The world is full of the tired, the sick, and the hungry.
People in developing nations fight a courageous battle to survive day-to-day. I
have been very blessed in my lifetime to have first world commodities. However,
people in other countries have not been so lucky and struggle with surviving. I
want to help; I want to make a difference in the lives of the impoverished. Due
to family help and the Magellan Project, I will be able to assist at an all
girl orphanage in Montero, Bolivia called “Hogar Sagrado Corazón” or “Sacred
Heart Home”. During my time there, I will be researching the efficiency of the
administration of vaccinations and helping the nuns at the orphanage.
Starting at a
young age, infants around the world receive shots that vaccinate them from
multiple diseases. But, in poverty-stricken communities, some infants do not
receive the recommended vaccines. I want to find out if the girls receive their
suggested vaccinations, according to the World Health Organization’s vaccine
guidelines. If they receive their necessary vaccinations, I will be looking
into who financially provides the vaccinations, who administers the vaccines to
the girls, if the vaccines are always given on time, and how the girls’ medical
records are documented. If the girls do not receive the recommended
vaccinations, I will research why and then look into setting up a way for the
orphans to get their much needed vaccinations. This could include asking
churches in the United States to donate money for the sole purpose of
vaccinations. The overall goal of the project is to identify the barriers that
the orphanage faces and to propose a solution to any of the problems.
The U.S.
National Library of Medicine states that only 68% of Bolivian children are
“fully vaccinated”, meaning that they have received all of their vaccinations
according to the World Health Organization standards. I will compare these results
with the percentage of girls in the orphanage that have all of their
vaccinations. Then, I will analyze the details from my comparison to see why
the numbers demonstrate those specific results. According to the Governmental
Global Affairs of Canada, Bolivia’s Ministry of Health is lacking the technical
capacity to address health related issues in the country. By the end of my
trip, I will see if this statement pertains to the Hogar Sagrado Corazon.
Most of my
time in Bolivia will be spent at the orphanage. During that time, I will be
working in their infirmary and taking the girls to doctor visits since I have a
health related interests. If I am not needed in those sectors, I am willing to
do whatever the nuns ask of me, including putting my two years of landscaping
experience to use! When I have the opportunity to go beyond the walls of the
orphanage, or after I have finished my research, I will enjoy sight seeing around
the city of Montero. I plan to adventure into the local markets and shop such
as “Mercado Germán Morado”, as well as roaming through the Plaza Principal de
Montero. Pertaining to my project, I will visit the local hospital to get the
physician’s opinion on the vaccinations distributed in the city. Talking to
local physicians in the hospitals will give me a better understanding of the
problems that children face in receiving a complete vaccination schedule.
I want to make
a difference in these girls’ lives. By studying the barriers of appropriate
distribution of the vaccinations, I will be able to make sure that the girls
are being cared for in the best way possible. If they are not, I will do my
best to help resolve the issue, because no one deserves to live a life with the
threat of preventable diseases.
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