On February 18, Adelante Mujer students took the Hippocratic Oath along with their peers at their URACCAN University promotion ceremony. Ms. Kathy Levy Wilson, onsite coordinator for Adelante Mujer, spoke at the ceremony, reminding the women that while they have been inspired by others, they are to go on to be an inspiration. We congratulate Adelante Mujer Doctors Dominga, Nerey, Junieth, Damaris, Slilma, Slilma, Xochilt, and Gloria, and all those who took the oath.
Until December 2019, the director(s) of Adelante Mujer would travel to Nicaragua two times each year. While there, they would interview prospective students, meet with current students, and meet with the on-site coordinator. If the timing was right, they would even attend a promotion ceremony. All of these events are great ways to get to know the women in our program. Then COVID hit.
Pandemic. Unprecedented. Social distancing. PPE. Quarantine. Virtual. New normal. Since early 2020, these words and phrases have taken on new significance. The world has changed. We have changed. Our ways of connecting have changed. International travel has decreased by 73%, and until recently, in-person meetings were nearly non-existent.
So how does a small international nonprofit make it work? Through Zoom, of course! Through Zoom meetings, we are able to stay in regular contact with our on-site coordinator. We can discuss the needs of the women, changes at the university, events that impact the people of Nicaragua. We also interview our prospective students over Zoom. The students at URACCAN often don’t have a computer, and some don’t even have phones. But for those determined to find a way to stay in school and who learn about Adelante Mujer, they overcome the barriers.
Last semester, we interviewed four students, all using their phones. One had to find a spot to interview between her activities. Another had to go to a relative’s house to borrow a phone for the interview. All four interviewed well. We are only waiting for their grades from last semester to determine eligibility. The new semester starts soon, so please pray for Michayska, Jheymi, Josneira, and Arlen. They may be the next Adelante Mujer students!
~~~ Karen, February 2022 ~~~
Advent is a time of expectant waiting for Christians. During that time, we prepare ourselves for the celebration of Christmas, opening our minds and hearts to the coming of Christ. As Pope Francis stated, “Advent invites us to a commitment to vigilance, looking beyond ourselves, expanding our mind and heart in order to open ourselves up to the needs of people, of brothers and sisters, and to the desire for a new world.” – Pope Francis, Angelus, 2018
The women in Adelante Mujer are at a time in their lives where they are doing just that. They are looking beyond themselves and expanding their minds as they study their courses. Continue reading “A Time of Waiting”
Think about the choices you make each day – what to eat, what to wear, how you will spend your time. Oftentimes, you have multiple options.
Here in the United States, most of us have choices between wants, not needs. But in countries like Nicaragua, that is often not the case. Young university women are faced with choices such as, “Do I spend money on a taxi to safely get to my destination or do I walk tonight so that I have enough money for a meal?”
The students in the Adelante Mujer program do not have to make that decision. Our program offers them funding for transportation to the hospital for on-site training and for a meal when they are on campus. Our program helps relieve some Continue reading “Choices”
Nicaragua, a land of natural beauty, has a culturally diverse population, with over 400,000 inhabitants identifying themselves as members of an indigenous or ethnic community. Many of these indigenous peoples live in the Autonomous Regions of the Nicaraguan Caribbean Coast. In this rural area of the country, doctors and hospitals are in short supply, with a patient to doctor ratio of approximately 9,000 to 1.
According to the Pan American Health Organization, “To eliminate health inequities for indigenous peoples, Afro-descendants, and members of other ethnic groups, it is essential to promote intercultural approaches. Intercultural health models such as complementary, traditional and integrative medicine (TCIM) contribute to self-determination by promoting self-care, Continue reading “The Difference You Make”
Since the first class of Adelante Mujer students took the Hippocratic Oath on December 12, 2014, each new doctor has been presented a Littmann stethoscope as a graduation gift. We would pack them into our suitcases when we travelled to Nicaragua and observe the smiles, Continue reading “Can You Hear It Now…My Heart?”
We can proudly tell you where one of the Adelante Mujer doctors has gone and what she has accomplished. On March 26 a member of the first graduating class of Intercultural Medicine and of Adelante Mujer earned her title as Pediatrician from UNAN University in León, Nicaragua. Her letter below describes her gratitude. Each and every donor can celebrate her success which may not have been possible without your help.
Hello. I am Joice. I was part of the Adelante Mujer program almost from the beginning and with its support I was able to conclude the Intercultural Medicine career of URACCAN University. I have so much to thank for and I have so many memories of Adelante Mujer.
I still remember the day I arrived at the interview with Sister Ann McKean. I remember that Sister Ann thought I could be her interpreter because my friend Ana, who also was coming to ask for support of Adelante Mujer, told Sister Ann that I could interpret for us. That was a moment that caused us all to laugh. I do know some English but I could not be an interpreter! Continue reading “Where Have All the Doctors Gone?”
Several years ago when Sister Ann McKean, CSA, PhD and I were talking with Dr. Manuel Salas about the goals of Adelante Mujer, we asked how many doctors Nicaragua would need. Thirty? Fifty? About how many? His reply was simple. “We will never have enough; there is such a terrible shortage.” “All right,” we decided, “Adelante Mujer will continue to provide financial assistance to women medical students for as long as God and our donors help us.”
On March 24, 2021 another glorious success of Adelante Mujer’s mission became a reality. Seven industrious students pronounced the Hippocratic Oath to become devoted physicians.
The Promotion Ceremony begins with the formal introduction of each student and her escort. Here Jenny and her father are announced as they enter the assembly. Continue reading “Sixty-One Doctors and Counting”
As I said, I know I have not arrived; but there’s one thing I am doing: I’m leaving my old life behind, putting everything on the line for this mission. I am running toward the only goal that counts: to cross the line, to win the prize, and to hear God’s call to resurrection life found exclusively in Jesus the Anointed. 
— Philippians 3:13-14 (Source: The Voice)
The quotation above is not Sister Ann McKean’s, but it well could be. Anyone who knew Sister Ann can attest to the fact that, as foundress of Adelante Mujer (Advance Woman,) she “put everything on the line for this mission.” Whether it was the welfare of the students, the success of the doctors, the pursuit of grants, the wisdom of investments, the caliber of the Board of Directors, the succession after her retirement, Sister Ann gave total energy and attention to each aspect of her mission. Someone jokingly said, “No matter what we’re discussing, Ann always manages to weave the conversation to Adelante Mujer!” Continue reading “The Legacy She Left Us”
The school year in Nicaragua, unlike that in the United States, follows the calendar year. When we visited students in December, they were completing the second semester of 2019. As is our practice, we met with each class of students currently funded by Adelante Mujer. Continue reading “New Beginnings”
