Wednesday - Jan 24, 2024
Today Team Trinity traveled to a new village in the FOB Healthy Communities Program called El Capulin. Approximately 40 families were seen, and there were so many adorable babies and young children all excited for us to be there. Initial impressions of the community were that they seemed very proactive and were explicit with their health concerns in order to maximize their time with the team and learn as much as they can from us to improve their health and wellbeing. Many of them had prior access to specialty care which was a pleasant surprise.
Upon reflecting on the day, the team all expressed how grateful the community members were for our presence there. While we made a great impact, we learned that only half of the community was actually able to travel to meet with us because of geographical limitations. This is because a significant portion of the community lives high up in the mountains, and access to it is limited to motor bikes or by foot and takes a long time to get to utilizing those modes of transportation. These conditions also make getting our team and supplies to them very difficult. We are looking into ways we can access the rest of the community in the near future so they can receive care as well.
Several team members gave their crosses today. Dr. Mark gave his to a young 26-year-old man with severe motor cerebral palsy who radiated such kindness, intelligence, gratitude, and a desire to learn. Linda gave her cross to a woman who has suffered tragedy in her family and struggles with chronic respiratory issues herself, but who showed great resilience and strength. Hannah gave her cross to a woman who is a caretaker for three young children and was struggling to take care of herself physically and mentally, putting the needs of the children consistently before her own. We were all touched by the contagious good spirit of the El Capulin community. They are a wonderful addition to the Healthy Communities Program, and we are looking forward to seeing their progressive development with our partnership in the years to come.
~Emily and Paul
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