|
Nova Contagem, Brazil!
Pedro was one of our interpreters
 
The above pictures show the amount of people who stood in line everyday to come to the clinic.
They were waiting on us each day as our buses arrived.
HAPPY FEET!
Happy Feet was an area where we would wash a child's feet and then present them with a new pair of tennis shoes.
We were able to give away over 2,000 pairs of tennis shoes.
 
Triage is an area where I worked. My duties were to take blood pressure, temperature, and
work alongside an interpreter to determine their need for a doctor.
While their sick mother visited with one of our doctors, I took care of her three daughters.
"One of my most memorable volunteering experiences was being a part of a medical mission team in Nova Contagem, Brazil for ten days. The conditions that the people are living in, is beyond anything I could have comprehended as I had never been out of the United States. The biggest obstacle was the language barrier as they speak Portuguese. I requested our interpreter to teach me some basic phrases allowing me to communicate with the Brazilians more effectively. It was most important fo rme to understand and determine the ailments of the patients. My job consisted of taking blood pressures and body temperatrues for approximately 10 hours each day where we would see around 60 patients per day. Sometimes a smile spoke more than my words and allowed them to see my heartfelt concern. Providing medical aid, dentistry, shoes and shelter to these people was a very humbling experience. Many people stood in line for hours just tp see the few doctors in our group. I learned that under normal conditions in this part of Brazil, the poor usually have to wiat in line all day just to get an appointment to see the doctor six months later and then the doctor doesn't have to see them if they have met their quota. Their appearance looked much older than their age due to the difficulty of their lives. In another area called "Happy Feet" I sat down with children individually, washed their feet, and presented them with a brand new pair of tennis shoes. I have come to realize how much joy I receive when I help others and am grateful I was allowed to help in this effort knowing we truly made a difference in many of their lives."
Ellen Carrington
Total number of people that directly benefited from the project - 650
Total number of hours spent working on project - 150
Total amount of money raised by your project - Money was raised through private contributions - personally $2,500
 
Left: I'm not sure what I was thinking...this was a WILD horse!
Right: Dr. Don and I with more Brazilian children. They are so loveable!
| 
