Lauren Rakes Applies Healthcare Experience to Service Project in Guatemala
Lauren Rakes, a junior in accounting at the NC State Poole College of Management, traveled to Guatemala for the March 2012 Alternative Spring Break (ASB) program coordinated by NC State’s Center for Student Leadership, Ethics, and Public Service (CSLEPS).
Rakes said she wanted to serve in another community, and friends recommended the ASB program. From the list of options available this year, she chose the health issues project in Guatemala, where people live with poverty, lack of resources and lack of access of technological and medical advancements.
“I was hoping to provide health service and education as needed to improve health and sanitation in a remote area of Guatemala that so badly needed assistance,” said Rakes. “I felt that I accomplished this (and gained) a much better and thorough understanding of the lifestyle, cultural differences and medical need and deficiency in Guatemala.”
Previously, Rakes had volunteered at Rex Hospital in Raleigh, N.C., where she assisted nurses in providing patients with the supplies they needed, getting snacks and water, and speaking to patients, helping them to feel better. Rakes also answered patients’ questions and helped assemble patient charts. Once in Guatemala, Rakes was able to apply the experience gained at Rex Hospital.
“I applied basic sanitation principles as well as knowledge of how to work with patients from [my] previous experience volunteering at Rex Hospital,” she said.
The ASB team members received basic, on-site training that regarding interaction with parents and babies, and how to recognize when a sick child needed certain medications and what kinds of diet recommendations to make. Team members then were assigned to groups for various health care services. Rakes’ group that focused on how to deal with bodily sprains and fractures and presented related lessons for middle school students.
During those lessons, she said, the team experienced a common cultural barrier – language. “Our group leader gave us a lesson plan to read from and guide us in Spanish,” said Rakes. “We had to read the lessons and answer all questions in Spanish as none of these children spoke much English.”
Rakes’ ASB team also held a baby clinic where they compiled medical files for babies. This included talking with parents about the personal and medical background of their babies and provided basic diet recommendations, and basic information about medications like painkillers, vitamins, and parasite treatment.
Although the community’s residents had limited access to medicine and a limited medical infrastructure, she found that the people made the best of what they had.
“Despite so much personal adversity, all of the people I encountered seemed very happy, polite, and positive,” said Rakes. “They were all extremely hard-working and had an inspirational work ethic.”
The ASB experience provided Rakes a chance to use her knowledge to help others. It also taught her the importance of communication.
“If I go abroad again, I will try as hard as possible to know about the language and how to communicate with the local people,” said Rakes. “If I happen to go to a Spanish speaking country, I will be much better prepared and less hesitant about using my limited Spanish skills as this was the first opportunity I’ve really had to use them.”
Rakes is from Raleigh, N.C., where her mother Janet Rakes presently resides.
Photo
The group photo was taken at the middle school and includes some of the girls from the ASB team (Rakes far left) and the group of boys, who learned about bodily sprains and fractures.
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