public health in carmen pampa

The College has been fortunate to have help from Dr. Pilar Hernández. Dr. Hernández, a native of Spain and now living in Bolivia specializes in public health and infectious diseases, helped to develop a public health project for the College's Nursing Department and Public Health Center. The three-year project, "Prevention, Detection, Diagnosis and Treatment: Addressing Leishmaniasis and Tuberculosis in Yungas, Bolivia," will start this February at the College.

Dr. Hernández writes a blog about health issues in Bolivia--many of which people assume have been eradicated from the world, but still exist and prey upon people in developing countries, like Bolivia.  On her blog she also writes about her work, including the UAC-CP project.

Dr. Hernández writes on her blog:

Dr. Reynaldo Mendoza, Director of the UAC-CP's Health Clinic.

The Unidad Académica Campesina de Carmen Pampa (UAC-CP) is a university located in the Yungas subtropical region of the Department of La Paz, Bolivia. It provides access to higher education and community service for Bolivia’s poorest and most marginalized population. The UAC-CP’s Nursing Department and Public Health Program prepare young Bolivian women and men to understand and respond to health care needs and improve the quality of life for people, especially those living in the rural area.

The project I’m working in: Prevention, Detection, Diagnosis and Treatment: Addressing Leishmaniasis and Tuberculosis in Yungas, Bolivia will provide services for populations at high risk for tuberculosis and leishmaniasis, which are highly endemic in the Yungas area, as well as provide UAC-CP Nursing students with hands-on training in public health and laboratory work. The project aims at detecting tuberculosis and leishmaniasis cases in the service area of the UAC-CP, taking samples for diagnosis and provide treatment to patients.

For this project, there is a current collaboration with the Public Health Faculty of the St. Catherine’s University in Minnesota for the construction of the data base of the project. In addition, another collaboration with the Parasitology Department of the Pharmacy Faculty at the University of Barcelona on the test of topical treatment for cutaneous leishmaniasis has been also established. Since the current treatment for leishmaniasis in Bolivia consists of injected Glucantime®, the use of an external treatment that can be applied by the same patients represents a big advantage.
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This project has received partial funding for the first year of the three-year project, but the College and Carmen Pampa Fund continue to look for financial support. If you have suggestions for funding or questions about the project, please contact Sarah Mechtenberg or Dr. Pilar Hernández.

alasitas

Today is the kick-off of one of my favorite Bolivian celebrations: Alasitas.

To explain Alasitas, I take a paragraph from the Lonely Planet guide book:  "During Inca times the Alasitas Fair ("buy from me" in Aymara) coincided with the spring equinox (September 21), and was intended to demonstrate the abundance of the fields.  The date underwent some shifts during the Spanish colonial period, which the campesinos weren't too happy about.  In effect they decided to turn the celebration into a kitschy mockery of the original.  'Abundance' was redefined to apply not only to crops, but also homes, tools, cash, clothing, and lately, cars, trucks, airplanes and even 12-story buildings.  The little god of abundance, Ekeko ("dwarf" in Aymara), made his appearance and modern Alasitas traditions are now celebrated every January 24th"...and for a couple weeks following."

A vendor displays the Ekeko, the keeper and distributor of material possessions, surrounded by tiny replicas of the things that the person wants.  The Ekeko's mouth is black from smoking too many cigarettes.

Public parks and plazas throughout major Bolivian cities and municipalities (like the town of Coroico) were crowded today with people looking to buy small versions of nearly anything you can imagine: cars, hats, dolls, candy, furniture, appliances, airline tickets, diplomas, food, and money--lots of tiny Bolivian bills and US dollars. "Buy the money, Señorita," one man told me. "And it will bring you more money!"

That, in essence, is the idea of Alasitas. All of the tiny items represent things that people either aspire to own or want to achieve/accomplish.  If you want to own a car or truck, for example, you buy a small car/truck.  If you want to travel in the coming year, you would buy a tiny passport. Once you make your purchase, you have a yatiri, or shaman, bless your purchased goods. Then, you wait for the "wish" to come true within the year.

a dream not deferred

When Pedro Argani arrived at the UAC-CP in 2004 he chose to major in Education because he wanted to support the development of Bolivia. Today, the 2011 graduate is actively executing that dream.

UAC-CP Education graduate Pedro Argani.

For the past three years, Pedro has worked as a youth educator and advocate for a non-profit organization that serves children who live on the streets of the city of El Alto. The mission of the organization is to help young people live lives of dignity. "We believe in change; we believe in the whole person," Pedro explains.

An important part of his work is taking the time to get to know young people first--asking their names, their likes, their interests, and their dreams. "I can tell you their stories; I know who each of them are." Once Pedro develops relationships with the children, his job is to focus on finding them resources, like safe shelter and schools; hoping those he works with also will gain the benefits of education.

Pedro estimates that he and his team of four eductors support approximately 500 girls and boys per year (average ages 8-16). "The children are living on the streets most often because of violence at home--physical, emotional, and sexual. In some cases, the children are abandoned by their parents or they are victims of human trafficking."

While he loves his job and is very proud of his role to support children, Pedro admits that the work can be physically demanding and emotionally exhausting. He recalls a recent instance when a 16-year-old boy died of an overdose. "We had a very close relationship," Pedro recalls solemnly.

A native of Coroico, the mountain town located just 45 minutes from the College, Pedro says the UAC-CP was his only opportunity to study at the college level. Because of his family's very limited economic situation (his mother is a street vendor and his father is a carpenter by trade), the cost of tuition, room, board, transportation, and books in the capital city of La Paz was out of the question.

Thankfully, he was awarded a half-scholarship to pay for tuition. With good grades and behavior, he maintained his scholarship for all five years of study; financial support that Pedro says was a "huge help."

Pedro believes the UAC-CP prepared him both professionally and personally. "More than anything, the UAC-CP is where I developed as a person. The mission of the College...that is what instilled me with the values of working together and supporting the greater good. In my life and in my work," he said, "I'm committed to helping other people."

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This article is part of Carmen Pampa Fund's Annual Appeal.  If you have already made a donation to Carmen Pampa Fund this year: THANK YOU! If you haven't, please take the time to give the gift of education to other young Bolivians like Pedro.  Give today.