Dental Health in Chaquijyá

I am in the middle of my third week at the Manna site in Sololá. I have spent the past week and a half serving in Chaquijyá, a 30-minute trip from Sololá in the microbus. Lucy and I have been teaching lessons on oral health to the students of Central, one of the two primary schools in Chaquijyá. My Spanish abilities are limited to say the least, and I have no previous experience in teaching, so it is safe to say my experiences thus far have pushed me far outside of my comfort zone. I am so appreciative of the sweet schoolchildren and teachers that accept my broken sentences and are so receptive to our lessons.

My research project focuses on the current state of dental hygiene among schoolchildren in Chaquijyá, so I was very excited about the opportunity to teach classes on a related topic. During my brief time here it has become evident that the currently poor state of oral health is a health concern on many people’s minds. When Ginny Savage, one of the supervisors at the Manna site, asked the directors of the Chaquijyá schools what services they would like to see Manna provide, one director requested the distribution of toothbrushes to all of the schoolchildren. Upon interacting with the schoolchildren, I immediately noticed the poor condition of their teeth– beyond the significant discoloration of their teeth, many children have numerous teeth that exhibit visible decay.

To my surprise, the children of the classes we have taught already know a significant amount about proper dental hygiene practices – most are familiar with the generally accepted practice of brushing teeth twice a day (morning and night) with a toothbrush and toothpaste. Given more time, it would be interesting to investigate why, if not due to a lack of knowledge, poor oral health is the norm among children in the Chaquiya community. Is it primarily due to a lack of resources (toothbrushes, toothpaste, access to dental care), excessive sugar consumption, or some combination of the two?

I truly hope that, even though our time here is very short, the classes we teach will make a positive and lasting impact on the dental hygiene practices of some of the students and the teachers.

Dental Health Class with the 2nd graders

- Becca, Visage Student

So Far, So Good...

Yesterday was the first day of teaching for myself and my partner, Adria. We taught three classes of little niños, in preschool and kindergarten at Central. All three lessons focused on teaching colors in English. The first class held the youngest kids, but they were all participatory and excited for us to be there. Their teacher was present for our class and helped us with keeping the classroom structured. Each session lasted thirty minutes, which is good considering the kids started to get antsy in the last five or ten minutes of class. After the first session, Adria and I played with the kids at recess, and we taught them how to play Ring Around the Rosie and Duck Duck Goose. The teachers also gave us fresh piña for a snack, which was such a treat! The next session after recess held the oldest kids, and this time their teacher was not present for our lesson. However, this was not a bad turn of events because these students were the most excited to learn English. They informed us that they knew a little bit of English, and told us the phrases they knew, like “how are you,” and “good morning.” By the time Adria and I taught the third lesson, we were completely comfortable in our environment. For part of an activity involving colors, we asked the students to point to things in the room for each color. For red, they pointed to Adria’s red shirt and some red posters hanging on the walls. For green, they pointed to plants and the green walls. For white, they pointed to me. I told them they were correct.

Classtime at Cooperativa

Today Adria, Ginny and I taught English to the teachers at Central. This was rewarding because it was obvious how interested the teachers were, and they picked up the lesson extremely well. We focused on forming sentences with the “to be” verb. As an activity, the teachers received a cut-out picture from the newspaper and formed sentences to describe the people in the pictures. They had fun with this activity. At the end of class, we asked the teachers what they wanted from us in the next two lessons. In learning that they all primarily want material to teach their students, Manna has come up with a plan for a sustainable project. We will create English curriculum for teachers of each grade so that when we leave, they still have something to hold on to from us. We are excited about this project because it will allow us to leave our mark, but more importantly, give the teachers what they want.

Rainy season is here, and everything is starting to become green again.

All in all, this has been a great two weeks. I have never been out of the country, so I was naturally nervous to leave my comfort zone. The people I’m volunteering with and the relentless positive energy I receive from my Manna supervisors make me feel like I can do anything. I look forward to my next two weeks.

Not a bad way to start the day...

- Kathleen, MPIG Summer Intern 

Back to Chaq: Programs thus far and personal reflections

After a month’s hiatus, MPI-Guatemala is back in action in Chaquijyá. For the first summer session, we have the good fortune to be hosting four interns, who will resume the site’s Healthy Living program, as well as English classes for teachers and primary school students in the community’s Cooperativa and Central neighborhoods. The interns arrived last Saturday on Guatemala’s national Día de la Madre (Mother’s Day). After a long, traffic-jam-filled journey to Sololá, the girls all settled in and have already made significant progress in lesson planning and enacting community projects. For example, this past week, the interns and I spent two days painting the whole playground at the Central primary school with the help of several local parents. I believe we are all still rocking paint on our clothes and bodies (for which we were told to just "bañarse" in paint thinner), but hey, its great to have a daily recuerdo of the groups’ collaboration and hard work.

The finished jungle gym!

This summer, Manna also has the unique opportunity to partner with Vanderbilt University’s Visage program. Through this program, undergraduate students pursue a semester-long class on issues related to health and development in Guatemala, which then culminates in a month of fieldwork and research in country. Having enjoyed a long-standing relationship with Vanderbilt, Manna is pumped to host four Visage students for the remainder of the first summer session. In addition to planning and leading our Healthy Living programs, each student will conduct mentored research in Chaquijyá on various health topics such as oral health, geriatric health, physical exercise, and social marketing on nutritional supplements. Both students and interns will live in the MPIG house, and participate in weekly discussions, errands, cooking, and field trips to partner organizations.

A public health student myself, I am stoked to work with these girls, and witness the results of their research. My name is Ginny Savage, and I am so lucky to be working as the Summer Intern Supervisor for the next month with Alli Eis. I first came to know Manna while working as a PD with the Guatemala site in 2010-2011, and I have to say, it is very surreal to be back in Sololá. On the one hand, many things remain exactly as I remember: the “twins” Maria Luisa buses still run to Pana frequently, Byron still instructs PE classes with clipboard and matching tracksuit at the ready, and Christian (aka “Lester”) is still the volunteer favorite. However, on the other hand, many things have changed throughout the past three years: Yessica is in second grade, Central has its own Básico, and the Sololá market is now located at the top of a impressively steep hill.

New Friends!

 I guess it is always a bit disconcerting to return to a foreign country where you have previously lived. When we live and travel abroad, we tend to form somewhat fixed impressions, mental snapshots of our host communities. Consequently, when we return to the communities, we often observe individual, geographic, and social changes that challenge these fixed images. However, though initially unsettling, it is important to realize that change is good. By definition, “community development” initiatives seek to foster growth: to enable communities to improve residents’ quality of life through desired, appropriate and feasible changes.

 In the past three years, Chaqijyá has certainly grown. Thanks to the joint efforts of community leaders, Manna volunteers, and other partner organizations, the Central neighborhood now has its own middle school, built from soda bottles and trash nonetheless. The aldea still operates a trash collection system, Cooperativa has a community garden, and teachers report more children actively speak English and practice healthy living. Such growth and development are the very reasons for why Manna operates in Chaquijyá. They are the factors that motivate 8 interns to dedicate their summer teaching English and health, and I hope that our efforts throughout the upcoming weeks will continue to bolster this growth. Regular English and Health programs will commence this Wednesday, and both interns and Visage students will post daily updates concerning the classes’ progress, field trips, Guatemala living, etc.

- Ginny

Despedidas

Our year here in Guatemala is coming to a close, and this means having to say goodbye to all the amazing people we have been working with and teaching  for the past year. This past week each of the schools threw good-bye parties for us, which was so nice of them! They were full of thank you speeches from community members and teachers, and cute dances and performances from the kids.

 I also taught my final teachers' English classes at both Central and Cooperativa. It was hard to say goodbye; I have so much fun in those classes! The teachers always make jokes and make me laugh!

This year has definitely not been easy, but it has been an amazing experience that I will never forget. I have learned so much about myself and about international development work that I can use in my future endeavors. I will miss the people I have come to know and love. I will miss the amazing and colorful culture of Guatemala, and I will miss my fellow PDs who have been with me through the good times and the bad. 

Hasta luego Guatemala!

-Sarah

Sunday Snapshot: Dia del Cariño

Well, I must say that Valentine's Day 2013 was by far the most interesting Valentine's Day I've ever had. It even made up for the fact that I couldn't even be with my Valentine back in the States. (Yeah. It was that entertaining.)

We started off with Central Primaria. We knew we were doing a gift exchange... but upon our arrival we realized that it was only between the teachers, rather than with the students too. Oops. So that was awkward. Fortunately, I picked Jess so my kid-appropriate frisbee and bubbles stayed in the family. (Don't worry, we played with the bubbles after the event.) From the receiving end, we got some pretty great gifts. I got a purse made of recycled traje! And Julie got this amazing wallet with her name on it. The teachers were hilarious, shouting "beso! beso!" (kiss! kiss!) every time someone got up to present their gift to their "secret friend" (sounds much less sketchy in Spanish).

After that and a few meetings, Ja, Jess, and I stayed for the event at Central Basico.

Here's where it gets good.

The event started out with the most brilliantly awkward dance competition I've ever beheld. The teachers literally had to force kids out of their seats to dance with an opposite sex teacher. (Would that happen in the States? Never.)

Flori looks like she's sentenced to death, but really she is just asked to dance. 

Lydia (the principal) and her primero partner, rocking some moves.

Woohoo!

My personal favorite: Alba & Romeo

After an excruciatingly long time, a few couples were finally selected (as you can see above). The couples were eliminated one by one based on crowd votes. When couples were eliminated, they smiled and jumped for joy. Clearly, no one wanted to be part of it. Finally Lydia and a different partner won. (There was some awkward shuffling of partners after the first round.)

Following the dance competition, there was a gift exchange among the entire school (teachers and students alike). Every time two of the students came up to exchange gifts, the teachers would yell "abrazo! abrazo!" (hug! hug!)... but the students were just not into that, either. Watching how awkward they were in presenting their gifts to their secret friends was just priceless.

Notice they won't even make eye contact.

I'm pretty sure Ja, Jess, and I were laughing more often than not. It was so fun to sit back and watch Middle Schoolers be their awkward selves. And laugh about how hard the teachers were trying to make it even more awkward. :)

____

IN OTHER NEWS, today Ja, Julie, and I slaved away at our living room. Prior to today, this room was basically uninhabitable. It was so dirty and disorganized that no one ever wanted to set foot in that room. But now, it looks beautiful!

Julie and I scrubbing like crazy!

The final product!

So there you have it. Lots of awkward photos of middle school kids and a clean living room. I'd say it's been a pretty great week here at MPI-G!

-Nicole