News for Q4 2019
Mission 13, Corozal District, Belize
The Rotary Team of Mel Honig, Will Mosby and the Rotary Club of Corozal opened 21 resource centers in 21 different schools this December. The Rotary Club of Belmopan was also visited in an effort to have them involved in the coming spring’s project when we will open 20 new resource centers in Stann Creek and Cayo Districts of Belize.
The mission in pictures:
-
- After container unloading by the Rotary Club of Corozal, everything was stored in a very large warehouse. We were not used to this ‘luxury’ so when it came time for distribution the job was made very easy… especially since we had so many members of the Rotary Club of Corozal there to help.
-
- It did not rain a single day we were there… blue skies and warm weather made loading the educational equipment by the schools easy.
-
- A group picture of the Rotary team
-
- Of the 21 schools most had preschools with separate buildings. Some schools had preschool classrooms that were attached to the regular classroom buildings. There were a couple of schools whose census did not warrant a preschool program. In those cases we set up most of the product in the infant one classroom.
-
- The most popular item we send down is the computers. Will, on his second mission, once again did a great job of setting up and also working with the older students. We always ask the principal where he would like the computers set up. In many cases the school already had a computer center.
-
- Yes, we put the students to work. They were only too eager to learn and participate.
-
- Once set up it was difficult to pull the students away from the computers. What makes our program unique is that each computer is loaded with children’s learning software.
-
- What a finished computer lab setup looks like. Each school received from two to eight computers. In the foreground is one of our ‘tool’ boxes. Will brought along a suitcase and a travel bag full of items necessary to get as many computers up and running as we could.
-
- Group photo of some of the teachers with the mission team… Each year we return to Belize we find the teachers better prepared and the classrooms better equipped. The government still does not provide computers, books other than curriculum, games, toys or sporting equipment… so our program is still fulfilling a vital need for educational resources.
-
- We came during test week. The tested items the students must know are posted so that each child knows what is expected of him/her.
-
- Even teachers got a hand in playing with the toys we send.
-
- …but it was the children who really enjoyed themselves while making new discoveries.
Along with the games and toys we brought boxes and boxes of books; from beginning readers to resource books to more advanced readers. Each school received at least 4 large boxes of books and depending upon student population as many as 7 boxes. There were some boxes of books left over that were given to the Rotaractor Club of Corozal for their project of building self directed libraries (take a book to read and leave a book)... and also several boxes that were given to the local library.
LIST OF SCHOOLS RECEIVING RESOURCE CENTERS DURING MISSION 13, COROZAL DISTRICT
- Presbyterian Day School/ Preschool
- Caledonia R.C School /Preschool
- San Narciso R.C School /Preschool
- Libertad R.C School
- San Juaquin R.C. School/ Preschool
- San Antonio Government School/ Preschool
- Church of Christ School/ Preschool
- Our Lady of Guadalupe R. C. School/ Preschool
- Cristo Rey R. C School /Preschool
- St. Francis Xavier R.C./Preschool
- Corozal Methodist School /Preschool
- Fireburn R.C. School
- Mary Hill R.C School /Preschool
- San Victor R.C. School/ Preschool
- Libertad S.D.A School
- Calcutta S.D.A School
- Chunox S.D.A School/ Preschool
- Patchakan R.C School/ Preschool
- Sarteneja La Inmaculada R.C. School
- Santa Clara/San Roman R.C./preschool
- Progresso SDA School
Vetting a Hospital for a MESA Mission
RCI is an ongoing educational project of MESA. MESA’s stated mission is:
To facilitate international service projects bringing equipment, technology and volunteerism to meet humanitarian needs throughout the world
Most of our efforts go into sending containers of medical equipment and supplies to places of need. During RCI’s recent mission the Rotary Club of Corozal brought to our attention specific items that require updating or are lacking at the Corozal Community Hospital.
The 30 bed hospital services the medical needs of 40,000 people. All services are free and no one is turned away or asked for payment. The hospital system consists of a central Hospital and 4 major polyclinics.
The recently constructed polyclinic in Sarteneja is scheduled to open February 2020. Its timely opening is dependent upon getting the necessary operating equipment and signing up the required number of local citizens to the National Health Insurance (NHI) plan. The NHI provides the necessary funding for the hospital to operate by giving the hospital monies for each individual in the program. It is also important to look up the symptoms of blood dyscrasia and be aware.
A hospital walk-through was conducted with Rotarians and hospital personnel, followed by meetings with the Medical Chief of Staff, Dr. Angela Gilharry and the Minister of Health, the Honorable Pablo Marin.
Following are some of the photos taken during the hospital walk-through:
-
- All the equipment in the hospital has been donated or purchased. There is a desperate need for gurneys and wheel chairs to move patients around the hospital.
-
- Recently the hospital was able to open a refurbished operating theater.
-
- Although there are two functioning operating rooms additional equipment is still needed…
-
- Crash carts and storage units are in short supply and in poor shape…
-
- Patient rooms are hot and uninviting. Beds and mattresses are old… there is no chairs where visitors can sit. Rusty and old equipment makes cleaning difficult, not only in patient rooms but in labs, exam rooms; etc. Interestingly many supplies such as gauze are sent to the hospital not sterilized. The hospital then must sterilize all bandages in an old/unreliable sterilizer. Even simple items such as over the bed feeding stands are lackingin the hospital.
The next step is to receive a formal request and list of needs. MESA will then fulfill the needs list to the best of its ability and send one or more containers to the Rotary Club of Corozal, who in turn will transfer the product to the Corozal Community Hospital. Before any of this happens the MESA Board has to approve the project and Memorandums of Understanding must be signed by the Rotary Club of Corozal and the Corozal Community Hospital.
Funding for the medical mission is not automatic. MESA will provide a $2000 shipping stipend: but we need one or more of our District 6600 Rotary Clubs to step up with the balance of the $6400 shipping costs. If your Rotary Club is interested in sponsoring this mission please contact MESA Committee Chairman: Bob DiNardo, email: rdinardo@utoledo.edu
Comments are closed.