to accompany the small family until the end of the year...
October 2022
Second part of the interview -
Topics: Hygiene / Malnutrition / Always on duty! / The motivation to be a nurse
Jurik: Do people keep their houses clean and tidy? Are they aware of the importance of hygiene?
Irineo: There is poverty and poverty. When it comes to cleanliness, we see very different situations. We visit families who live in extreme poverty but take great care of their homes: everything looks clean and tidy. They even plant flowers in the garden. I would say that's 80%. But we also get into really dirty houses where animals go in and out. We advise these people to try harder to avoid illness. You’ve to struggle to get these 20% “nasty” ones on the right path. Sometimes it makes us angry that they put themselves and even more their children in danger. But no way! we have to do our job and keep trying to convince them!
Jurik: Medical staff often mention the problem of malnutrition. Is this an issue for you too?
Irineo: At the moment we have two children under the age of two who, according to our examinations, are too small and underweight for their age. They are children of low-income parents who have no job at all: they do not have enough money to feed the little ones properly. In a few cases, it’s a result of irresponsibility, but most often it's a lack of money. So it's not enough just to explain to parents what proper nutrition is. They often have the good will to follow the advice - but how are they supposed to put it into practice when they have no money at all?
Jurik: Can you tell us something more about the families you visit?
Irineo: There are the proactive ones. As already mentioned, her house is always tidy and clean. For example, they plant corn and beans for their subsistence, and also have their coffee plantations. It is the majority, as we have seen, they are healthy and happy. But there are others who think that everything falls from the sky. They don't manage to fight for survival more intensely, and the atmosphere in the house is sad. It does not even always depend on the lack of wealth. We also meet unhappy people in nice houses with solid masonry, two floors and a modern kitchen: the owner, for example, has problems because he is alone. In fact, psychological problems are one of the negative consequences of migration. We often talk to people about difficulties in their family relationships and are therefore also psychologists for them.
Jurik: I'm sure you'll have a lot of thoughts on the way... Tell us a little bit about your musings...
Irineo: For me it is a privilege to have this job. I feel lucky to be able to help people, I feel useful in my job and I do what I like. I don’t earn much money, but I’m giving something to my neighbor. We work as a team, we walk together, we see the beautiful scenery, we talk to find solutions, how to convince those who don't want to listen to us, how to rephrase our advice. This happens during our walks to the patients' homes.
Jurik: Dorasely, does it make you angry to see that a mother, with all her good will and despite her best efforts, cannot give more to her children?
Dorasely: When I assisted the young mother during the birth, I was happy to be able to help her and thanked God that there were no further complications. Sometimes it's sad that mothers don't have the resources to give children what they need. What bothers me is when they are irresponsible and don't take their kids to a check-up, don't give them the vitamins that we give them for free. That makes me angry because children have a right to it and their mothers don't grant it to them. But as Irineo said: it's a small minority! - and that's why we love our work!
July
Another health project - Hoja Blanca Clinic
As the contact between the new clinic of el Boquerón and the students of the secondary school has still not taken place, we dedicate the July report to the other health project managed this year by the Foundation UGK: it is no less interesting!
We are a few kilometers from el Boquerón, in the village of Hoja Blanca, where the Cooperative of the same name has been running a small clinic for 35 years. There has been no external financial support since 2012. So, apart from a contribution from the cooperative, the clinic has to finance itself. The nurse Macedonio Vázquez takes care of all the patients, between 8 and 15 a day. He also attends births, sews up wounds, repairs tendons: services that the local state health center does not offer. When asked what the most exciting moment in his job was, he says it doesn't exist. “It is always a satisfaction to serve people. But during the pandemic, I felt happy to be able to heal 47 patients from the coronavirus. The people supported us a lot, they also prayed for me. Only a 65-year-old patient died after being taken to a hospital - but he had other illnesses."
The clinic includes a waiting room, a pharmacy, an office, two rooms for staff, two rooms for patients, a kitchen, two toilets, a shower. There is running water that works well. The electricity from Mexico, on the other hand, does not always arrive. The small solar system is not efficient enough. We hope that thanks to the project funds, a facility like that of the El Boquerón clinic can be purchased.
In Hoja Blanca and the five surrounding hamlets, around 2,500 people live on around 10km2, 50% in precarious, 30% in simple, 20% in good conditions. 90% of the houses have tap water.
The manager of the cooperative, Genier Hernández, tells us that they are very grateful for the project. On the one hand, they can improve the infrastructure of the clinic, buy medical instruments and equipment, and on the other hand they can pay for the salary of a health educator who works part-time.
Kleidy Hernández Vázquez is 23 years old, she studies at the university on the weekends and has already been trained in topics such as nutrition, gender, public health, alternative medicine, pedagogy - not only theoretically, but also in practice. She also attended a course in alternative medicine at the University of San Carlos. Her idea - supported by the manager of the Cooperativa and the nurse - is to create a small garden with medicinal plants as part of the project of the UGK Foundation.
The interviews with Macedonio, Genier and Kleidy conducted via WhatsApp have shown us that there is a very committed and technically well-prepared team working there. It will be a pleasure for us to read their reports, which tell us how the activities are progressing: the purchases made, the home visits - which have already started - and the training courses offered.
June
Road improvement and fencing
In May the idea arose of a little project that would allow the students of the elementary school to learn about the activities of the new Health Center in their village. There was not enough time to do it. There is a lot of goodwill on the part of the teacher and staff at the Health Center, but they have so many activities going on that they find it difficult to deal with additional unforeseen tasks. However, contact is established and we hope to return to this topic shortly.
Fortunately we have some good news from the Health Center itself. On the one hand, the fence was finished and the protection for the entrance gate was put up, that is, a sheet metal roof. On the other hand, the access to the new building was improved in a sustainable way: 200 meters paved with cement! The materials were purchased with the sponsored funds – while the work cost nothing as there were once again volunteers who made another great effort without asking for a salary.
From time to time, Adín, the person in charge, calls us so that we can share a moment in these remote activities. In his online recordings we can see a team of well-organized men advancing on their work patiently and calmly until the last bag of cement is finished. When they realize someone is watching them, they greet them with a smile. Awesome!
One question still remains: will a cement floor be put in the patio or will there be grass with a tree in the middle? Let's see… What is certain is that medicinal herbs thrive on the tires!
The series of photos begins with Dorasely with her sister and her niece – the first baby she delivered as a midwife three years ago. The ones that illustrate the latest works follow.
May
Interview with Dorasely, nurse
My daily work at the Boquerón Health Center
In May and June we will accompany the staff of the Boquerón Health Center. In order for it to be a shared experience with the Community, we try to involve the students of the elementary school. The idea is that they will do interviews, tag along the nurses on their visits when they go to visit people, in their work at the same Health Center where they take care of patients, and also in administrative work. Since we have to prepare this little project well, we need a little more time. Fortunately, Doracely already gave us a first idea of her daily work in an interview on WhatsApp – 10,000 kilometers away.
´Good morning Doracely. Can you tell us something about yourself?
I am 31 years old, I have a family of two daughters four years and six months. I started as a nurse at the Boquerón Health Center on June 16, 2019, that is, I have been working in the same place for three years. Every day one learns new things and so I already have quite some experience.
Do you like your work?
Being a nurse at this Health Center caught my attention because here I can provide services to people who really need it. In our communities, people have many needs. When a child gets sick, parents often don't have the money to take them to a private clinic. So I can support my people because I am from the same community.
Is it a full time job?
Yes. I work from Monday to Friday, every day from 8 in the morning to 1 in the afternoon. After lunch recess we continue from 2 to 4 ½ in the afternoon. Yesterday, May 26, I attended eleven people, today there are seven who arrived in the morning. But there are days when only five people ask us for our support.
Do you remember a particularly exciting moment in your work?
One of the moments I will never forget was my first birth as a midwife, when I had the opportunity to care for my sister. It was very exciting to see a baby being born. Every time my three companions and I see a person come into the world, it is a very beautiful experience for us. Here we offer courses that prepare pregnant women. The father can also participate when the mother gives birth to give her the support she needs in labor.
Do you like the idea of a project that involves students who will accompany them in their work to prepare a small report on the Health Center?
Sure, no problem!´
So, let's see if we can achieve this long-distance collaboration...
April
Interview with Irineo Vázquez, male nurse, and Adín Mazariego Gálvez, COCODE
The last phases of the project - the work of the volunteers
Irineo: "When a community work is carried out, voluntary unskilled labor, that is, unpaid, plays a very important role. In order to build the Boqueron Health Center, we needed it in all phases of the project. Thus, they were neighbors who helped to flatten the land, excavate stones, remove stones, transport materials, assist the builder to raise the walls or cement the floor. If a man cannot work himself, he has to pay someone to replace him.
In the case of El Boquerón, 600 hours of volunteer work worth 30,000 Quetzales ($3,916.00) were foreseen in the budget. Approximately 200 people provided this service. The leaders of the different communities called them. They are mostly young people who get involved, those between 15 and 40 years old. 15 years old? Yes, it is the custom in Guatemala, despite the law that prohibits child labor under 18 years of age. "There is no other way", they say. On the one hand, the kids like to get involved in a collective project, especially when it comes to a health center that will serve both mothers and little sisters and brothers! Apart from that, fathers and mothers want their children to learn something practical too, so that they don't spend all their time studying and spending time with friends. Yes, it is about learning from everything! For me personally, helping my grandparents and my father helped me to get to know work, to know what it means to earn a living, I would say to live healthily.
Now we are in the last phase of the work. Solar panels are being installed and fencing has started. For these jobs we need specialists because it is qualified work. However to improve access to this place, we need again volunteers. In fact, we opened the way in three communities, which will make the road much safer for women, girls and boys.
We already saw the solar panels in another Health Center where they fuel all the devices that are required. For us it is a priority, because often we do not get electricity in a clinic. The electrician says that the plant will last 35 to 40 years and has great potential. We already have electricity throughout the building and we connect the refrigerator, the washing machine, the computers, etc. for 24 hours. For the plant to reach its full potential, it doesn't even need sun all day."
Adín : "For the fence we put 20'000 Quetzales in the budget and we think it will be of the best quality. The photos show that part of it is already finished. We will send more as soon as it is finished!"
March 2022
Interview with Selena Gabriel Ramirez
The inauguration of the new clinic in El Boquerón
Selena is 24 years old, she lives in El Boquerón (Cuilco / Huehuetenango) and follows virtual courses on weekends at Da Vinci University in Huehuetenango to obtain a diploma in nursing technique in three years. He has been working since his high school years to finance his studies.
Selena says that the inauguration of the new clinic on March 4 marked the happy ending of a long story. After tropical storms Eta and Iota had destroyed the health center from before, the villagers were forced to walk long distances when they needed medical care or medicine. Finally, the COCODE (the local mayor) invited the neighbors to a meeting to discuss with them how to build a new building. Thanks to the efforts of the entire village and the external sponsors, the inauguration of the Health Center could now be celebrated.
About 350 people sat under canopies in front of a podium where local authorities and invited people had been seated. In Guatemala, an inauguration is celebrated with a well-defined agenda. It begins with the entrance of the flag and the singing of the national anthem, then continues with the speeches and the presentation of awards to the sponsors. At the end, a ribbon is cut in front of the new building: the entrance is now open to everyone.
For young people, the real party started at 1 pm. In this case, a marimba, typical of Guatemala, had not been invited, but rather a band from the capital of Cuilco that played Duranguense music for people to dance until 5 in the afternoon. "We had so much fun, we were so happy to move our body," says Selena, laughing. Festivities of this type are rare in El Boquerón, perhaps there are three a year, for example on Independance Day, and a discotheque does not exist here. On those days, drunk people are often seen. However, this was not the case in El Boquerón: another proof of the exemplary behavior of the population.
Selena thanks everyone for the support from Switzerland. Helping others, that's exactly her goal. She wants to earn money, support her family and pay for her studies so she can take care of sick people. After finishing the interview, she wrote in a chat: "It will be difficult for me to achieve this goal because here you do not receive a good salary anywhere. But I will achieve it! You can always achieve it if you try and fight." We wish you so, Selena!
February 2022 / Photos below
Interview with the male nurse Irineo Vázquez
Living conditions - Public Health System
The Health Center in Boquerón that gives us some information about the place, the people and the new Health Center. After finishing the talk, he sent some pictures, which illustrate the living conditions of the people in small communities near the border with Mexico.
In addition to El Boquerón, the area to which the Health Center provides its services includes the villages of Flor del Café, El Boqueroncito and Santa Bárbara Chiquita with a total of 2003 inhabitants. The houses are very simple, a few are made of block, most of them are made of adobe or wooden boards with tin roofs. About 70% of the population lives in very precarious conditions. This means that living conditions are unsanitary, people hardly find work, and children are deprived of food, medical care, clothing, and education.
In El Boquerón there is a primary school and a secondary school. Some of the houses have piped water and electricity. Only 60 families are connected to a piped system, while the rest draw their water from individual wells. Some of the electricity comes from Mexico. The power plant sometimes cuts the line for up to three days. Those who want or have to go to a city with a more complete infrastructure cannot count on a public transport service. A bus stop with regular service is 28 km away, La Democracia - around 40,000 inhabitants, with a regional hospital - 72 km away. Cost of a collective service in Pickup-Taxi: 60 Q. (7.50 $ / minimum wage in Guatemala 350 $. monthly).
Fortunately, the new Health Center is slightly larger than the one that was destroyed by tropical storms in 2020. The materials are more resistant, the design is better and with 15x15 m it offers 36 m2 more surface area. Three women and one man make up the team responsible for caring for the area's population, three full-time, one woman part-time. They are supported by another professional nurse who works once a week at the Boquerón Health Center.
The main focus is on caring for children up to 5 years old, pregnant women, postpartum women and the chronically ill. Likewise, vaccination campaigns are of great importance. Of course, Irineo and his colleagues also take care of all the other people with health problems who ask them for help. There are like twenty people who want a consultation every day. The new Health Center is in a quiet place with easy access. It is also ideal for children because they can play here without taking any risk from the traffic.
Sometimes, in the case of serious illnesses or accidents, dramatic moments are experienced. When a person suffers from a cerebral hemorrhage, for example, they have to be transported by ambulance to Huehuetenango, which is a 6-hour trip, partly on roads that are in poor condition. Therefore it is important to take all possible preventive measures in the Boquerón. That is exactly what Irineo and his team are doing in the new Health Center. The opening is scheduled for March 4th, and that will probably be the subject of the March report!
January 2022
Interview with Adín Elisbeto Mazariego Galves, COCODE
The development of the project
Adín is the president of COCODE, the local committee in charge of developing the village. After Hurricanes Eta and Iota caused great devastation in the municipality of Boquerón near the Mexican border in the fall of 2020, he was tasked with coordinating measures to rebuild the village's infrastructure. Since in Guatemala you cannot count on the support of the state in such situations, the population gathered to see how roads, bridges, buildings, etc. could be renovated, with the support of the community itself.
Reconstruction of the completely destroyed small health center was considered a priority. There is no doctor in Boquerón, however there is a team of nurses. They come from the village and are well trained for this task. Therefore they can professionally care for most patients. The staff is supported by ten neighbors who help them, for example with vaccination campaigns. During the pandemic, it was very successful: the majority of the population is vaccinated, at the moment Covid-19 is no longer a problem. Midwives based in Agua Dulce care for pregnant women and accompany them at the time of delivery. When there is a risk of complications, the woman is taken to the nearest hospital, located in San Pedro Necta, a four-hour drive away.
The nurses have a lot of work. With a population of about 2,500 people in the four villages of the Boquerón, an average of 20 people need the services of the clinic every day, from 8am in the morning to 4pm in the afternoon.
In 2021, villagers supported by relatives who have immigrated to the United States raised money to buy a piece of land where there is no risk of another flood, so that the medical services would soon continue. The money was enough to begin the construction of the new building immediately after the acquisition of the plot. Fortunately, the mayor of the municipality gave as well a subsidy from the state. Still not enough to pay all the expenses. At this point, the Cooperative Agua Dulce decided to ask for help from Fedecocagua, through which it markets its coffee. It is important to know that many cooperatives of Fedecocagua support social projects in their communities, mainly schools or, as in this case, the health center. Exactly at this moment, Blaser Trading and the Lindenhof Group offered Fedecocagua and its UGK Foundation such a project. The UGK Foundation is happy to work with sponsors who understand that it is good to cooperate with other sponsors, in this case with a Cooperative, the population of the village and the state, because that empowers the beneficiaries.
This is how the doors and windows have been installed right now, as well as the sanitary installations. In the next stage, circulation will be put in place to protect the building and facilities. This is important to prevent vandalism and theft. Experience shows that simple measures are sufficient in rural areas, and that video surveillance is not required. The new clinic is located some distance from the main road. Therefore it is also necessary to improve the access road.
Images of the month of March.