First Aid Workshop . . . yes I did this all on my own!

In the city of Jinotega, Jinotega´s department capital, there are not enough doctors or nurses to see to all of the sick patients. Many people come in from outlying communities to use the cities one health center or the department hospital. To address this shortage the Ministry of Health has for years been training community volunteers to see patients in the neighborhoods and refer them to the health center only when necessary. These volunteers, otherwise known as brigadistas, are minimally trained. Many brigadistas do not read or write. The average brigadista has completed a third grade education. What these community members do have though is devotion to their neighbors and a drive to help others.

As a community health Peace Corps volunteer in Jinotega, I have been working with these brigadistas for over a year. We meet monthly and learn about rehydration salts, general nutrition, domestic violence and pressing health issues. Recently I realized how important knowing first aid and CPR was to my service. If I had the need to use these skills so often, the brigadistas I worked with could surely use the information and skills.

On June 25^th we invited a previous Peace Corps Volunteer now living in Estelí to come teach us about first aid. Patricia Hernandez served in El Salvador several years ago. Now, she works with Emergency Response Service in Latin America and teaches community volunteers including health workers, fire fighters and police officers how to use first aid.

 

 

In a one day workshop we were able to train 31 health volunteers in the city of Jinotega first aid. The funds from the church of another PCV covered transportation costs of many brigadistas, lunch and snacks for everyone and materials for the workshop. Every volunteer will receive a packet covering the information they learned and copies to train their community members with. Hopefully this skill set will be transferred to many people in the community and provide neighborhoods with reliable resources.

 

I want to thank the congregation that provided all of this support. This could not have been done without your help.