For all the kids

This post if for all kids out there watching the blog. Here's a little background on Belize, the country we're in.

Belize is a country in Central America (south of Mexico) with a population of about 290,000 people. It's capital is Belmopan. The country is about the size of the state of New Hampshire. Belize is divided into 6 districts. Corozal and Orange Walk, the districts where most of our work is taking place, are in the northern part of the country.

Formerly a British colony, Belize gained independence in 1981. It's considered a parliamentary democracy. The Belizeans elect a prime minister who leads the government. English is the official language, however, most people here speak Spanish.

Unfortunately, Belize is a very poor country. About 50% of the people here do not have access to doctors, nurses or hospitals. Two-thirds earn less than US$4500 each year. And most children suffer from malnutrition. Our objective while we're here is to help as many Belizeans as we can. For some that may be rescreening windows to keep out bugs and mosquitos. We'll be building 2 houses while we're here for a few families who need a place to live. And for many others, we'll be providing needed medical help including checkups, vitamins, medications and surgeries.

Additional team members arrive

About 30 additional team members on the American Airlines and Continental Airlines flights are here in Corozal. Fortunately, the 9 missing bags from Thursday's flight arrived as well. We're now getting ready to eat dinner. Look for a more detailed posting tonight of today's activities from the hospital.

Surgery team begins their work

Additional team members arrive today at 11:30am and 3:30pm. This morning the surgical team arrived at the hospital around 8:30am. Their focus today is to visit and screen patients for possible surgeries. We already have a list of over 100 patients who are identified as candidates. Over 50 were already lined up this morning when we arrived. Many more are expected to arrive after lunch. Needs range from skin infections to cleft palate repair.

While most surgeries will begin tomorrow, Dr. Jay has already performed 2 gall bladder surgeries. Additional pictures are in the photo section to the right. If you'd like to enlarge the pictures, simply click on any picture.

Thanks Jill for the note! We'd love to hear from others. Tonight at dinner we'll share your notes with the team.

Good morning!

Friday morning. We woke at 6am for breakfast (Belize is on U.S. Central Time). Right now, teams are loading 4 vans to travel to sites. The hospital is in Orange Walk Town, about 40 miles south from Corozal. Construction team members will travel to San Victor which is about 25 miles south-southwest from Corozal.

Today is mostly about preparations--picking up the remaining 30 members of the team at the airport; getting constructions materials sorted; organizing surgical and medical equipment.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Second advance team arrived today

Another 16 of our 61 person team arrived safely in Belize this afternoon, most from Cincinnati. Our plane landed in Belize City which is on the coast of Belize. Unfortunately, some of our luggage, including medical and construction supplies, didn't make the flight! The airline has assured us it will arrive tomorrow.

After clearing customs, we began the 2 hour drive in passenger vans to Corozal Town where we'll be staying. The drive is very interesting. The main road which leads to Corozal is a narrow, two-lane, paved road without any markings or lines. While the posted speed limit is 55, you have to watch closely for pot holes and speed bumps. The houses speckled along the way are mostly simple, concrete homes with tin roofs, many in need of repair. The landscape is quite green with unique trees and various shrubs including sugar cane, one of the area's main crops. From time to time, children were playing along the road or riding bikes.

As the sun went down, we made a stop in Orange Walk Town (about 70 miles north of Belize City) to tour the hospital where our surgical team will be operating. Orange Walk is one of the larger towns in the area. Keep in mind the total population of Belize is only around 270,000. The hospital is a simple one story structure mostly built from concrete. Certainly nothing elaborate relative to what we are accustomed to, however, it's sufficient for the job.

Soon after arriving at the inn in Corozal, we met for dinner outside under a thatched roof hut just off the ocean. Even though we've just arrived, one thing is very clear to me -- most of us probably don't realize how convenient and comfortable our life is in the U.S.A. I now have a whole new appreciation for these conveniences.

First advance team arrives in Belize

Our first advance team arrived today in Belize! They'll ensure many logistical plans are set and they will visit work sites including the hospital surgical facilities and the area where our village medical tent will be setup.
The second advance team is scheduled to arrive tomorrow. The final team will arrive Friday.

A day of packing

Only a few days before we arrive! Today the team worked for hours sorting medical and construction supplies and packing them in nearly 50 suitcases. Vitamins, medications, surgical equipment, tubing, syringes, gloves and much more. For construction--saws, staples, drills, caulk, hammers and nails.