| |
Vanesa
Vallon, circa 2006,
doing check-in at Young Angels
Dance |
Dear Young Angels Palisades,
I hope you are all well! I
hear you are doing great work in L.A. Good luck with your
music festival. It's good you're making such a
difference on the local level. My years as a YA gave me a
lot of practice for what I'm doing at the end of the
summer. I am going to
Honduras
with the NYU chapter of Global Medical Brigades, a student-run
global health and sustainable development organization that
establishes sustainable health initiatives and provides relief
where there is limited access to healthcare. The current emphasis is
in Central
America ,
where sustainable health care is provided to more than 40
villages. With 75
chapters at universities in the
U.S. and Canada, more than 3,000 student volunteers and health professionals
have traveled to establish mobile clinics in under resourced
communities. The NYU chapter will be serving the community
near Nuevo
Paraiso ,
Honduras
.
Honduras
is a small country in
Central
America ,
approximately the size of
Tennessee
,
with a population upwards of 6.7 million people. It's the
second poorest country in
Latin
America ;
an estimated 80% of the population lives in poverty. The
unemployment rate soars at 35% and the average annual per
capita income is just under $1000 per year. Education, health care
and clean water are luxuries for the majority of the people
there, and in the rural communities where GMB works, they are
even scarcer. Poverty here results in preventable deaths,
malnutrition and thousands of abandoned children living on the
streets.
By
providing medical brigades every 6 months in these
communities, the NYU chapter provides a model for sustainable
health care in underserved villages. Along with doctors and
other health professionals, we conduct preliminary needs
assessment, treat patients to the highest ethical standards,
sponsor referrals to those with needs beyond our capability,
record data for the production of quantitative reports, and
work to improve the water, sanitation, and economic
infrastructures.
In
order to make this brigade a success, each student is
responsible for fundraising in order to meet the fees of the
necessary medications and materials. I could really use your
help! To donate,
simply click this link and follow the
instructions:
Link
to Vanessa's Campaign
http://brigades.org/Donation/DonationLanding.aspx?projectId=724f1989-2cfa-4e2c-834f-40719fee5bcc&VolunteerId=0ae45870-1ee9-49cf-b37c-060c15355097
Even
if you can't contribute, I am glad you had a chance to read
about what I'm doing. Keep up the great work you're
doing in L.A. and bring your YA spirit with you to college.
With love, Vanessa Vallon
Crossraods 2008 NYU
2012 |
