I am so grateful to have have had the opportunity to spend the morning at the local school. I felt disheartened to see the school for the first time. It was minimal and lacks many supplies compared to schools in the US. The principal was extremely grateful we were there. She was welcoming and so nice, she even helped us out with some translation too!
We brought the BOT pediatric assessment tool and performed screenings on over 50 children ages 4-6. I was assigned the gross motor part of the assessment which meant I had to assess how the students threw and dribbled a ball. This turned out to be more exhausting than I had imagined. Between the heat and the running around and playing all day, I am in desperate need of a shower.
This was my favorite part of the trip so far though. The children were awesome and all had a great morning with us. They are adorable and were very curious about us. I got asked countless times “where are you from?!” One kiddo even asked “do you have Bolivianos in America?” So cute! They were able to understand my instructions and conversation for the most part.
I made friends with one child in particular who stole my heart. Estephanie clung to me for most of the morning and helped me wrangle her classmates at times. She was inquisitive and wanted to show me all around her school yard.
We are compiling the data from the screenings and giving the school an assessment of the results. Hopefully they can take what we found and help the children in the areas they need more improvements on.
We had dinner with one of Dr. Dettmann’s friends in Bolivia. She is completely blind and has other physical impairments. She uses a wheelchair to assist with her mobility. This was one of the most eye-opening experiences I have had in Bolivia thus far. She shared her story about how she suddenly went blind and physically impaired and had no way to control it or help it. It turns out she was diagnosed with MS. Her friends do not understand what MS is and they have all abandoned her. She was able to live with a family here in Rourre but cannot afford healthcare. She was extremely emotional sharing her story and needless to say we were all brought to tears as well. It was hard to know that we treat MS so differently in the US. She is basically home-bound and cannot function independently. We are going to her home tomorrow to complete an evaluation and provide treatment options for the family she lives with. I was blown away by her optimism and courage.
A few of team Bolivia are experiencing stomach issues but they are being well taken care of! Hopefully everyone will be feeling back to normal for tomorrow’s adventures.
We brought the BOT pediatric assessment tool and performed screenings on over 50 children ages 4-6. I was assigned the gross motor part of the assessment which meant I had to assess how the students threw and dribbled a ball. This turned out to be more exhausting than I had imagined. Between the heat and the running around and playing all day, I am in desperate need of a shower.
This was my favorite part of the trip so far though. The children were awesome and all had a great morning with us. They are adorable and were very curious about us. I got asked countless times “where are you from?!” One kiddo even asked “do you have Bolivianos in America?” So cute! They were able to understand my instructions and conversation for the most part.
I made friends with one child in particular who stole my heart. Estephanie clung to me for most of the morning and helped me wrangle her classmates at times. She was inquisitive and wanted to show me all around her school yard.
We are compiling the data from the screenings and giving the school an assessment of the results. Hopefully they can take what we found and help the children in the areas they need more improvements on.
We had dinner with one of Dr. Dettmann’s friends in Bolivia. She is completely blind and has other physical impairments. She uses a wheelchair to assist with her mobility. This was one of the most eye-opening experiences I have had in Bolivia thus far. She shared her story about how she suddenly went blind and physically impaired and had no way to control it or help it. It turns out she was diagnosed with MS. Her friends do not understand what MS is and they have all abandoned her. She was able to live with a family here in Rourre but cannot afford healthcare. She was extremely emotional sharing her story and needless to say we were all brought to tears as well. It was hard to know that we treat MS so differently in the US. She is basically home-bound and cannot function independently. We are going to her home tomorrow to complete an evaluation and provide treatment options for the family she lives with. I was blown away by her optimism and courage.
A few of team Bolivia are experiencing stomach issues but they are being well taken care of! Hopefully everyone will be feeling back to normal for tomorrow’s adventures.