Guatemala Mission Trip 2016

My name is Taven Shumaker, I am a 23 year old graduate of Washington State University and a Pre-Dental Student who will be applying for Dental School this spring. This March I travel to Guatemala where I will assist U.S. Dentists and Surgeons in providing much needed care to those who are less fortunate. The trip is at a cost of $2400 to me, $1200 for airfare and another $1200 to the Hearts in Motion organization (to provide housing, food, transportation within the country, medical supplies, anesthesia and construction materials). While I will attend the trip whether I can raise the money or not, $2400 is a large sum of money for a recent college graduate and someone who will soon attend Dental school. I would greatly appreciate your help, a donation of any amount will make a difference.

(A photo of myself and a young Guatemalan boy during the 2015 mission trip. On this day we delivered lunches to this boy and his family, as well many other families who live within a garbage dump outside of the city of Zacapa)

This missionary trip, which I also attended in March of 2015, is sponsored by a non-profit organization called Hearts in Motion, a group that in its 26 years has helped to improve the oral health of the people of Guatemala, and greatly reduce the number of people living with cleft-lip and palate surrounding the city of Zacapa, along with providing countless other good deeds to the people of the country.

(One gift Hearts in Motion has provided to the children of Zacapa is the opportunity to learn music. This photo was taken at the Hearts in Motion Center where the children performed songs for us. Many of these children come from the hardest of situations and described music as the most joyous part of their life)

During the trip, each day is an opportunity to help in a different way. Volunteers are divided into three groups, surgery, dental and construction. The surgery team travels to a small private hospital which we take control of during the trip. Doctors and Nurses that have come as volunteers perform a myriad of operations, many cleft lip and palate surgeries, but also countless others from excision of tumors, to facial reconstruction and treatments for burns. The surgeries that are performed go to those in the greatest of need, returning their mobility or allowing them to no longer be outcast due to a disfigurement. The volunteers at the hospital who are not doctors or nurses are allowed to scrub in and observe the surgeries, help care for patients in recovery, or comfort families while their loved ones undergo an operation. Last year I was blown away by the skill and confidence that the surgeons possessed, and also by how grateful the patients and families were to receive care which is otherwise unavailble and unaffordable to them. 

Another group of volunteers that is sent out daily is the construction team. The Hearts in Motion center is ever expanding as they receive donations each year, and much of the labor is provided by us as volunteers. The construction team is a chance to mix concrete, move soil, and assist in the next building project. It also gives volunteers a chance to play with the children living in the nutrition center within the Hearts in Motion Complex.

(Fun with one of the children I met while at the Hearts in Motion Complex during one of my days on construction)

Finally the last group that sets off each morning to help, and my most favorite at all, is the Dental Team. This group travels to the most remote towns surrounding Zacapa. Upon arrival we set up our own mobile dental clinic and spend the day servicing patients. The people living in these remote areas are unable to travel to dental clinics on their own, so our visit is the only dental care they can receive, and as a result the line to visit our clinic is hours long. People travel, mostly by foot, often many miles to receive this basic treatment. The dentists that are volunteering are of course the only ones providing the treatment, but the student volunteers are able to help in many other ways. During last year's trip I acted as a dental assistant, a translator, I sterilized equipment and taught children how to properly brush their teeth. The dental team was an incredible experience for me, a chance to learn more about my future field, the short comings of oral care in other countries, and truly feel like I was making a difference.

(I spent much of this particular day applying varnish to children's teeth to prevent future decay, and teaching them how to properly brush, we also provided them with their own toothbrushes. Something quite simple, but that they were overjoyed to receive)

I hope that by describing the things I will be doing during this trip I have given you an idea of just how much help this mission provides to the people of Guatemala. They are wonderful people, seeing their kindness and just how happy they were with so little, allowed me to see and appreciate my own life in a different light. Pardon the cliche, but last year's trip truly was a life changing experience. Work like this is something that I am excited to continue, not just this year, but into my career as a dentist. I hope you can see how much joy it brings me, and how much help it brings to people in need. Please donate, please help me return to Guatemala to help once again.

Any money that is raised beyond the goal, will be donated directly to Hearts in Motion.

To anybody that does donate, if you are interested in how the trip goes this year, I plan on keeping a journal and taking pictures, and I would love to share my experience with you. Please leave a comment on your donation including your email, and upon my return I will send a summary of my trip including pictures and stories.


Thank you!

Sincerely,
Taven Shumaker