Continuing Promise 2011 Puerto San Jose, Guatemala Education Coalition

Continuing Promise 2011
Puerto San Jose, Guatemala
Education Coalition

USNS COMFORT Arrives in Guatemala
The ship almost docked at the Port of San Jose; however, there were
challenges with anchoring the ship directly to the provided gangway.
The Military Sealift Command Captain and mariners decided to anchor
the ship to a walkway attached to the gangway, which kept the ship
close to the shore. We used the ship’s small hospitality boats to ride
around the ship to the pier. The port included a beautiful yacht club
with a tiki hut restaurant. We were given the unique opportunity to
spend a few liberty (free) hours at the restaurant to enjoy the food
and utilize the free internet. The military members were able to leave
during their off-duty hours and most of the civilians were able to
visit the shore each night. It was pleasant to have the opportunity to
view and purchase local gift items available during our visit.

Rotary Welcome
We began our project development by contacting the Rotary Club of
Escuintla. The Rotarians were very engaging. The Maritime Civil
Affairs Team and I attended a morning Rotary meeting in Escuintla.
This Rotary meeting was only the second meeting that I have been able
to attend. I was extremely thankful for the opportunity to view and
learn more about the different services Rotarians provide globally.
The Rotarians also had an opportunity to tour the COMFORT. They
enjoyed the experience tremendously and even provided t-shirts for the
COMFORT volunteers who assisted with their transportation and tour
experience.

We were able to also visit each Rotary identified school alongside
club members to coordinate a dynamic three-day program.

COMFORT Collaboration
The Coalition began a unique partnership with the USNS COMFORT band
and Dental Department in Nicaragua and the program helped provide an
alternative program in Guatemala. We visited the school Escuela La
Ceiba in Escuintla to investigate delivering backpacks. Upon our
arrival, we learned that the school was actually two schools, 250
students in the morning and 270 in the afternoon. We discussed options
with the Director and decided to organize a band concert, dental
puppet show, and health and hygiene program. We had a wonderful
opportunity to reach over 500 children in Guatemala through one event.

Once we finalized the dates for our visits, we began coordinating
COMFORT volunteers and departments to solidify the upcoming program.
We were very fortunate to have so many people join the program to have
a successful experience with the children.

Education Program

1st day July 6th
Teeth, Hygiene, Dengue, and Music (Escuela La Ceiba, Escuintla Guatemala)
The UCSD (University of California San Diego) puppet show lead and US
Navy Commander in charge of the COMFORT Dental Department organized a
new cast of 2 US military and 2 UCSD volunteers to play in the puppet
show. This time the audience included over 500 children. It was
challenging to prevent the children from running back and forth
between the puppet show’s and band’s equipment, but we managed to keep
almost everyone in front of the stage.

The program for the day consisted of two shows, one in the morning
school and one in the afternoon. The dental puppet show was first
followed by a hygiene discussion noting hand washing and coughing
techniques. Rotary partners provided a discussion on nutrition and
Dengue Fever prevention. Following the education program, the USNS
COMFORT full rock band played a set for the children. The students
were a bit shy at this school, many students choosing to remain in
their desks. However, a group of little boys joined some Navy and Air
Force members to dance in front of the stage.

The COMFORT Dental Department donated 480 toothbrushes and toothpaste
for students at both schools. There were 535 children between both
schools, so we decided to distribute items to the first school and
give the additional donations to our Rotary partners to match
donations and distribute donations to the second school next week.
This avenue ensured that all of the children at the school would
receive a new toothbrush and toothpaste.

2nd day July 7th

Lunch with the General
In an interesting turn of events, I was requested to attend a luncheon
with General Fraser from US Southern Command. Our collaboration was
noticed at various levels within Southern Command, which is why I was
allowed to attend. There were a few NGOs that attended including
Latter-Day Saints Charities and Project Hope. The General visited the
COMFORT and different mission sites with a large group of
representatives from Southern Command and the Military Group from
Guatemala. It was an amazing experience to meet several new military
officials, NGO leads, and to have an opportunity to describe our
partnership in more detail to different military officials and the
potential that the collaboration holds for future humanitarian
development.

Escuela Canton Puente de Palo
Due to my attendance at the luncheon, I was unable to visit the school
coordinated for the second day. However, just as this mission has
trained many military members for medical response, our partnership
project has trained several military and NGO partners to facilitate
the project. While I was on the COMFORT, the Maritime Civil Affairs
Team and Courtney Lengberg and Nikki Brody from Latter-Day Saints
Charities led the educational program in my absence. The school
received the same programming from different participants and each
volunteer from that day expressed their appreciation for an amazing
time. I was so thankful for their support and happy that they enjoyed
the experience.

3rd day July 8th

Escuela Republica de Japon
We had a wonderful opportunity to bring the COMFORT’s nutritionist and
JAG officers with us for our third day of distributions. We also were
joined by Terry Fitch, a lead and dental hygienist for Latter-Day
Saints. Many times the work schedules of the ship do not allow several
people the opportunity to participate in other projects or
experiences. We were fortunate that this date opened for our new
volunteers to add a new special touch to the educational program. We
still offered the same educational information; however, like we
promoted in other countries when the information is from the
specialist, it is well received.

Escuela Bienestar Social
This school organized three lovely pavilions with decorations for our
visit. Brightly colored streamers lined the outside rim of the tarps
while wooden benches sat in a row beneath the tents. In an effort to
support the school’s organization for the day we decided to do the
entire program outside. The children participated as we reviewed the
information and moved from section to section to engage their
attention. The children, teachers, and schools in Guatemala were a joy
to visit.

A bit of Adversity
Just in case any of you decide to travel here are a few suggestions
from my experience in Guatemala.
1. If you find yourself in a high-paced dynamic environment, make sure
to never take your camera off.
a. Camera was stolen after I left it in our vehicle.
2. Do not…drink anything with ice and stay away from eggs.
a. Caught a heavy case of food poisoning, luckily I was on a medical
ship with IV fluids.
3. Watch out for puddles or any standing water.
a. Caught an animal worm that was carried through water and went
through the mesh portion of my boot.

Not to worry- all is well! We are organizing our last partnership
project for El Salvador.
I cannot wait to return to the states and share more details, photos,
and conversations with all of you! Thank you so much for your amazing
support! We have truly made a difference.

Kari Williams

Education Coalition
CP11-Guatemala

Rotary Club of Escuintla, Rotary District 6980, Give a Kid a Backpack,
Loving Hugs Inc., The Dictionary Project, Samaritan’s Feet
International, Clean the World, the College of Education at the
University of Central Florida, and Orange County Public Schools.

Guatemala Mission:
o Visited 4 schools with 992 children total
o Donations
o USNS COMFORT
 480 Dental kits
 10 soccer balls -Navy Ensign donation
o Education Coalition
 310-backpacks filled with schools supplies, soap, and stuffed
animal; (3 schools)
 190-backpacks filled with schools supplies, soap, and stuffed
animal; Rotary Club of Escuintla- donation for distribution
 19- teacher bags
o 66 USNS COMFORT volunteers: Military Personnel-USNS COMFORT Band,
Navy Medical Training Facility, Navy Air Detachment, Navy Maritime
Civil Affairs, US Army, NGO Partners-Latter-day Saints, Project Hope

Give a Kid a Backpack Arrives in Nicaragua

The COMFORT anchored within a 10 minute boat ride to the Port of San
Juan Del Sur Nicaragua. Immediately, we noticed a stark difference
from Tumaco. San Juan Del Sur is a resident beach town that receives
many tourists each year, several who visit to surf its shores. There
were several small fishing boats docked inside the harbor. We could
see the beautiful cliffs overlooking the water from our hospitality
boats.

The weather was perfect. We only experienced a little rain in the
morning. I was thrilled to have wonderful weather after experiencing
the storms that affected the backpacks.

Coordination Challenge
There is no Rotary Club in San Juan Del Sur. After working through the
District Governor for Rotary and our main contact in Managua, we were
put in touch with the Rotary Club of Granada. Granada is a city
located only 1 hour from San Juan Del Sur. The Rotarians in Granada
were wonderful and referred us to work with their partner, who is also
a school teacher in San Juan Del Sur. He recommended schools for us to
visit for the backpack project. One of the schools proved to be too
rural for us to visit. Our bus could not make it through the narrow
roads and thick mud to the site. After investigating the schools, we
decided to visit 2 schools for the backpack project and organize a new
program for the 2 other schools.

COMFORT Partnership
Our educational coalition has offered many opportunities for members
of the COMFORT to participate in community projects inside schools
through the shoe and backpack programs. In Nicaragua, we collaborated
with the USNS COMFORT band and Dental Department to develop a new
education and music program for two of the schools.

New Program Development
Since two of the schools that the teacher recommended were not
possible for distributions, I started to look for additional
opportunities to visit schools or orphanages. I discovered that the
band was scheduled to play a concert at a school on June 22. I went to
visit the school, Escuela Intregada de Cultura, with the Civil Affairs
team and learned that the school offered an after school program
through a free community center that provided art, music, and English
courses for the surrounding community. I talked with the directors to
assess their needs and see if there was anything that we could provide
them. I explained that I had some donations that had been affected by
temperate weather and asked if they might find these supplies useful.
They were enthusiastic to take anything, but we encouraged them to
focus their requests due to the timeframe of our visit. We helped
organize a visit on the 22nd for multiple programs and donations.

1st day June 22nd

Donations
I helped facilitate the day’s events by coordinating with the
directors the time and logistics for the different programs. The
directors conveyed to me that they were trying to push an incentive
program for those children who achieve high attendance in the school.
We focused our donations to best serve their programs. While the
dental volunteers and band members set up their equipment, our
partnership donated items directly to the school for their incentive
program. We provided 40 backpacks filled with supplies, stuffed
animal, and soap, 20 dictionaries, 37 pairs of shoes, 11 teacher bags,
40 stuffed animals; additional supplies- 61 notebooks and 20 school
supply kits. They have 80 children in their top attendance list that
will receive the shoes, backpacks, or stuffed animals based on their
attendance and age range. The teacher bag donations will be given to
their volunteer teachers at an upcoming training workshop and the
English dictionaries will be utilized during their evening adult
English classes. The other school supplies will be applied to their
art program or poetry program depending on the quality of the
materials. The directors also requested that we collect large cans,
for a recycled-object music program since they could not obtain
similar cans in town. We collected two large bags full of recycled
cans from the ship’s galley and donated them for their program.

Teeth and Music
A member from the NGO UCSD (University of California San Diego) Dental
Program brought onboard the COMFORT a fully equipped dental puppet
show for children. It was amazing! The dental department, including
UCSD, Canadian and US military sent 4 individuals who played various
roles throughout the play. There was a tooth, floss, toothbrush,
plaque/bacteria, and mouth. All of the characters were adapted in
Spanish. The children laughed along and paid attention to the
material. The children were quizzed on the material following the
performance and were very responsive, answering many questions from
the volunteers.

The USNS band also had a full concert program for children. The band
was wonderful. We provided some health and hygiene programming in
between the band’s intermission. The band members allowed several
children to play alongside them by distributing different instruments
to the children, giving them an opportunity to contribute to the
performance. We also had a unique opportunity to teach the chicken
dance to the children at the school. The children laughed as the music
gained momentum and all of the volunteers and children danced rapidly
to the band’s increasing pace.

Escuela San Francisco
The second school that we visited was across from the main medical
site at the Civic Center in San Juan Del Sur. Many patients waiting in
line to receive services watched as we piled out of the bus with
instruments, boxes, and bags. There were 233 children at the school
waiting for our visit.

The band and puppet show set up outside under awnings near the
classrooms, since this school was mostly open. We had a slight set
back with the power at the school going out; however, the band
adjusted wonderfully. Instead of their being a full rock concert, the
band organized their brass section to finish out the musical program.
Soon many of the children were dancing with the military and NGO
volunteers.

We closed out the day by giving each child and teacher a toothbrush
and toothpaste before they headed out for the afternoon. We also
provided each of the teachers with a teacher bag to say thank you and
gave the school a donation of soccer balls.

2nd day June 23rd

Escuela Sauda Bikerland

Backpacks and Music
Our Rotarian partners from Granada joined us at the school and were
wonderful at helping engage the children. We collaborated to visit
each classroom and provided health and hygiene education while
distributing the backpacks to the children. The COMFORT brass band set
up a concert outside the preschool classroom for the children. After
we finished the educational component, the band played a fantastic set
for the children. We did perform the chicken dance again.

“La Cuesta” Escuela HNOS. Mendoza
Mendoza was a small school of 51 children with only two classrooms.
Since the school was so small, we spent more time inside the
classrooms with the children and teachers. Due to scheduling logistics
with the military, it has been challenging to spend a great deal of
time at the schools which made Mendoza a unique. Each class performed
a song, which was a special treat for the volunteers.

Backpack Donation
We donated an allocation of 224 backpacks and 15 teacher bags to the
Rotary Club of Granada. The Rotarians will be visiting 4-5 schools in
the more rural communities surrounding Granada to distribute the
backpacks. We also donated 80 refurbished backpacks filled with
supplies to a Nicaraguan NGO-Tengo un Sueño for an afternoon project
called the Imagination Federation Inc. at Hermandad Maryknoll high
school in Chacraseca, Nicaragua.

Nicaragua was a beautiful and unique experience.

Thank you Partners!

Rotary Club of Granada, Rotary District 6980, Give a Kid a Backpack,
Loving Hugs Inc., The Dictionary Project, Samaritan’s Feet
International, Clean the World, the College of Education at the
University of Central Florida, and Orange County Public Schools.

Thank you for your support!
Kari Williams
Education Coalition, CP11

Continuing Promise 2011 Briefing Manta, Ecuador Education Coalition

USNS Comfort Arrives in Ecuador
The ship arrived into the Port of Manta alongside many large fishing
boats. We could see the large tuna being hauled into the air in large
nets and dropped into oversized shipping containers. The beautiful
beach off in the distance was enticing as we ventured inland during
each mission day.

Logistical Coordination
In each country the partnership must obtain approval for the project
from COMFORT NCIS, US Embassy, Military Group for that country,
COMFORT command staff, host nation customs, and other governmental
organizations. In additional to the pre-entry requirements, once the
approval of the project has been obtained there are several internal
layers of coordination that must take place before the volunteers can
visit with the children. We have to plan volunteer scheduling,
transportation, equipment, as well as the needs of the host nation
force protection meals, etc. Each country is different and a
challenge.

Once we obtain the approval for the project and clearance of the
donations through customs, the project can move at a very rapid rate-
this was the case especially for Ecuador. Two days after clearing
customs we had to start with our first day of distribution.
Thankfully, all of the coordination settled and we were off to visit
with the children with a robust program.

Civil Affairs Assistance
The Maritime Civil Affairs Team (MCAT) of the US Navy specializes in
community relations projects and infrastructure building. The
COMFORT’S MCAT agreed to assist me for the coordination of the
backpack partnership in Ecuador. The team was instrumental in
facilitating communication with our host nation partner, the Rotary
Club of Manta. We were able to set up the 3-day distribution in one
day with the logistical support of the MCAT. Our project would not
have been successful without their involvement.

Project Time

Day 1
Our first day was dynamic one small school in the morning and one
medium-sized school in the afternoon. Escuela Sucre, in a rural town
called Pacoche, was comprised of around 45 students. The school was
situated to the side of the community in a bowl at the bottom of a
small mountain.

We arrived with 16 volunteers for the first day. Our team was
comprised of MCAT members, Navy security and food service personnel, a
Latter-day Saints volunteer, a University of California San Diego
Pre-Dental Society (UCSD) volunteer, and members and exchange students
with the Rotary Club of Manta. Two local police force members, who
were providing security, also joined us in the program. There were two
classrooms at this school where we visited with the children and
launched a program including, dental, eye protection, health and
hygiene education alongside hand delivering backpacks to each child.
The first class was comprised of very small children ages 5-8 years
old. Our Latter-day Saints volunteer, Kristen Lee, was fantastic at
engaging the children. She and I worked hand-in-hand along with a MCAT
member to facilitate the program. Once we had finished our first
class, the program became easier as we moved onto the next. The
Rotarians were wonderful with organizing the children, ensuring that
each child received personal time with the volunteers.

We finished the backpack program and the children were set loose to
play soccer with the COMFORT volunteers. As they played in the
courtyard between the classrooms, a few of us gathered with the
teachers inside one of the classrooms. We thanked the teachers for
their work and for allowing us to share time with them and the
children. One of the Navy Lieutenants donated 16 soccer balls for the
entire distribution. We split up the donations and presented Escuela
Sucre with a gift of 3 soccer balls. The time at Pacoche ended with
hugs all around before the rest of the children headed back to their
houses for the rest of the day.

Escuela Fiscal Presidente Velasco Ibarra, Santa Rosa
Our team moved quickly to visit the second school, which was 20
minutes from Pacoche in a town called Santa Rosa. The team set up for
a similar program as in Pacoche; however, we added the exchange of 20
letters with the school’s 6th graders. As part of a new program for
United Nations Association of Greater Orlando, 96 5th graders at John
Young Elementary School wrote letters to their counterparts abroad.
These children in the states are learning Spanish so parts of the
letters were written in English the other in Spanish. One of the
classes comprised of 6th and 7th graders stayed to write letters to
the children in the states. The Rotary exchange students and UCSD
volunteer were amazing at supervising the exchange. We finished off
the first day by spending time with the teachers and Rotarians for a
snack. One of the most memorable moments for me that day was when one
of the boy’s who was using a plastic bag to hold his supplies threw it
aside to place his materials very quickly inside his new backpack. I
asked if he liked his mochila (backpack) and he nodded and smiled.

Day 2
Escuela Eloy Alfavo Delgado, Las Pinas
We were ready for another dynamic day with the children. Escuela Eloy
Alfavo had over 170 students so we decided to visit the school on a
separate day, which worked well for the entire program allowing us to
take our time with each class. We were very close in our time
allocation for the first day so we altered the program to ensure that
we finished on time and spent enough quality time with the children.
The Rotary exchange students and a couple bi-lingual COMFORT
volunteers assisted with the letters with the 6th graders while we
visited the 1st graders with backpacks. The letter team finished with
the letters at the same time we arrived at their classroom for the
education and backpack distribution.
In addition to having multiple military and NGO partners, we had a
Canadian partner nation dental hygienist join us for the program. She
was wonderful with the children, drawing diagrams and facilitating
topics. We discussed the education portion of the program at the
beginning of each visit to the classrooms, which left time for the
backpack surprise at the end. After we finished, we coordinated with
the Rotarians to recount all of the donations to ensure that we had
enough backpacks for all of the children on the final distribution,
which was the next day.

Day 3
Escuela Guadalupe Larriva Gonzalez, Villamarina
Our final project day began with a visit to a co-located pre-school
alongside the school that we were visiting. There were 20 little
children looking up at us as our team moved into their small space.
Each had a look of curiosity and a few looked a bit scared at the
large strangers. The teacher helped welcome us into the children’s
space and once the children noticed the gifts of stuffed animals their
faces brightened with smiles and excitement. Each team member chose a
personal stuffed animal for a particular child and spent time talking
to them. We said our goodbyes to the class and walked over to the
school to prepare for the backpack program.

Escuela Fiscal Villamarina
Villamarina also had over 170 students so we set up the distribution
similar to Las Pinas. We had the Commodore and Commanding Officer join
us for the day. Navy and Air Force volunteers participated as well as
a Latter-day Saints and EDGE Outreach volunteer. Everyone was engaged
in the children and activities. I also met the Rotary Club of Manta
president, Manuel Naurea, who joined us at the school. In addition to
the vibrant program, we finished off the day with a fantastic
performance from the Navy rock band. After we had finished and
presented the teachers with their gift, we proceeded to dance and play
with the children to several energetic songs.

It was a great experience and a successful first distribution thanks
to our partners.

Rotary Club of Manta, Rotary District 6980, Give a Kid a Backpack,
Loving Hugs Inc., The Dictionary Project, EDGE Outreach, Clean the
World, United Nations Association of Greater Orlando, and the College
of Education at the University of Central Florida.

A special thank you to the COMFORT PAO and MCAT teams and Latter-day
Saints Charities.

Thank you for your support!

Kari Williams
Education Coalition, CP11

2011 Continuing Promise

Give A Kid a Backpack Volunteer Coordinator boarded on April 9 the USS Comfort.
The ship departed from Norfolk , VA on a five month humanitarian mission. The members will be visiting 9 countries throughout the Caribbean, Central and South America.

Updates on the mission


Onboard Training and Partner-
ship

The coalition’s activities began
during the transit to Jamaica as
representative, Kari Williams,
cross-trained with health and hy-
giene partner, EDGE Outreach,
on the organization’s water sanita-
tion and hygiene techniques. Af-
ter arriving in Jamaica, she visited
the main medical site which was
at the National Arena to volunteer
as a member of the EDGE Out-
reach team. For three days, Kari
taught hygiene techniques with
EDGE members to children and
adults passing through the medi-
cal site and handed out water to
patients waiting in line.

Edge Outreach purified and dis-
tributed over 1,000 gallons of
water over the course of the mis-
sion in Jamaica. Their water assis-
tance helped to prevent dehydra-
tion, allowing many Jamaicans to
stay hydrated while waiting for
their medical care. The organiza-
tion provided a tremendous need
to those visiting the American
medical clinic.

International Collaboration and
Capacity Building

Thanks to the wonderful support

of partner organizations, Samari-
tan’s Feet International and the
Dictionary Project, much needed
donations of shoes and dictionar-
ies were distributed to children at
Alpha Boys School, Northstreet
Primary, Mustard Seed Communi-
ties, August Town Primary, and
Harbour View Primary in and
around Kingston, Jamaica.

The Rotary Club of Kingston, the
coalition’s host nation partner,
prioritized these targeted schools
and orphanages to leverage cur-
rent initiatives already in progress
in their community. Once the
partner Rotarians had identified
locations for aid support, mem-
bers of the USNS COMFORT
and US embassy worked to organ-
ize and approve logistical support
for the distribution. Local Rotari-
ans provided feet washing materi-
als, transportation and storage for
donations as well as in-country
coordination assistance. This host
nation NGO support enabled the
US military to allocate its re-
sources for other mission-related
activities, saving both cost and
time for the project’s execution.

Volunteers were recruited from
several areas aboard the USNS
COMFORT. US Air Force, Navy,
Military Sealift Command, and

even the Commodore, Ship’s
Master and Executive Officer
participated in the project as well
as NGO representatives from the
Latter Day Saints. During the two
day project, 230 children’s feet
were washed and 275 dictionaries
were distributed while interacting
with the children, parents, school
staff, Rotary partners, and local
community members. Additional
donations were given to the Ro-
tary Club of Kingston to allocate,
since more time was needed for a
personalized distribution and the
Rotarians will provide long-term
support and follow through.

The coalition had a great start for
CP11 and is looking toward an-
other amazing experience with our
host nation partners, the Rotary
Club of Paita Centro in Peru.

Thank you all for your support
and encouragement!

Kari Williams

Editor’s note: For CP11, the Edu-
cation Coalition represents several
organizations including The Dic-
tionary Project, Loving Hugs, Give
a Kid a Backpack and Samaritan’s
Feet.

Backpacks are recieved with lots of LOVE in Panama

Continuing Promise

Chiriqui Grande, Panama

Too much to write about..so here are some interesting notes:

Once again our fabulous friend, nicknamed Panama came through with an
opportunity for us to work directly with the Ministry of Education in
the host nation. We were fortunate to not only meet with a ministry
director for the area, but also were able to have a sit down
discussion with the Mayor of Chiriqui Grande.

When I say that we were lucky, that is an understatement. I will
explain further….Prior to our arrival in Panama; our ACE team friend
was able to acquire a listing of schools from the Ministry of
Education for us to research for distributions. We looked at some of
the numbers and decided to visit seven potential schools. However,
once we met with the mayor at the main medical site he suggested that
we visit ten schools instead to reach some that were not supported
previously with aid. The lucky part of the situation was that on the
same day all of his principles from around the area just so happen to
be holding a meeting at the very same location we were meeting.
Panama, our friend, worked some magic and at the beginning of the
principle’s meeting introduced our organization and we were able to
coordinate all ten schools right then and there. We still had to tie
up some loose ends and make sure that our transportation and logistics
worked out. We made sure that we had one driver who knew our routine.
We probably would not have been able to reach all ten schools if the
situation had been different due to coordination challenges; we went
out every day except for Sunday visiting schools.

Panama was amazing! We rode with our backpack troop (12-14 people)
along one main road with mountains, luscious greenery, and even water
buffalo along the side. Our first school would later become medical
site three, it was situated right off of the main road; however, it
was directly on the side of a mountain. It was a beautiful sight.
There were small tiki huts in front of the school for the children to
sit under and along the side of the school there were some family and
farm huts where one could view little yellow and brown ducklings
waddling their way along a small creek that ran down from the
mountain.

The director from the ministry came with us on our first day; she
helped introduce us to the principle and helped facilitate the day’s
activities. We moved from classroom to classroom with our marine
volunteers, who enjoyed their interaction with the children. The
director organized several treats for us. Panama was the first country
where almost every class had a performance or demonstration for our
group. Standing on the front porch, so to speak, we all gathered along
the edge and in a semi circle with the children across from us to wait
for what surprise was in store for us. The first graders began with a
performance utilizing vowels. Each of them had a large piece of
cardboard tied around their neck with string and sang their vowel when
it was their turn. It was so adorable! Next, we had several songs
performed from the second and thirds graders as well as a short play
about helping others and friendship. For the first time, we decided
that we should perform for the children in a different way. Yes! We
(all of us) decided to sing and dance the “Hoky Poky” as well as “If
Your Happy and You Know It”. Well, the truth being that the marines
were a bit hesitant, but then they soon jumped in and sang along. The
children got the biggest kick out of the visitors from the states
jumping, clapping, and singing just for them. It soon became the
program for the week as with each new school-the children would
share/perform and so would we.

Our group was able to visit all of the ten schools, some being very
small and remote. One of my favorite memories comes from the last day
of our Panama backpack journey. Usually, at each school there are a
couple of little girls who become my good friends and we share smiles,
laughs, and hugs. On the last day, there was one little girl who was
so loving. I kept running into her as I moved between each classroom
since she would wait in the walkway for us to pass by. I decided to
briefly teach several of the little girls some ballet after we had
distributed the backpacks and so we moved over to their concrete
courtyard. We played and practiced ballet positions and twirled in
circles-since every girl likes to spin We had fun. This school was
along the beach and being from Florida I decided I needed to see the
water up close. As I walked along the edge of the school, I found my
friend peaking around the corner of the wall alongside the school’s
outer perimeter. I soon learned that my friend had a small
house/wooden right behind the school and on the water. Her mother
greeted me and welcomed me into their space. Their family used this
house, which she purchased two years ago due to the fact that they
lived two hours away from the school. Her mother wanted a place for
the kids to rest until they were able to travel back to their home. We
shared stories about family and it was lovely to see this sweet little
girl playing with the new stuffed animal that we were fortunate to
give to her as well as to see a glimpse of their life. The people in
Panama were so friendly and the children were thankful. I believe that
the backpacks and our presence were truly felt there.

As Van Halen screamed..so did we PANAMA..AAAA! Just for the fam..

Continuing Promise Blue Fields, Nicaragua

Continuing Promise

Blue Fields, Nicaragua

Day 1-3 Assisting at Medical Site 1:

I was excited to be back in Nicaragua. Last year, I visited Granada
with GKB and was hoping to return in the near future. I was fortunate
that CP10 scheduled a visit to Nicaragua, so I was able to fulfill my
wish sooner that I had expected.

This country was very different from the previous visits since the
military was only able to utilize helicopters for operations. There
were fewer individuals able to go into Nicaragua; however, I witnessed
a great deal of work completed at the main medical site despite fewer
staff. The military also arranged for many individuals to remain in
country overnight, which increased the mission’s capacity.

I was able to work check-in processing of patients at the main medical
site for three of the ten day visit. The set up included three large
tents that were connected in the middle and rows of chairs underneath
for patients; this was a makeshift waiting room. We split up the
sections into optometry, dental, general medicine, and pediatric care.
The sun was pretty intense at times and there was a lot of movements
as patients were escorted through the gates at one end of the school
compound. The Nicaraguan military helped organize a system where they
would pre-screen patients outside and provide numbered tickets to
track volume and facilitate efficiency. We provided bottled water for
those in the waiting area; the water was much needed since the heat
was so intense. I met some wonderful Nicaraguan Red Cross volunteers,
who helped me to check-in patients and translated symptoms that I
could not understand.

The last day that I assisted at the medical site was hectic at times.
I found myself moving through the rows of patients, one minute to the
next asking questions to help process their information. Before I was
aware, I almost fainted on my Red Cross friend. We laughed as I had to
grab his shoulder to stay standing. I cannot emphasize enough how
important hydration is in these situations. I feel like a person can
become so involved in the work that he or she is doing and forget to
watch out for themselves. I was having such a good time talking with
the families and I also wanted to process as quickly as possible-that
I just forgot to drink in between patients. I learned my lesson that
day and continued to make a more conscious effort to drink more water
while working.

El Bluff, Nicaragua

Day 4 Island Backpack Delivery:

We had one backpack delivery in Nicaragua, due to the challenges with
logistics. If not for the Marines (MAGTAF) we would not have been able
to deliver any backpacks in Nicaragua. We were so thankful that one of
the Lt. Colonels mentioned that the marines were training near a
school in a very small rural community called El Bluff. Once we
discovered that there might be an opportunity to visit the school and
handout backpacks, we were so excited.

A fun and interesting twist to the distribution was that we would have
the opportunity to ride in a Nicaraguan speed boat to the island with
our supplies. The gears started turning and we began to organize the
distribution. The marines provided all of the information that we
needed; we even received a detailed map of the area and where we would
be landing! The marine chaplain also agreed to come with us; he is a
balloon animal expert- and was able to make swords, flowers, and dogs
for the children. The kids absolutely loved it!

On the big day we met our party where the military offloads many
things. That day we were offloading ourselves by climbing down a rope
ladder, it was so much fun-I love climbing on anything. The marines
also helped offload our backpacks by tying a rope around each box and
individually lowering them to the awaiting boat underneath. Great
teamwork! Soon we hopped into the boat and sped to shore. We were
moving so fast that my small earrings were sideways and I thought that
my glasses would snap at the sides. I originally thought that we must
have been going 100; however, later I was informed of my gross
overestimate as we were going around 50-which is still very fast.

When we arrived to the dock in El Bluff there were more marines
waiting to help us carry our supplies to the school. I would say that
we looked like a trail of ants carrying our boxes down this paved
sidewalk through a neighborhood. We arrived at the school and the kids
were energetic to see us. We started with the pre-schoolers as normal
and moved up the grade levels. Each student received a greeting, thank
you, and backpack. I apologized for my broken Spanish; however, the
students seemed to understand me and forgave me since I tried.

I made two new friends with these (amigas), who kept finding me after
each class. They were so adorable and loving. They enjoyed smiling and
one was able to take some pictures using my camera. It is amazing how
quickly a child can learn from just simple demonstrations. A group of
kids also posed showing their strength by flexing their muscles- this
reminded me of kids I had worked with in the states. As they picked
each other up, each one wanted to demonstrate their strength. They
loved showing everyone what they could do and laughed along the way.

We said our goodbyes to the director and teachers. I said my goodbye
to my two little friends. As I was leaving the marine chaplain laughed
and yelled as all of the boys he made balloon swords for made him
climb the flag pole. It was hilarious!
We walked back to the dock and waited for our clearance to return back
to the ship. Before we left, the Nicaraguan Navy gave us a tour of one
of their flag ships- it was very modern and impressive. I was glad to
see that they had a vessel of this caliber.

We jumped into the speed boat and headed back to the IWO. This time we
went faster and one of the Nicaraguans allowed a marine Captain to
drive. We flew over the water- I was smiling the entire time, which
even produced a bit of drool on the side of my mouth- you know the
kind when you are moving too fast to control it! That is pure fun and
life! It was a great day- Hoorrahhh!!!!

Guatemala

Continuing Promise

Puerto Barrios, Guatemala

Day 1 Scouting for Schools:

Due to the fantastic coordination of the ACE Team, we had obtained a
listing from Guatemala’s Minister of Education including the priority
schools for the area. Our next step was to investigate each school to
confirm if the numbers that were provided were correct. We needed to
make sure that we had the correct number of backpacks for the
students.

The day began with a ride on a Landing Craft Unit, we arrived to a
beach port of the local Navy-it was very pleasant similar to a fishing
port I would say. There were even old boats on either side of a gravel
path leading away from the main road; some had so much overgrowth you
would believe them to be there for several years. There was also a
canoe storage made of leaves, which reminded me of the Bahamas.

We rode to medical site 1 to await our transportation for the day. We
hopped into our van with our Guatemalan military escorts and headed to
a listing of sites that were pre-screened. The first school that we
arrived to was listed to have 285 students total; to our surprise when
we arrived they had well over 500 students. We were so thankful that
we had the opportunity to verify the number; otherwise we would have
been short quite a bit. We decided to focus on smaller three rural
schools in Puerto Barrios and were able to schedule the distributions
with the principles-we were so excited to work directly with the
schools. All of the schools had no grass, playground, or substantial
materials. We had a feeling that this experience would be amazing.

Day 2 Caserio Del Mitch:

Our intuitions were correct-the children were so loving and
appreciative. We had a few marines join us as well as Lyndsey Hodges
from the Greitens Foundation to help distribute backpacks, stuffed
animals, and some toys donated by Heather, our pediatric nurse friend
volunteering for Project Hope. We began by giving the pre-schoolers
stuffed animals, they were so cute and shy. They grasped onto the
animals with a look of curiosity, like “who are these people and why
are they here?” Their teacher helped to raise their level of comfort
and soon they were smiling.

We were surprised as after only our first class, some little first
grade girls started giving each of us Fantas-(My favorite). Orange and
grape flavored goodness! Their only water source was a pipe on the
edge of the property so to receive soda demonstrated a great
appreciation for our visit. We thanked everyone with hugs. The kids
loved pictures, especially with their friends-which gave them the
opportunity to throw peace signs behind unknowing friends’ heads-as
well as hugs. Each class did not want us to move on to the next class,
so they would attempt to keep us around by asking for more hugs and
photos. Each class had a few children that would wait outside the
classroom doors for us to swing back by for more questions and laughs.
We continued to each class, we finished the distribution in the
morning and distributed in the afternoon as well.

The kids loved their bags and toys. One of the marines played soccer
with the kids, he was all over the place-funny thing is the kids were
running circles around him. He was a good sport though trying his best
to keep up. So, I watched some girls walk over to the water spout and
fill up a water balloon. I was a bit confused because it was only one
balloon and in some areas they might drink water this way. However, as
it turned out the girls were plotting to throw it at someone but did
not know who to hit. My thoughts were to throw it at one of the
marines-of course. I pointed to two of the marines that had been
helping us out and they immediately all chose David, the marine who
was playing soccer. We all gathered in a crowd and approached his
position slowly. He had no idea what was coming. On command one of the
girls launched the water balloon, but unfortunately she completely
missed aiming at his feet. David, the marine, was still caught off
guard and we all laughed at the attempt. As we were leaving the
school, the children gathered around the windows of the van laughing,
yelling “Adios”, jumping, and waving us on our way. They were going
crazy! There was so much energy everywhere, I was sad to leave such
wonderful children.

Day 3 Escuela Barrio Mixo Rural:

We had five marines join us for our second distribution in Guatemala,
each time we try to get different marines that have not had the
opportunity to visit the countries prior. We arrived at our
destination and the kids were laughing from each of the classrooms.
You could sense that they were just waiting for their turn. The school
was settled in between buildings, the lot seemed similar as to where
you might see a residential space. However, they had managed to
construct an open space for the children to play despite limited
space.

We lined up the marines in four rows, the system worked well for
directing each kid up to the marine waiting on his knee with a
backpack and high-five. One of the marines and I grabbed some toys
that were donated and went down the lines passing out one to each girl
and boy. It was a little treat on the side. Janina did a fantastic job
organizing the classes and directing the children. Once we had
finished distributing to the children, the principle requested
additional backpacks for a few children that were absent. We were more
than happy to oblige. The principle and cook were also kind enough to
provide each of us with a chicken-sub sandwich and a local soda. We
felt so thankful to have received such a gift. Food really makes me
happy! We talked and hung out with the children for an hour or so
afterward. The children started taking some of their new notebooks and
pens and were requesting autographs from each of us. It was so
cute-one of the marines exclaimed “I’m famous, I’m famous” as he was
surrounded by children saying por favor (please) sign my paper. With
just a simple signature, we were able to bring additional smiles to
the kids, something small but impactful.

Day 4 Escuela Barrio Mixo Rural- El Lara:

Our third school had a wide courtyard with a concrete space for soccer
or basketball, with a little bodega (store) on the side. It was
convenient for the children to have the ability to walk a few feet to
delicious snacks and drinks. It was brightly colored due to the
Coca-Cola endorsed sides, which was interesting as the stands seemed
to be a running theme-we saw similar ones at medical site 1 which was
a high school.

We had a veterinarian technician Jill (World Vets) and a nurse Brooke
from (National Nurses United) join our team for the day, along with
the marines that volunteered. We had to move quickly since the
majority of the distribution had the students standing in a line
outside as we rotated in and out to hand deliver the backpacks. It was
also a national holiday for Guatemala so the schools were all letting
out early. The scene ended up resembled an assembly line with
exchanges of pounds (fist to fist) between the volunteers and
students. There were a lot of older students at this school, finishing
out the sixth grade a bit later. There response to the donation
included a cool handshake and smile. We met with the director and a
few teachers before our departure and gave them some teacher satchels
and hugs. Next, we jumped in our red van and headed back to the
medical site for a change over in personnel.

A Naval Ace Team member (a friend by the name of “Panama” who is
amazing) helped us to coordinate our distribution in Guatemala and was
able to facilitate a donation for us to a small orphanage as our last
stop in that journey. When we pulled up to the orphanage all of the
kids were in their eating/meeting room where the military volunteers
were painting as part of their community relation project or Comrel.

There were bright blues and purples throughout some of the rooms with
Disney characters decorating the walls. It is amazing to see how much
Disney is integrated around the world, being from Orlando it reminds
me of home and also how lucky we are to get the opportunity to see it
in person.

One of the girls took me on a tour of their living quarters; it was a
concrete building up the hill with some pink paint. It was not obvious
at the time; however, later in a meeting on the ship I learned that
they did not have running water for a few months before the Navy came
and fixed their water pump. The girls slept in beds all in a row with
a variety of sheets and blankets. I remember wondering how it would be
to sleep in a building all concrete with nothing for windows but bars
and a ripped screen to keep out the critters at night. All of the
children were sweet.

We gave all of the children backpacks and left some extra for some
children that were not present. Due to the kindness of the other NGO
volunteers and some military we were able to collect some donations of
toiletry items (soap, shampoo, etc.) and clothing (shoes, pants,
shirts) prior to our visit to give to the children. Every little bit
helps and goes a long way. It was great to see the director’s
appreciation. As we pulled away from the orphanage all of the children
and adults stood in the entrance waving, smiling, and laughing. While
we all said goodbye, I knew that there was a great impact there and
hoped to surely return to Guatemala one day.