Words of the Chairman
Hola! (Hello!)
Thanks for visiting our website! You can read here who we are, what we do, how we do it, and who we are doing it for!
In September 2002 I decided to give up my work as a doctor’s-assistant at the emergency section of a hospital in Utrecht and departed for 3 months to Guatemala. I wanted to work outside of Europe and at the same time discover if working in the tropics would be something that suited me.
As I had
recently spent 3 months in Barcelona studying Spanish, a Spanish speaking
country was the most obvious one for me to choose. I thought Spanish was a
beautiful language and it would therefore be good to practise it again. I
chose for Guatemala because of the many opportunities to carry out voluntary
work which seemed quite well-organized. Whilst reading about the different
countries in Latin-America, the Guatemalan culture and country was one of
the things that most appealed to my imagination.
This is it, I thought and immediately bought a ticket the very same week.
I spent
the first two weeks in Guatemala doing Spanish lessons and arrived via another
student, at the public hospital "Hermano Pedro" in Antigua. The
children of the malnutrition-ward captured my heart immediately and the Guatemalan
doctors and nurses were very nice and thankfully welcomed my voluntary assistance.
Via the hospital I came in contact with Nina Jorgensen. She came in some day
with the question if we could help her as soon as possible with giving powdered
milk to a critically ill and malnourished baby. We gathered as much food as
possible out of the hospital reserves and loaded it on her pick-up truck to
take to the people of the villages she took care of. She also wanted to make
an appointment with us immediately, to weigh and measure all children, and
to examineand treat as many ill adults and children a possible. It was an
emergency!
A week
later the paediatrician, dietist, head nurse, a retired family doctor and
I drove by the volcanic scenery to Escuintla, a region in the south of Guatemala.
When we arrived in the village where the health post was situated, the children
ran out of their houses and shouted "Nina, Ninaaa!" and waved with
their hands.
For the next few days we treated dozens of adults and children as well as
we possibly could or referred them to visit a specialist.
As you
can imagine this work left a big impression on me. The circumstances under
which we worked were rather primitive and many people were in very bad health
(mainly as a result of poverty).
I found it quite special that I could contribute with my knowledge and at
the same time help a little towards the health and well-being of this open,
friendly and happy people.
At the end of my stay I thought about everything that I had experienced. When
I returned to The Netherlands I decided to start a foundation to help these
people, and with the help of my father and 3 friends I succeeded!
A small amount of money in The Netherlands goes a long way there and with
a relatively small amount you can make a big difference.
I have regular e-mail contact with Nina and with the English paediatrician (Lesley) in Hermano Pedro. I hear directly from them what they have done with the money they receive from us. They also tell me what kind of effect it has on the living conditions of the people and that makes the fundraising all the more worthwhile.
If you want to support us, then take a look at our website about becoming a donor.
I would like to take the opportunity on behalf of myself, the board and the Guatemalan people, to personally thank everyone who made a donation!
With kinds regards, Maaike Bosschart, doctor and chairman.
PS: Read the new travel report from my trip to Guatemala in December 2005
and January 2006! Click on the link, left on top of this page.