Guatemalan Childrens Hospital

I recently visited some small villages in Guatemala to provide humanitarian aid, learn about the people and bring this knowledge back in an effort to create awareness.  It was the most amazing trip I have ever taken.  The incredibly uplifting moments, however, were overshadowed by the unthinkable conditions these people must embrace every single day.  The hospital broke my heart.  A baby, just a few weeks old, passed in front of me because the hospital simply lacked the basic equipment to maintain life.  The simplest of things such as a respirator (mechanical breathing for baby's) are in short supply and are basically on a first come basis.  Baby's born with any hint of an 'abnormality' are left virtually unattended.  This single delivery room brings life to more than 24,000 children per year.  The women are forced to discharge no later than 12 hours from birth and are huddled together in one room.  In 2012, the mortality rate for baby's was over 80%.  The culture in Guatemala promotes families with many children, signifying prosperity and 'machismo'.  It is for this reason that, often times, women are viewed as baby-producers rather than mothers and wives.  As many children do not survive, the cultural response is to have more babies.  This not only takes a toll on physical resources, it is a humanitarian crisis.  The emotional consequences are extreme and severe poverty is wildly apparent on every street in the village.

Despite these overwhelming issues, I left feeling very empowered.  I felt like I could really save lives.  I could save children right in front of me.  I have reached out to several equipment suppliers in an effort to obtain respirators for this hospital.  They are $3500/ea.  I have scaled the goal back from 3 to 2 units so hopefully we can get there!

The organization I worked with is Common Hope viewable at www.commonhope.org.

Anything helps! Even just a couple bucks is so appreciated. I am planning a return trip and hope to bring the equipment with me. Thank you very much!