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| Beth Shalom volunteers paint the exteriror of a Casa Materna in Guatemala |
Beth Shalom Synangogue Volunteers in Guatemala
A team of 11 volunteers from Beth Shalom Synagogue in Raleigh and the Buttar family spent 12 days in Guatemala volunteering at the Casa Materna in Calhuitz and the surrounding rural communities in the northwestern highlands of Guatemala. During their time there, the volunteers focused their efforts on renovating a Casa Materna, a local birthing center that provides a safe and sanitary location for women to give birth, along with providing resources and education for women during their pregnancy.
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Over the course of their trip, the volunteers built a roof over part of the Casa Materna, painted the outside of the dining area, and repaired holes at the top of the building using cement and cinderblocks. The group cut and tied rebars, mixed cement, and sifted gravel, all by hand and without the use of electric tools. During the week, the group also split off into small teams to assist the health workers in weighing and measuring babies, providing vaccinations, performing post-natal checkups, and distributing de-worming medicine in schools.
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| Volunteers teamed up with local health workers to provide health services and distribute medications |
Twice a month, the main assembly hall of Calhuitz is turned into a make-shift clinic to weigh, vaccinate and check on the babies from the community. On Saturday morning, nearly 120 mothers from Calhuitz arrived with their babies and toddlers in tow to have them weighed. Beth Shalom volunteers worked alongside the Casa Materna staff to weigh the children, and then sort the medical files based on their needs. Those who needed vaccinations or vitamins would return two days later, and mothers whose children were suffering from malnutrition would receive one-on-one follow up visits at their home. With only two Casa Materna staff and a Volunteer Community Facilitator on hand, the Beth Shalom volunteers were a great help in creating a smoother and more expedited process.
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| A volunteer weighs a local child while his mother looks on |
In total, the Beth Shalom group donated $4,200 to Impact Global Health Alliance Guatemala and $6,521 worth of medical supplies to the Casa Maternas.
Thank you to all of our volunteers for their hard work and participation!
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| The Beth Shalom and Buttar family volunteer group with their donated medical supplies in Guatemala |
Volunteering with Impact Global Health Alliance Global
The Volunteer Program has been an integral part of Impact Global Health Alliance Global since the beginning of the organization. Volunteer expeditions to Mexico, Guatemala, Liberia, and Bolivia have been facilitated for over 1400 volunteers. Volunteers have worked individually and in groups of up to 25 people on projects ranging from graduate research, construction of health infrastructure, orphanage outreach, direct medical care, capacity building of partner staff, and everything in between.
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Stay connected with Impact Global Health Alliance by visiting our website, Facebook page, YouTube, and join us in our effort to save lives of women and children in forgotten communities by fostering personable and sustainable health services. Take action Now!
For more information about our Volunteer Programs, contact us at [email protected].
