Ch'ina
us li Amaq'ink
(CHILA
inc.)
“beautiful
is life” – a Q’eqchi Mayan saying"
Rural
Medicine Students International Health and Enterprise Development
Chisec, Alta Verapaz, Guatemala
Central America
1.) Construction/Maintenance of a Clinic in Rural Guatemala (exam rooms, water source, laboratory, medical equipment)
2.) Business/Product Development with Q’ana Tz’uul Taq’a, an indigenous women’s group dedicated to promoting local herbal medicine in Guatemala (natural medicine product marketing for sales in tourist destinations, food/spice products, handicrafts)
3.) Development of a “Healthy Schools” Program with local children of villages of Chisec, Alta Verapaz (training members of women’s group to facilitate dynamic classes with children in local elementary schools on basic health topics)
4.) Future International Medical Missions (doctors, dentists, nurses, and medical students will participate in short medical mission trips when clinic is established)
5.) Full-time staffing with volunteer and host-country national medical residents, with the help of Inter-American Health Alliance experience
6.) Future Rural-Medicine rotations for medical schools
7.) Donation of leftover construction funds by purchasing roofing materials and rainwater capture tanks for families in surrounding villages - on every visit
Asociacion Q'ana Tz'uul Taq'a - "the women of the spirit of the hillside" - This group is made up of over 100 members, all Maya Q'eqchi women from the surrounding villages of Chisec, Alta Verapaz, and is dedicated to cultural preservation and natural medicine. They currently produce 2 herbal medicines that the Maya have been using for thousands of years, and plan to eventually plant and harvest medicinal plants on their small plot of land for production. We will be teaming up with the group to help market their medicines and other "Mayan" products, train them on facilitating "healthy schools" sessions in surrounding village elementary schools, and construct a clinic as part of their existing facilities to be used in future medical missions when we are doctors.
Other Partners:
www.primerospasos.org - collaboration of health professionals, health educators, volunteers, and community leaders, Primeros Pasos offers quality and affordable health care and health education to the rural, underserved communities of the Palajunoj Valley of Quetzaltenango, Guatemala.
We incorporate and combine clinical care, health education, and community outreach programs to effectively provide preventative and primary care.
www.interamericanhealth.org - volunteer-run 501(c)3 charitable organization that supports community health organizations working with marginalized populations in the western highlands of Guatemala. We provide financial, technical and organizational support to our partnering organizations
