The Firsts of the Lasts

As I come up on one month left, this week has held many of the firsts of what will be my lasts here in Honduras... and it is hard not to get nostalgic! :)

This past weekend was particularly special as it was the last nutrition volunteer meeting that I would lead. As seems to be the case with most of my technology based workshops, the electricity went out... but we improvised and even found time to work in a quick walk in the International Bible Day parade- (who knew??)

The theme of the workshop was focused on practically using Where There´s No Doctor (the health education bible for rural health workers) in community work. After reviewing how to use a table of contents and index, we set to work with a group example, identifying an illness and it´s treatment by symptoms.

A mother arrives with her 3 year old who has been sufferring from chronic diarrea for the past day and a half and is concerned that he is becoming dehydrated. There is no blood in his stool and he does not have a fever but is bloated and complains of a ¨fully tummy¨

My example ended up being so common, everyone knew what to do before consulting the book, but it was helpful to confirm their intuition of ¨Parasites.¨

From there, the volunteers split into groups to investigate and create skits around scenarios given to them. The skits were hilarious and informative at the same time- we learned about detection, treatment, and prevention for Anemia and Preclampsia- and laughed a lot! I have been so amazingly blessed to have been a part of these people´s lives and will miss them and their devotion to their communities dearly.

Today I made my last trip into Nicaragua to visit the Condega group. While we were only on the other side of the border long enough for a 4 hour meeting and to buy rosquillas :) it was so good to see all our Nicaragua compañeras again. Updates were mixed with goodbyes and wishes that I had visited more often on both our parts.... however, the most amazing thing happened during this trip: I saw change!

Visiting with a donor and our sister site, for the first time, I saw the Honduran women presenting themselves and their projects with a unmistakeable inner confidence, a sort of beautiful mix of humility and pride. After a long struggle and much internal turmoil, the women have begun to emerge stronger and more successful. I sat back and watched, trying not to tear up with pride at all that they (and we) have both endured and accomplished... from moments of anger and resentment to moments of resignment and nearly giving up on the Association, it has been a ride for all involved. Having spent this past year as an ¨Internal Capacity Development Specialist,¨ I know that it is not often that someone working in this field is able to see the fruits of their labor. While it is usually only seeds that are planted, today, I was able to see a sense of strength, pride, and solidarity blossom- and I can say that it has made the past two years worth every second.