November 19, 2014
This past weekend, a phenomenal event occurred for the Yo Puedo (I Am Able) girls. Yo Puedo is a peer empowerment program for girls in the fifth and sixth grade. In peer reinforced education, they are empowered to learn skills, become responsible, grow in self esteem, and start small businesses that they themselves manage and operate.
On Saturday, November 15 through Sunday, November 16, eleven girls, representatives from the twelve Yo Puedo sites from the many towns and villages of the Intibucá frontier region, came together for their second annual retreat at the Santa Lucia Clinic. Grateful for the support of teachers, parents and administrative personal from Shoulder to Shoulder, the girls celebrated successes of the past year and looked forward to new events for this coming one.
The girls received permission from their parents. A hired car drove across the frontier region, collecting girls from the various schools. They were ecstatic to see the car, confirming the reality of the retreat. Arriving in Santa Lucia Clinic around midday, the girls ran desperately to reserve their beds, covering them with personal items. A few minutes to rest, then onto lunch.
After lunch, the activities commenced. The girls introduced themselves and participated in several activities, each with its own special lesson. The “Birthday Line,” for example, had the girls line up according to their birthdays. Without using any words, this was comical, but it also demonstrated the importance of non-verbal communication and teamwork. For the activity “Treasure Bag,” two groups were given a bag including paper, crayons and markers, masking tape, scissors, with other items, and were asked to create something meaningful. They organized themselves around the project, demonstrated flourishing creativity, and recognized that each girl had a specific, critical role to play in the process.
Near the end of the retreat, a few videos on self-esteem and goal setting fueled discussion about the girls’ short and long-term goals. The success of the retreat was evidenced by how well the girls came together and found their voice.
Minsis Ramos Diaz, Coordinator for Yo Puedo, is grateful to the generous hearts of sponsors. The unconditional support is truly what our young people need. The girls are taking to heart the power of the simple phrase, “I Am Able.”
Research Project Provides Essential Neonatal Resuscitation Education for Resource-Limited Environments
For the last year, Kathryn Taylor (Ohio State B.S. ’12; Harvard M.D. ’17) has been training Shoulder to Shoulder’s physicians, nurses, and local midwives how to save babies’ lives. Based at our Santa Lucia clinic, Kathryn has trained and evaluated our staff for basic neonatal resuscitation techniques as part of a study of Helping Babies Breathe, a joint program of the WHO, Save the Children, and the American Academy of Pediatrics. She teaches a curriculum designed for developing countries in limited resource environments.
Approximately 23% of neonatal deaths worldwide are due to asphyxiation. Helping Babies Breathe was developed on the premise that all babies deserve simple neonatal care, regardless of resources. It focuses on improving outcomes in the neonatal period and reducing birth asphyxia. Each year, an estimated 10 million babies require breathing assistance. However, only one to two percent of babies require advanced care. In hospital-based settings in the rural departments of Honduras, including Intibucá, the neonatal death rate is 46.9 deaths per 1000 live births. In the United States, there are four deaths per 1000 live births.
The course is taught at a fifth grade reading level, and focuses more on facilitation than traditional education – utilizing interaction and practice in pairs. Training partners learn to have a plan and materials in place at the time of delivery, to recognize whether a baby is breathing, and operating under time and pressure constraints in order to have a baby breathing in under a minute.
Kathryn has attended and filmed 78 births at the Santa Lucia clinic. She meets with the labor and delivery team following each birth and leads a debriefing. They review the video and find ways to improve. Kathryn will be spending her final month implementing the program at the main regional hospital in La Esperanza prior to beginning medical school in the fall. Srirama Josyula (Ohio State B.S. ’13; Ohio State M.D. ’18) will continue with the program in Santa Lucia and La Esperanza.
Community Clothing Drive for Newborns
This month, our local comites, our local community Hombro a Hombro committees, are organizing a clothing drive for newborns who are delivered at Hombro a Hombro clinics.
Many of our community members cannot afford even the most basic necessities for their children. They arrive from the campo without blankets, beanies, or clothes for their newborns.
Following the opening of our new hogar, or home away from home, in Concepción, our comites recognized the need to provide needy families with proper newborn clothing.
This week, we visited local area schools to get out the word. Later this month, our staff, local volunteers, and comite members will go door to door soliciting donations.
