So I’m alive. The full body, itchy, welty rash thing has gone away. It has been replaced by another less irritating chest rash. But well, I think maybe this is part of the Peace Corps experience . . . strange tropical illnesses that come and go and no one knows exactly what causes them?
Outside of said skin stuff work is fabulous. I recently started working with an NGO connected to the group Orphanage Outreach in the United States, they are called Aldeas SOS. They have created free kindergartens in low income neighborhoods of the city. These are available to working mothers as long as the mothers attend monthly classes held by Aldeas. Sometimes the classes are about financing, sometimes they are about opening up a new small business and sometimes (this is where I come in) the classes are about health. This past month I have been visiting each center and teaching a class on cervical cancer and the PAP smear. It is absolutely wonderful, seriously. Usually class begins and no one wants to talk to the strange gringa holding a laminated picture of a vagina. Slowly, very slowly though, they start talking. Someone wants to know if she can get a PAP while pregnant. Another wants to know if the exam will take her daughters virginity. Have I already told you I love my work? Anyway, after I gave this class to 60+ women I organized a day when they could go into the health center and get a PAP without having to wait in line, get an appointment or have a male doctor. More than 80% of the women turned up. Completely gratifying.
Sometimes in health work, especially educational health work, you can’t see immediate results. But, every once and a while something like this happens. It’s awesome.
Outside of said skin stuff work is fabulous. I recently started working with an NGO connected to the group Orphanage Outreach in the United States, they are called Aldeas SOS. They have created free kindergartens in low income neighborhoods of the city. These are available to working mothers as long as the mothers attend monthly classes held by Aldeas. Sometimes the classes are about financing, sometimes they are about opening up a new small business and sometimes (this is where I come in) the classes are about health. This past month I have been visiting each center and teaching a class on cervical cancer and the PAP smear. It is absolutely wonderful, seriously. Usually class begins and no one wants to talk to the strange gringa holding a laminated picture of a vagina. Slowly, very slowly though, they start talking. Someone wants to know if she can get a PAP while pregnant. Another wants to know if the exam will take her daughters virginity. Have I already told you I love my work? Anyway, after I gave this class to 60+ women I organized a day when they could go into the health center and get a PAP without having to wait in line, get an appointment or have a male doctor. More than 80% of the women turned up. Completely gratifying.
Sometimes in health work, especially educational health work, you can’t see immediate results. But, every once and a while something like this happens. It’s awesome.
Anyway, I found this PAP charla (class) to be so great, that I also taught it as the Casa Materna. They didn’t all go out and get a PAP (every single one of them is in her late 3rd trimester), But, they did convince me they would get the exam in the near future and they invited me to dinner!
Congrats on having so much success with your PAP class! I've been following your blog because I'm nominated to serve in C/SA in January 2011 for a health degreed program. Your blog makes me so excited to start working. Keep up the awesome work. My name is Lauren too.
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