More Playground Repairs at the Family Support Center

The need for playground repairs at the Family Support Center seems endless.  Fortunately the kids at the Family Support Center have Adam, a former coordinator who returned to Xela with his family.  Together they planned, purchased, and began the repair process on the playground.

Although other volunteers had replaced the floor boards on this platform in January, a number of the posts and supports were also rotting.  

There is always more work to be done on the playground equipment so keep your eyes open for more playground updates.

Thanks Adam, Jessica, Colin, and Sue for all of your contributions! 

Recycling Project, March and April, 2014

Our Recycling Project has been in full swing not only at Pop Wuj but also at the Family Support Center in Llanos del Pinal. With the help of the kids we sold 232 lbs of plastic and 47 lbs of glass to a local recycling center on April 1st.

The Family Support Center students have a fun recycling competition amongst themselves each month. The three families that bring in the most plastic are recognized at the mother's meeting at the beginning of the following month. Apart from the competition, the students understand more and more the reasons we recycle and the importance of it. It is a lot to learn and even more to apply, but the concept of reduce, reuse, and recycle is a work in progress.

While earning money is not the point of the project, it is a bonus. Between our two deliveries last month Pop Wuj earned a total of 149 Quetzales, approximately $20 US, to be reinvested into the environmental projects and the Family Support Center.

Jonathan and other students took the initiative to collect bottles on their own without being asked.
They turned a fun hike into a community cleanup.

Students with their recyclable materials collected during our hike.

Dawn, our former Family Support Center coordinator, Carmelina, a teacher at the Family Support Center/Pop Wuj employee, and Yolanda, a scholarship recipient, do a recycling run.

Pop Wuj recycles a variety of materials at a number of private recycling centers in Xela.  The paper, tin, and aluminum is usually recycled near the center of town at Don Tito's.  On March 27th, employees, volunteers, and coordinators carried 3 lbs of tin, 8 lbs of aluminum, and 46 lbs of mixed paper to Don Tito's.  We sold the materials for a total of 43 Quetzales (about $6 US). We also resell plastic jugs at the market to be reused.

Coordinators, recycling delight! 

Family Support Center kids and Gustavo,  a teacher, load plastic collected by the students in Llanos de Pinal.

The April 1st delivery of plastic and glass earned Pop Wuj 97 Quetzales (about $12 US).

Recip, one of the recycling centers, packages and ships the materials.

Semana Santa Activities, April 14th and 15th

Students from the Family Support Center kept busy with an extra project at Pop Wuj during Semana Santa (Holy Week). One day the students over twelve years old traveled to Xela to enjoy their day off by cooking pizza, preparing salad, and relaxing with a movie and popcorn. Another day the other students helped volunteers with a side project in Llanos de Pinal. In one day of work we replaced the roof and the damaged siding on a home, all while enjoying good food and company. 

Brandon (green sweatshirt), a student from the Family Support Center, helps volunteers replace rotten beams.

Students from the Family Support Center and volunteers in front of the home.
A stage two stove is also under construction inside the house, part of our Safe Stove Project.

Family Support Center teachers Lidia and Carmelina help students prepare a fruit salad for the family and workers.

Students, volunteers, and family members take a moment to rest and enjoy.

Gustavo, a teacher at the Family Support Center, with the baby of the house.

Three of the older girls from the Family Support Center with Pop Wuj General Projects Coordinator Rain.

Saying Goodbye: La Despedida de Dawn, Shanti, y Bronny

by Amy Scheuren

In mid-April Pop Wuj and the staff and children at the Family Support Center in Llanos del Pinal said goodbye to three fantastic interns:  Shanti, Dawn, and Bronny.

Relaxing before a Thursday night dinner

Dawn and Bronny were coordinators at the Family Support Center and Shanti worked in all of the Pop Wuj projects as the General Projects Coordinator.  These three lovely ladies accomplished so much during their three months in Xela and made my life so much easier!

Dawn and her signature moves

Shanti

To celebrate the end of a wonderful three months, we held a music and dance party at the Family Support Center.  Rain, Pop Wuj's new General Projects Coordinator played the violin/fiddle and Jhonny DJ'd as the kids, staff, and volunteers danced and played games like limbo and musical chairs.

Our kiddos and limbo

More limbo fun

Dawn and Rain

A huge thank you to Dawn, Bronny, and Shanti.  We miss you already and can't wait for your return!

Pop Wuj receives interns via our partnership with Entremundos, a local NGO.  For more information and to apply to be an intern/long-term volunteer, please visit Entremundos.

Control Médico at the Family Support Centre

On Tuesday April 1st, The Family Support Centre received the services of a visiting Timmy Global Health group, including doctors and medical students in training.  They weighed and measured the heights of each child at the Centre and then performed a check up on each of them as well.  Whilst the children were eating lunch, Timmy gave an informative talk about the importance of cleaning teeth and engaged the children with questions and examples of experiments performed with different products and their effects on teeth.

The Timmy group interacted with the younger children in the morning and gave them some worksheets to colour in

Jessica, Samuel (who isn't enrolled at the Centre but came along for a consult), Amy, and Ingrid all colouring in Elmo worksheets that Timmy brought along

Dawn role playing a scene at the doctors with Kat the puppet and Shanti helping out - the children were completely absorbed in the role play 

Dawn explaining what the doctors will be doing in their consult, via Kat the puppet while the children looked on

Amy taking the heartbeat of Kat with a stethoscope

The children eating watermelon at break time before heading in to be weighed and measured. 

The Timmy group ready with medical supplies for the children after their consult

The older children arriving in the afternoon for their turn at weighing, measuring, and their consult

It was a long but very important and beneficial day for all!

Health Education

 Health Education

Mothers in the Llanos de Pinal nutrition group listen as Pop Wuj students Cristina Woodhouse and Melissa Heberlein take the opportunity to educate about the dangers of respiratory illness.

Many Guatemalan families spend a lot of time cooking over or in close contact with an open flame inside the house. Respiratory illnesses contracted from smoke inhalation is currently the second leading cause of death among Guatmemalan children and also poses large threats to adults. While many families may not have the option of using an alternative stove with a chimney, there are steps they can take to protect themselves and their families. The presentation included education about the dangers of burning plastic and how smoke exposure can be decreased by not having your baby on your back or your children playing close to the fire.

A demonstration using dye (smoke) and water bottles (lungs) shows how much more susceptible children's lungs are to the damage caused by smoke.

Another recent health education focus was lead poisoning. Traditional clay Guatemalan cookware often has a lead glaze. The toxic lead contaminates food and can cause a variety of health problems. Some of the effects of lead are a reduced capacity to contentrate, lack of memory, reduced ability to hear, increased anxiety,  hyperactivity, and vertigo. Leads effects on the stomach including abdominal cramps, lose of appetite and ability to taste flavor, nausea, and weight loss. Lack of blood circulation, liver damage, high blood pressure, anemia, cavities, lowered immune system, joint pain, weakness in fingers and muscles are more destructive effects of lead    (proyectoplomo@sonic.net, Proyecto Plomo Guatemala).

Melissa explains how washing your hands and cleaning your nails can reduce the amount of lead that enters your body.                  

Children are at a higher risk for lead poisoning because their bodies are still developing. The lead effects can include stunted physical and mental growth as well as behavioral problems such as increased aggressiveness and violence. (proyectoplomo@sonic.net, Proyecto Plomo Guatemala).

It is also very important that the women selling fruit and vegetables in the market wash their hands because they are using  pure lead weights to weigh their goods. While an alternative weight is preferable, a plastic bag around the lead would help protect the women and the consumer.

      

   Pots with toxic lead-based paint

While we can not be sure that all of the glazes on these pots contain lead, it is best to avoid all shiny paints and glazes until Guatemala bans those that are contaminated.

(.google.com.gt/search?q=image/+of+shiny+clay+pottery)

Pots without lead-based paint

( antiguadailyphoto.com/2013/02/08/clay-pottery-for-sale/#.UzXdHs5n39k)

March Nutrition Meetings, 2014

Nutrition Thursdays: March 6th at Buena Vista and La Victoria. March 13th at Llanos del Pinal. 

Every month Pop Wuj Spanish Medical and Social Work students, coordinators and staff work together to prepare and run the nutrition meetings. The nutrition Project began in the fall of 2011 to combat against child malnutrition in the rural communities that surround Xela. Over 80 Mothers and their babies aged 6-24 months attend the montly meetings, where babies are weighed and measured to evalute their progress in the program. Pop Wuj got a new scale for wieghing babies this month!


Before 

After

The nutrition meetings also incorporate an educational component. In March, Pop Wuj Social Work Students gave mothers a presentation on common cuases and effects of lead poisioning and respiratory illnesses. 

 



Each month the babies in the program receive a monthly supply of nutributter (a fortified penut butter supplement that is formulated to meet dietary deficiencies that lead to malnutrition). Along with the supplement, mothers recieve vitamins and 3 bags of "incaparina" a nutritious drink made of a mixture of corn and soy flour that provides high quality protein.



The babies from the community of Llanos del Pinal recieved a special surprise this month...Toys! Social work students helped Carmencita (Pop Wuj's Guatemalan Social Worker) prepare a toy package to bring to the nutrition meetings from now on. 



Nutrition meetings run for a couple of hours and it's important to keep the children occupied  meanwhile their mothers listen to the educational presentations and wait to meet with the doctors. At the same time, mothers observed how the students, coordinators and staff engaged with the babies demonstrating healthy playing behaviour that will help their motor skill development.  

Social Work student: Melissa playing with a baby

Carmencita playing with a baby

This month we also had many newcomers entering the program, particularly in the community of Buena Vista. When a new baby enters the program, the mother takes part in an intake interview regarding her family's social history. This helps Carmencita and the doctors gain a better understanding on the causes and risks of malnutrition.