A blog for the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies
As the days of our visit roll on, the communities we visit
and revisit become increasingly more familiar, we more quickly orient ourselves
on rocky unmarked roads and wave hello to the families and friends who have
welcomed us into their lives. Despite
this familiarity, what I have not become accustom to is the difficulty
surrounding access to health care and the incredible need amongst the
community. I suppose what I have
truly come to recognize is that amidst the lushness of this beautiful country
lies a hidden truth of hard choices and a hard life. Read more »
Submitted by GuatemalaTrip on August 8, 2012 - 6:13pm
When we drove to San Lucas for the first time, one of the
first things that caught my eye were the brightly colored flags that are
painted on rocks that line the roads. These flags represented the different
political parties that compete for the support of the Guatemalan people. As
we’ve visited the different communities around San Lucas for the past few days,
these flags have always been present; a constant throughout the varying faces
and villages that we’ve been introduced to. Read more »
Submitted by GuatemalaTrip on August 4, 2012 - 9:31pm
Nestled.
It’s the word I thought of when I watched San Lucas Toliman,
Guatemala, rising from the road for the first time, and it’s the word I think
of now, as we roll into the tiny mountaintop town of Panimaquip, packed 20-odd
deep to a nameless white van. The city is nestled against the mountain; it perches
precariously atop its green slope, steep cobblestone roads sloping off in every
direction. The doctors and med students pour out, setting up canisters of
amoxicillin, rows of tongue depressants, and one particularly expensive $900USD
otoscope. I later find out this simple tool, a magnified flashlight the doctors
use to check patients’ ears and throats, will cost the same as the typical
Panimaquip family will spend on their daily expenses in 2 years.
Nestled. Read more »
Submitted by GuatemalaTrip on August 2, 2012 - 8:09pm
If it were only a question of money, it would be easy.
However, even with an unlimited source of funding it would be difficult to know
where to begin. Poverty has no clear solution and development no teleological
end. One could distribute nutritional supplements for malnourished children,
ensure primary education for all, build clinics to provide healthcare, and so
much more. Yet, any solution can only exist through a combination of a variety
of programs; and, without a clear connection to the communities and a strategic
plan for a sustainable future no program can survive. International development
is not a solvable paradigm, but an ever-changing scenario that must engage all
citizens of the world if any progress can be made. Read more »
Submitted by GuatemalaTrip on August 1, 2012 - 7:53pm
Today
we visited the town of Nueva Providencia, about fifteen minutes away from San
Lucas Toliman by car, and currently inhabited by 75 families. Nueva Providencia
is very rural, but we were taken aback by how beautiful the scenery was around
the town. The assistance of Father Gregory Schaffer was visible in the newly
built rope bridge across the river that served as the entrance to Nueva
Providencia from the road. Although this was one of the poorer towns that we
have visited, it had a centrally located school that was transformed for the
day into the clinic.
Read more »
Submitted by GuatemalaTrip on July 31, 2012 - 6:44pm
Today was our first day
doing consultas and field-work in Guatemala. The communities we visited have from 50-350 families each. We visited the comunidad of Tierra
Santa and two students worked in the clinics in Region 97. The health promoters in Tierra Santa work
closely with families of about 20 communities and about 1400 Guatemalan kids
who are less than 5 years in age, especially focusing on the topic of malnutrition. One of the things that
immediately impressed me from our first day in Guatemala is the fact that Spanish
seems to be spoken more fluently by people who have had some sort of formal
education. For example, the two women we interviewed today mostly spoke Q’ueqchi,
while the promotoras, who have had formal training and more education, were our
translators. Another thing I found curious were the paved roads in the planned
communities of Guatemala, since the few Mexican towns I have frequented often
Read more »
Submitted by GuatemalaTrip on July 30, 2012 - 8:12pm
The Stanford team held a welcome dinner for the host family, students, researchers, and staff at the Hotel Toliman's beautiful lakeside restaurant. It was wonderful to have everyone together to share a meal and get acquainted.
The following morning we did our first 6:00am walk with Ángel Julaju (our host) where we visited a new housing development that is under construction but slated to provide homes to 406 families displaced by the flooding that ravaged the region in 2010 and 2011.
Submitted by GuatemalaTrip on July 30, 2012 - 5:44am
The FSI team is about to head off for the third annual summer undergraduate internship and research project in San Lucas Tolíman, Guatemala. We will be in Guatemala July 28-August 10 to work with health promoters and conduct research on nutrition and conditional cash transfers in the country.
Field work will be conducted by our six undergraduate interns: Read more »
Submitted by GuatemalaTrip on July 26, 2012 - 3:20pm
By Jorge Olarte, posted August 6, 2011
(L-R) Jorge Olarte, Nayeli Gallardo, Amaya Cotton-Caballero, and Alexis Romero join health promoter Olivia for a family interview in the remote village of Panimaqip, Guatemala. Read more »
Submitted by REAP China on August 12, 2011 - 5:21am
Posted by Alexis Romero, August 3, 2011
Alexis Romero, in the field, New Providencia, Guatemala Read more »
Submitted by REAP China on August 5, 2011 - 4:26am