This morning we woke up, had breakfast at seven and left for our first day at the Children's homes. Our group split up into two vans and each one attended a different Children's home, Missionaries of the Highway and Little Brothers. On our way our leader had a little surprise in mind, something we would never seen in the US! After 15 minutes of driving, we pulled onto the side of the road that had a view of Volcano Fuego. Which was actively erupting! We couldn't see actual lava, but there was a lot of smoke and the view was amazing. Missionaries of the Highway: Missionaries of the Highway was mainly an out patient facility, where we saw about 20 kids throughout the day. This made for a very busy day and was probably double what we were expecting. But as XU OT students we rose to the challenge! We saw kids with Cerebral Palsy, Autism, developmental delays, and other types of conditions. One of the biggest accomplishments of the day was fitting a 12 year old boy with a much better fitting wheel chair, allowing him to be more functional and comfortable in a supported seating arrangement. The other thing that was remarkable about it was that we didn't have the proper tools, but with help from our in country contacts, Steve and Harrison, we were able to make it work. This boy and his mother learned how to disassemble the chair so that he would be able to take a taxi to therapy. One thing that we noticed was the dedication of the parents and caretakers of the children. Many of whom walked, took buses or taxis or other transportation methods that were not convient or easy to bring to children to therapy. Many of these families are working to substain their food and shelter everyday, and earn money for the family. So having a child with a disability is an extreme hardship. The parents continue the therapy at home, even though they have little time, resources and the living conditions are poor. Many of the houses we saw are very small one roomed structures with tin roofs and dirt floors. But these parents still want their children to progress and lead a meaningful life, just like parents in the US.
Rose Goyette (Occupational therapy student)
Sally Trumpy (Occupational therapist)
Little Brothers: Today we visited Little Brothers. Over 400 children live there, many typical and some with developmental disabilities. We worked with children with autism, cerebral palsy, and mental retardation. Many were non-verbal, but each had a dedicated "Tia" (caregiver). We were happy to learn that they continued to use suggestions made by last year's team throughout the year! Carol (XU trip leader) commented that many of the kids just "looked better". I was surprised how we take for granted little things in the US. We couldn't find a binder clip to use with a easel we made out of a box. This one little item would've made putting things on the easel so much sturdier! I've started a list of these kinds of things to suggest to the 2013 Guatemala team. We had the opportunity to speak with the speech therapist. She was from Austria. On our walk with a student, we saw eucalyptus trees and cilantro. Across the valley were greenhouses for roses that are exported to the US.
Leah Dunn (Occupational therapist)
Mandy Milburn (Occupational therapy student)
Emily Mertz, Occupational Therapist, AKA The Ghost Writer
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