It’s that time of year again when potential new students in the Adelante Mujer program start the application process. This semester we have ten women who have applied and completed interviews! These women are all in their second year of the Intercultural Medicine program at URACCAN University. While most of these women come from the northeast area of Nicaragua, a few come from further south or west. But they all come with a passion for helping their people.
Welcome to Our Newest Students
In late July, the students at URACCAN University started a new semester. Seven of those students are new members of Adelante Mujer. All seven are second-year students in the Intercultural Medicine program. They range in age from 17 to 23, and all have hopes to specialize in different areas of medicine, from obstetrics and gynecology to neurosurgery.
Yaritza, Nora, Elena, Verónica, Ashly, Adjanny, Shaimara
The women were very grateful to learn of their acceptance into the program. Here is a message from one of the students. “Thank you very much. I can’t find words to thank you for this great support that you gave me. I will always give my best at all times, thank you very much and blessings.”
Welcome to Yaritza, Nora, Elena, Verónica, Ashly, Adjanny, and Shaimara! May God bless you, your studies, and the people you will serve.
~~ Karen, September 2022 ~~
Standing Strong Through the Pandemic
Though in the US the COVID pandemic is starting to take a back seat to other world events, it is still very real and current for many. It not only impacts individuals and communities through illness, but through economic setbacks as well.
Natasha Mudhar, founder of the social impact organization The World We Want, reports that “Women and girls have absorbed the brunt of the crisis, with the pandemic’s economic impact serving as just one example. Across South Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America, a majority of women work in the informal economy (jobs that are not taxed, monitored or protected by governments), which was the first to be affected by layoffs and pay cuts.” 1 Continue reading “Standing Strong Through the Pandemic”
Doctor and Pediatrician: The Journey
This month I want to share my feelings and tell a story, a story of sacrifice, of learning, of friendship, and life lessons: a story that began 13 years ago. I decided to study medicine to relieve the pain of the most afflicted because medicine is a career in which we are at the service of our neighbor as well as our own advancement and self-improvement. Deep inside my soul had been planted the seed of a vocation for medicine. I did not choose medicine, it chose me. I knew I had all the qualities to be a good doctor.
My Soul Friend, Sister Ann
I entered the Intercultural Medicine Program at URACCAN University when it first began in 2009. I could not afford even the mínimum program fees and had to charge them. During my second year I was stressed about how I would ever be able to follow my dream to become a doctor. It was then that I first met Sister Ann McKean, CSA at the convent in Bilwi, Puerto Cabezas, Nicaragua and I told her my problem. That ángel of mine went to the university and paid my fees and when she brought the receipt to my home, I cried. That was how I became the first Adelante Mujer student and that was the beginning of my beautiful relationship with Sister Ann Continue reading “My Soul Friend, Sister Ann”
A Time of Waiting
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”
The Difference You Make
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”
Happy Students
Thanks to so many people who responded generously to the request for donations to purchase laptops for Adelante Mujer students. During June, Adelante Mujer was able to provide much needed computers to 27 students! What a blessing. Please take a look at the smiles when Kathy Levy, the Adelante Mujer Coordinator in Bilwi, Puerto Cabezas presented the electronic treasures to medical students who will no longer be forced to study using cell phones they own or borrow.
In Her Own Words…
First of all, everyone receives a cordial greeting. I hope you are all in perfect health.
I am Jessica Ruiz Taylor, I am 19 years old, and I am a student of the 5th semester (year 3) of the Intercultural Medicine Career. I am originally from the City of Bilwi, Puerto Cabezas. I come from a poor but hardworking family, I have 9 siblings, I am one of the youngest. I have two excellent parents who struggle to bring us food home every day, who have instilled in me great values and that today I try to put them into practice to become in a great professional in the health area.
The Wind Was Wild
It started about 10:00 on the night of November 16. The wind roared as the strongest bands of hurricane Iota barreled across the city where Adelante Mujer students attend medical school in Bilwi, Puerto Cabezas, Nicaragua. It was the second devastating hurricane to slam their “university town” in two weeks. Together hurricane Eta and Iota caused $743 million in damages. Continue reading “The Wind Was Wild”