Pediatric Services in Remote Areas of Argentina

Dear Friends, We are in the final stretch of 2014 and we’d like to share this newsletter so you can be informed of our progress. We continue growing, but even more so, we continue to keep our word in our commitment to constant aid. Thank you for giving us the tools to make this a reality.

Sumando Manos Nutriction, Health and Education's programas support more 6500 childern in more than 90 schools, foster homes and childern feed centers and their communities located in remote zones  throughout 14 provinces in Argentina, 

Here is a brief description of some of our ongoing activities.

Our program “Breakfast for the Children” continues in Chaco and Misiones. Approximately 300 children benefit from it and receive breakfast and/or lunch. This is a key campaign since at many of these schools this is the only meal the kids receive during the day. Anything you can do to help will be greatly appreciated. With US$10 we can provide breakfast to a child for an entire month;

Teresa Donaire, our coordinator of operations in Buenos Aires received a great amount of material donations which were sent to  different schools and institutions. The Kindergarten students from the School Ejército de los Andes, located in Lote 3, Paraje Pampa Chica, Pampa del Indio, Chaco received 50 pairs of sneakers. They also received school supplies, shoes, story books, children’s and adult’s clothing. From Miami we received bed sheets,  books, towels, adult and children’s shoes, childrens’ clothing such as underwear, T-shirts, pants, adult clothing including wool jackets and leftover fabric.  Moreover, thanks to our generous donors in Buenos Aires who constantly donate numerous items to send to our schools; those items include medication, baby clothing and shoes, toys, toiletries, eating utensils, umbrellas, bags and sports clothing. 2 computers, 2 knitting machines, books, wool, 1 sewing machine, 1 bed and 1 washing machine.

“Casa Feliz” soup kitchen Gonzalez Catan – Buenos Aires

There have been 4 monthly meetings in which approximately 55–70 children in each one which delighted in chocolate milk with cereal or cookies. At lunch time they ate rice or noodles with lentils or vegetables, homemade bread and water. Once children finish their breakfast they either stay in the lounging area or if time permits transfer tables and chairs to the outside patio to interact with volunteers which hand them the necessary materials with which to draw or color. Once a month the lounging area is used to give children medical attention including otolaryngology. There was also a small portion of this area separated for veterinary services. Pets were generally tended to in an open area and used for educational purposes to teach human values.

 With each check up approximately 25 children were treated with difficulties in airborne and skin infections. There were dental services performed. Amongst these were five extractions, several seals, and periodontal treatments. Some children strictly came for a consultation. In each case, however the attending professional reminded those children and accompanying adults the importance of proper physical hygiene and dental health. All patients tended were given the necessary medication for their treatment.

 Las Talitas, Tucuman

There were 4 monthly meetings in which 35 children participated every time. Amongst the activities performed  there was time dedicated to educating children in proper bodily care. Breakfast was served which consisted of chocolate milk and bread. Donated clothes, and footwear and food items were distributed as well.

 Noccan Kani,  Santa Fe

 Pediatric visits were completed and they also included the visit of a clinical doctor and an eye doctor. The pediatrician saw approximately 15 children, the clinical doctor saw 20 and about 18 were seen by the eye doctor. Clothing, shoes and food were distributed among the children.

Merendero Belén, Salta

Monthly pediatric visits were completed and all the children and their parents who  needed to be seen were helped by the doctors. The most common problems were intestinal colics, faringitis, insuficiency in upper airways, acute pneumonia and several families and children were seen to perform an overall control of their health.

Asociación Civil Santa Clara

The trip to Misiones, Paraje El Botón, Aldea Guarani Jejy was done in May. In this community, electricity was recently installed, and also water from a well, and bathrooms were added to school. These factors did unite a lot of families that were previously living in other remote villages or in the middle  of the jungle in Misiones. Most of the children had lice, scabies, fungal skin infections, skin lesions, insect bites, etc. We are committed to an upcoming trip in order to deliver  lice treatments, dermatological and antifungal creams, etc.

On this trip were conducted medical and dental clinical care in most children (approximately 90 children).

During the month of June  a trip to Santiago del Estero was done and in September, the trip to Catamarca, covering 4 schools and 200 childrens. In addition to conduct pediatric and dental services, food, clothers and other donations were given to the schools and their communities..

The work in tribute to the memory of Daniel Donaire for drinking water instalation in Annex School 676 located in Lot 4 in Pampa del Indio (Chaco) has been completed. Drinking water is a critical factor in preventing child deaths from malnutrition and to improve the quality of life for the nearly 120 children who attend and their families.

Thank you for your generosity, thank you all for what you did for the kids to have a chance, a better future, and through them, the spirit of Dani continue to be present.

We continue to provide pediatric services for schools in remote areas in different provinces in Argentina though the donations we receive on GlobalGiving, where when clicking the following link, you can learn all the details about the project, stories and pictures of the children and the supported communities. All help is welcome. With  $10 a child’s breakfast for an entire month is provided. With $25 the costs of the medical visits they receive are also covered. We thank all those who have collaborated through donations and votes of support with our project, especially hp Argentina, Discovery, Moodys and Comcast for their contributions through the corporate program “Gift Card” in GlobalGiving. For more information and to donate, please visit:

• https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/pediatric-services-in-remote-areas-of-argentina/

 For more details about all Sumando Manos activities, please visit:

• www.sumandomanos.org  or contact us at contactenos@sumandomanos.org.

We are really excited to have included 3 new school to our network:

- School N* 4791 in Pozo del Tigre, Salta.

-Kindergarten Class from School Ejército de los Andes, located in Lote 3, Paraje Pampa Chica, Pampa del Indio, Chaco. All of these children are QOM (tobas) .

-School N*513, Domingo Faustino Sarmiento located in Santa Fe.

We would like to thank the individuals and companies that support us through donations:

-Eduardo De Levie who donated curtain fabric  scraps; especially for the School 632 to be used in their annual project  "Let’s go to the circus".

-The employees at  "PIGMENTO" who donated food items for the School N° 373, in Paraje El Botón, El Soberbio, Misiones.

-Coats Cadena S.A.  for the donation of wool to knit blankets for the children in rural schools.

-Humberto Gugliemi  for repairing the donated computers free of charge.

- Cesar Rolando from Famyca for donating the boxes of packing tape that are used to send donations and especially the 121 packages sent to the schools in  Misiones, Corrientes, Chaco, Ente Ríos, Tucumán, San Luis y Salta.

-Expreso Taragui in  Misiones joint our network by transporting packages to the schools free of charge.

-Meerkats Hockey Group for all kid shoes and school supplies

Thanks for all your support

Links:

• Sumando Manos Foundation Website