I’m finally getting around to writing this. As I’ve spent the last couple of months transitioning in all areas of my life - more on that later. I wanted to just take a minute to reflect on the work we did in Guatemala this past July.
No, lives are not changed in an instant. It will take showing up time & time again in order to develop long lasting relationships & those relationships will facilitate long lasting change, but this past July we took those first steps.
We saw over 300 kids, we gave out 129 clean water filters & we will be back in January to do it all again. I’m honored and grateful to be a part of Extra Mile Pediatrics & their continued efforts to affect change in local communities where significant barriers to medical care access exist.
In Guatemala, we see many people of Mayan decent. These indigenous communities have a hard time finding access to medical providers, finding medical providers they trust, or being able to afford doctors or medicine. We also see entire families working the coffee farms, including the kids. These families can’t afford to leave their jobs long enough to take their kids to the doctor, nor can they afford the doctor. So instead, we come to them where they are, removing any barrier they might have to get their child taken care of, all while building long term relationships & trust.
It might not seem like a lot at first, but by coming to the same communities every six months, we get to see how these kids are progressing over time. It’s sometimes hard to give a diagnosis when you’ve only met a child or family once. They don’t trust you with all their information & you haven’t known them long enough to give them an accurate assessment on something like “is my child eating enough, do they weigh enough, or are they healthy?” But as we continue to show up for these communities, they will begin to realize that while we’re different than them, we actually have their best interests at heart. They will begin to see that they can trust us. It might take a couple of times coming consistently for them to learn that. So that’s what we’ll continue to do - show up consistently to meet a need, to meet people where they are, and to begin to build those initial stages of trust.
I’m excited for what the future holds in these communities & I can’t wait to get back there to see the progress that’s happened in just 6 short months.
Until then,
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