The visit of the Christian charity CERT in the fall of 2022 has been an excellent opportunity to look back. After all, the exciting origins of the collaboration between this organization and our Managing Director Saulo Gamarra have a long-standing background.
How Everything Started
Almost two decades ago, when the dental services provided were purely commercial, Saulo Gamarra received many patients without possibilities of affording dental treatment in his dental office. Compassion took over him, making the treatments free and sometimes at a minimal price. There was a Christian missionary and the family who were his patients talked to him a lot about serving the poor. On each appointment, with each of them, Saulo Gamarra learned that there are bigger challenges in life than just making money.
In the winter of Peru in 2006, Saulo Gamarra was invited to be part of a mission trip in the Amazon. The organization that usually carries out these activities is called Christian Emergency Relief Team – CERT who are based in Crossville, Tennessee, USA. He arrived at the jungle of Puerto Maldonado and then to a remote place in the deepest area of the Peruvian Amazon. There, he learned about the nature of humanitarian work through the health service. It was an impressive and unforgettable trip.
Meeting New Perspectives
A long time ago, a family of Christian missionaries from the US who run an orphanage came to the office with oral health problems. While Saulo Gamarra was doing the required treatments, the conversations about the missions became more and more frequent. He learned that the best way to live is to share what we have with others who need it, providing selfless help and thus contributing to their well-being and quality of life.
Finally, the group talked about the possibility of getting involved in a mission in charge of CERT. This Christian foundation organizes and directs short-term medical-dental mission teams in low-income countries. As a service and assistance organization, they support populations who are already doing good deeds in their communities. This model has forged some strong partnerships, providing opportunities to establish and help fund livelihood programs for those most in need.
Health Condition as a Marker of Poverty.
Despite efforts to combat poor health conditions in Peru, inequalities persist. People from households with lower socioeconomic status fare worse on a range of health indicators than their counterparts in higher socioeconomic groups. They are more likely to have communicable or chronic diseases. Also, they are less likely to visit the doctor so that they can at least prevent the potential illness from getting worse.
The socioeconomic background is considered as part of a complex causal process that links factors related to where you were born, grew up, live and work. A person's health conditions are also affected by national factors such as the distribution of money, power and resources.
Poverty exerts an unfavorable influence on health in vulnerable Latin American communities, demonstrating the need for effective intervention in the social environment.
The Volunteering
Medical and dental volunteering in general is usually organized by academic or non-academic medical centers, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and religious or community groups. The most common model of medical volunteering involves short-term clinical care. Currently, there is an expansion of the volunteering system, so Con Corazón is attentive to recruit people who want to collaborate with us with the same or similar vision.
Volunteering can make valuable contributions to global health while enhancing the professional insight and personal enrichment of those doing the work.
A Trip to the Amazon of Peru
It was Saulo Gamarra’s first experience with foreign missionaries. The mission: Serve and provide medical and dental care to the most remote populations of the Peruvian Amazon. The destination: Yomibato and Tayakome, which are Amazonian tribes located four days away by boat against the current of the Madre de Dios River.
After landing in the Amazon city of Puerto Maldonado, east of the city of Cusco, he did board a wooden boat with an outboard motor and a blue plastic roof, with a capacity for ten people. A leader, doctors, dentists, nurses and other volunteers boarded the boat ready for a new adventure. In this first stage the river is big and the participants noticed that the boat moved slowly as it went against the riverbed. During the crossing, while the wind cools the faces, they can see the blue sky and, on both sides, large green and leafy trees. When it was time to take a pee break, we got off the boat onto a sandy beach, quickly feeling the temperature rising and the mosquitoes and bugs becoming more and more noticeable. They returned to the boat and once in motion, the breeze and drops of water cooled our faces as we headed towards our distant destination, in a hot jungle winter.
The captain of the boat was also in charge of preparing the food while we moved forward. A packet of crackers, a can of tuna with a lemon was the daily menu. When at last, after four days of travel, they arrived at Yomibato. The landscape was the same from the beginning and through a small clearing on the river bank, we entered some steps of mud and sand towards the tribe. A narrow, well-marked path led us to the school where we left our belongings. For the first time, the sounds emanating from the bushy green nature were new and mysterious. Meanwhile, some women of the tribe were preparing something. Saulo Gamarra can see that they wrap a huge fish in giant leaves of a plant called Bijao. After almost five hours of slow cooking based on smoking ashes, everyone was able to enjoy the delicious smell and taste of this dish called Patarasca accompanied by yuccas. Every bite was unforgettable, an indescribable feeling.
Clinical Activities
The day after arrival, they saw dozens of people waiting next to the school, which the group used as a medical center. From children to older adults who were going to see a doctor for the first time in their live. The entire team was prepared to work serving the residents who basically do not have access to health. They had translators of the Machiguenga language, who are residents of the area and also speak Spanish. There were a lot of people and happily, the participants brought a large amount of medicine and a lot of desire to help. Motivation was guaranteed, due to the joy and grateful nature of our patients.
The pharmacy is always full of patients waiting to receive the medicines that the doctors prescribed, dentists and nurses very busy in a humid climate with a temperature of 40 Celsius. In addition to the small battery-powered fans, every breeze brushing our bodies was highly appreciated, keeping them somehow cool in the Peruvian jungle. The interaction with the translators and patients was a unique experience, making every moment even more special. This personal experience from Saulo Gamarra was the start of his humanitarian work.
Visit from Overseas
In August 2022, a team of twelve people arrived in Cusco from the USA. Along with the leader, there was a team of people health workforce were ready to help in a different environment. They decided to come out of their comfort zones and to work with us in remoted areas. Also, people with no medical background, who helped us distribute medicines, take videos of our activities and even clean up during and at the end of the day. Patients were led to the doctor, who was waiting at his desk ready to listen to the patient's story. Dentists, due to the oral health situation of their patients, had many extractions to do. Each health provider had a translator from Quechua to English. The days were intense and challenging since the diseases were unique and of advanced severity. There was an old woman who had a dislocated shoulder for more than 15 years. She asked for help, but we did not have the means to do so. Cases like this happen daily and we just have to give them a hug.
At the end of the campaign, we had a meeting with the entire team from the US and Peru. We are very satisfied with the number of people we were able to reach out and the impact and reputation of Con Corazón in the area is greater. Our work increasingly reaches more populations thanks to the collaboration of volunteers.
The experience of both organizations makes humanitarian work even more professional and effective. This synergy will allow for a greater impact on the populations we serve, as well as creating new stories for our volunteers to tell.
February 2023
