The Green Timberwolf

Nicaragua Medical Kit Drive

Blogged by Ethan

A few years ago in 2015 I was lucky enough to go on a mission trip to the Central American country of Nicaragua. Now I am helping collect medical supplies to send down with the next trip in the summer of 2018.

Nicaragua is the 2nd poorest nation in the western hemisphere, after Haiti. Three quarters of people live on $2 a day. The country is still recovering from the civil war that ended in 1990. The country's economy is poor and as a result they don’t have a very adequate health care system. Although they do have universal healthcare, I have seen a public hospital and it was full of mold and the walls were rotting away in some places. The only way to get any meaningful help is for expensive private hospitals. The country has malaria carrying mosquitos as well as other tropical diseases.

When I went we went the Caribbean side of the country, which was connected to the main west side by only one dirt highway. The area was hit by hurricane Felix in 2007 and never fully recovered. One area in particular called Sangni Laya had their church/community center/medical centre was destroyed and never rebuilt. Sangni Laya is less than 100KM away from the main northeastern city of Puerto Cabezas, but is still a 3 hour drive due to the poor state of the roads. They got one medical professional a month to visit the village and since where they stayed was destroyed, they had had no visits. They had to visit the nearby city for any medical support, and there was only one car that the mayor owned.

This country is very beautiful but is very poor. The land is full of lakes and rivers, forests, and even volcanoes and mountains. The nation is home to the largest lake in Central America, Lake Nicaragua, which is home to Freshwater Sharks. There are many hidden gems and interesting facts about this great country, but they need help getting on their feet. A great place to start is to help with their healthcare. A way you can help is by donating to the Medical Drive in the Guidance office. You can donate all things related to healthcare including old glasses, bandages, cotton swabs and gauze. All donations will go with the next youth group to the country next summer and they would appreciate any help they can get.