Internships

Jenn Haynie  and Abby Caldwell

with Dr. Fernando Zurita

Quito, Ecuador

Elizabeth Moore 2005

Dear Gordon and all those considering the Ecuador experience,

I am so grateful for the experience I was able to have in Ecuador, it
was all such a blessing.  It all went by way too fast though! Here
are some of the highlights!

* Upon arriving, Dr. Zambrano, the other volunteers and I drove
around to optional sites to do volunteer work. We went to Baca Ortiz
hospital, Los Angeles Guarderia in the South, and an elementary.
We were then able to
decide which locations we would like to focus our attention on while
in Ecuador. Myself and one of the other volunteers spent most of our

time in Baca Ortiz hospital and Guarderia, but there are many other
locations that would be wonderful locations to volunteer.

* Working at Baca Ortiz Hospital was such a blessing for me, but it
was an eye opening experience as well. I worked with mothers whose
babies were ill with pnemonia, bronchitis, heart problems and other
illnesses. The women I worked with were as a whole so loving and
caring and always wanting to know about the United States and what it
is like to be an American. It was hard sometimes because I know that
those mothers loved their babies but they were generally pretty poor
and unable to provide for their babies the things that they needed.
The hospital is so poor that they aren’t able to afford any extra
staff, so the mothers must always be with their babies or have someone
with them. This is hard because they must buy their own medical supplies at pharmacies and medical supply stores in the city. I was
able to help by watching babies while mothers went out to buy the

things they needed. This experience was also an eye opener because
many of the mothers didn’t have the money to buy items for basic
sanitary care of their babies and themselves let alone medicine and
medical supplies.
Many of the mothers
that I worked with didn’t have soap, towels, shampoo, toothpaste,
blankets, diapers and clothing. I was able to bring some soap,
shampoo and toothpaste to share with the mothers but it wasn’t enough.
There are many needs in
that hospital that are not being met. I was glad that their were a
few volunteers that came in and also watched the babies, and their
were also women who came in and provided free diapers once in a while.
But there is still so much more that could be done. The advice I
would give to volunteers who are planning on working in Baca Ortiz is
to bring soap, shampoo, towels, toothpaste, toothbrushes, and other
supplies to share with these women. When you work with the women you
will see which women are truly in need of these things. If you have
some extra cash, this may be a nice thing to bring. Many of the women
could use a few extra dollars once in a while to help them buy
medicine, clothes, diapers, food, etc. If you have the money and can

afford to spare some on this side, this means so much to these women
when you are able to help them out once in awhile. Many of the women
are single mothers who do not have an outside source of income and are
unable to work while they are staying in the hospital with their
babies.
What a blessing it was to work with these women though, I learned so

much when I was with them about humility, realizing how blessed I am
and about being happy in life no matter how difficult things may be.

* The second location i was able to work in is the Los Angeles
Guarderia- Daniel Po. What a wonderful experience this was as well.
I was probably the hardest to leave the children and the teachers here
than many of the other people I worked with because the children were
there the whole two months I was in Ecuador and the women and babies
in the hospital were always coming and leaving as the children got
better. Los Angeles Guarderia is a location for children with
disabilities to come and stay during the day and to receive physical
and speech therapy from the specialists who work there.
Some of the ladies were specialized in therapy and there was even a
doctor who came weekly to check up on the children. When I was there,
I was able to work with the children and the therapists during speech
and physical therapy, to help feed and play with the children and to

clean up washing dishes, sweeping the floors, and cleaning the
kitchen. The children that we were able to work with were all so
sweet and so excited to see us everyday that we came. This location
seems to be staffed pretty well when it comes to providing for the
basic everyday needs of the children and the women who work here have
so much love for the children, but I think it is hard for them to give
all the attention that is needed to all of the children. There are
many children there who are unable to walk or talk and they dont

receive as much attention because they lack the abilities to seek that
attention. I beleive that this is still a need that they have,
however, to be loved and noticed. Advice that I would give to
volunteers thinking of helping in the guarderia is to spend a certain
amount of time with each child even if they are unable to interact.
Just reading, speaking, playing with their hair, etc. It is hard to
always to see the benefits, but I think it really means a lot to each
of them.

* A week or two after arriving, one of the other volunteers and I
went with the Zambrano family to Banos, Ecuador. This is a beautiful
place to visit with cascading water falls and it is located right on
the edge of the Amazon rain forest. While we were here, we hiked down
to the bottom of one of the waterfalls and felt its spray while
looking up the green looming canyon walls above us. So beautiful! We
also went to a small zoo on the edge of the Amazon where we saw
parrots, monkeys, snakes, crocodiles, etc. It was neat to see some of

the animals that you might find in the Amazon.

* We also had the opportunity to visit Ottovallo, Ecuador which is a
town where indiginous Ecuadorians live and gather to sell their
fabrics, jewelry, art and other wares. The things that we saw sold
here were beautiful! I am amazed at the artistic talent that these
people have. The location of Otovallo is also very beautiful, it is up
in the green Andes mountains. It was neat to see the farms spread
across the steep mountain slopes.

* One other thing that I was able to do while in Ecuador, is to help
in the Latter Day Saint (Mormon) institute teaching a gospel doctrine
class in English. There are several Ecuadorian Latter Day Saints who
are striving to learn English and this is one way to teach the gospel
and English at the same time. It was also an opportunity for me to

learn Spanish better as I interacted with the students and to make
many wonderful friends. What a great experience!

* I was also able to participate in the Latter Day Saint Church (the
church that the Zambranos attend) as the ward chorister.
While I was their we had
two performances and many rehearsals. Many of the people there haven’t
had the opportunities but would like to learn more about music. If
you have musical talents, it would be a wonderful thing to share the

things that you know with these people.

* I was also able to spend some time in the city of Ecuador and to see some of the historical sites, art, churches, shopping, eat out at
restaurants, etc. This city has so much culture and history and I
think all volunteers that come to Quito should spend some time
learning about this culture.
Close to the Zambranos home there are churches that are thousands of

years old and other sites with history relating to wars between the
Spanish and Incans who are indigenous to this area when the country
was being settled.
You should take time to learn the history of the plaza grande, to see
the churches (La Compania, San Fransisco, Plaza Grande, Bacilica,
Santo Domingo, etc.), visit the markets in town (the prices are really
good and some of the things you can find really reflect the artistic
talent of the Ecuadorian people.

This was an amazing experience and I would do it again in a heartbeat.
There are still so many needs still, however, to be met in the places
that I worked and in so many other location in the city. I believe
that many of us have a responsibility to share the things that we have
in our lives with those who are struggling like the people I saw in

Ecuador. I wish that i could have done more and I’m so excited for
all of you who may be considering to travel to Quito and to have
similar experiences. Good luck and God bless!!!

Elizabeth Moore

Jenn Haynie and Abby Caldwell helped on
expeditions in

Quito, Guayaquil, Dominican Republic, Galapagos and the Jungle.

Here are just a few of their pictures from their experiences.

Here is one of there reports from one of their many expeditions.La Selva November 1- November 5, 2004 A week of adventure began by boarding a small jet and flying into the heart of the Amazon.  After a short bus ride, a four hour boat ride up the Napo river, a ten minute jaunt in the jungle, and a final 20 minute canoe ride we finally arrived at our destination: La Selva!  That evening our group organized the plan for the upcoming days of service. Our medical/dental mission was focused in Pilche, a small community 20 minutes up river.  We set up the clinic and began our work.  First we scanned the crowd for those who were in critical need.  Then we allowed everyone medical/dental service.  Selfless parents brought their children and ensured their care before their own.  One infant in particular was severely dehydrated  and only had a matter of hours before Death would take his claim.  Our team of doctors were able to restore health to this precious child.  What a miracle it was!  Wednesday we were able to render service to two other neighboring communities. We had opportunity to discover the mysteries of the jungle as well.  Our guide gave us a tour and we saw the beauty of the rainforest come to life. One of our favorite highlights was swimming with piranhas and later fishing for them with raw chicken. Going to the jungle was an experience in and of itself and it was a joy to be in such magnificent surroundings and help the people there.  We will never forget this adventure! Abby Caldwell & Jenn Haynie Charity Anywhere interns

May 30 – July 13, 2004
Our trip to Ecuador was a wonderful experience, thanks in large part to the
Zambrano family. They were very gracious hosts and always eager to please
us. They made sure that we always had clean water and safe food, and Dr.
Zambrano always tried to find activities and service projects for us to be
involved in. Here is some of the stuff we did.

We were able to do three very long but rewarding service days: in two
wards in Quito (Barrio Pusuqui and Barrio Santa Ana) and in Camarones,
Esmeraldas.

We would load, transport, and set up the donated equipment that Dr.
Zambrano keeps in the CAF office, and then be accompanied by other health
professionals (Primary Care Physicians, Traumatologists, Gynecologists,
and Surgeons). Kevin helped in the nurse’s station taking vital signs. He was
able to screen blood pressures and advise a few people with “tensión alta”
(high blood pressure). Emily was in charge of testing vision and
distributing glasses to those in need. One lady that she helped almost
began to cry after receiving her glasses. She said, “Thank you so much.
I can read my scriptures now.”

We also did smaller service activities in many areas of Ecuador. This
usually started with a small talent show by the volunteers ( so the children
would warm up to us), where we juggled and sang songs. We then provided
providing anti-parasite education and pills, fluoride for the children, and
oftentimes some tooth extractions and other dental work where we assisted
Dr. Zambrano. We did this in Paraiso de los Niños (a school south of Quito)
at two orphanages and a convent in Quito, at a living Indian museum
Santo Domingo de los Colorados, for two schools near Túlcan, for school
children in Baños, and an orphanage in Loreto, Esmeraldas. Dr. Zambrano
also made sure we had fun. We spent some time as tourists in these areas,
seeing amazing waterfalls, beaches, old churches, topiary gardens, and even
an erupting volcano (Tungarauhua), going through the jungle on four-wheelers, crossing the Pasto river in a dangling cable cage, etc.

We also were involved in some service not related to medicine or dentistry.
At the request of ward members, we restarted a weekly English class, and
also introduced music classes, where we taught conducting and the basics of
reading music. Also, we were the director and accompanist for the ward choir. Emily taught Anita Zambrano piano lessons and Kevin taught juggling to a
group of school children that meet during the summer.

Our “excuse” for coming to Ecuador was to complete a diabetes survey for
which Kevin and Jessica received funding from the University of Rochester.
Dr. Zambrano was very helpful in helping us with our diabetes project. We
worked with one of his associates, a plastic surgeon named Dr. Ivan Ramírez,
who put us in contact with a diabetes clinic, VIDA, and its director, Dr. Pasquel. We completed 65 surveys in this private diabetes clinic and at a Social Security hospital. Dr. Ramírez was especially helpful, allowing us to view and assist in surgeries, photographing our events, and always checking up on our progress. He has said that he is always willing to assist volunteers interested in surgery.