Dennis Light and Jerry Hulm represented the Sunup Rotary Club on this year's Carborca Polio Plus trip that took place from 2/14 - 2/16. Approximately 140 children in local villages received the polio vaccine as Rotarians from clubs in Caborca, California, Washington, Wisconsin, Texas and Alabama assisted local nurses in this effort. Also, approximately $14,500.00 was donated to the Caborca Rotary Children's Fund by the U.S. Rotary Clubs present. These funds are used to address critical medical needs of children in the rural areas around Caborca.
Polio Vaccination Summary
Saturday morning we met with local nurses and doctors at the medical clinic in Caborca. We were briefed on the logistics and administration of the polio drop vaccine. The entire U.S. Rotarian contingent was split into teams of 3 or 4. We were accompanied by one nurse and one Caborca Rotarian to serve as interpreter. Each group was given a specific area of a village to canvas. Dennis and I were part of one of 2 groups that covered the village of El Diamante, about 30 miles west of Caborca. El Diamante is small village with wide dirt roads populated with small cinder block homes. The homes all seemed to have electricity, but water was provided by tanks mounted above each home.
We spent about 3 hours that morning walking the roads and visiting various homes in El Diamante where children resided. We only vaccinated children between the ages of 1 and 5. In almost every home where children were to be given the polio vaccine, the mothers promptly produced their child’s vaccination book. The men (most were in the fields working that morning), women and children were all very pleasant and appreciative of the small gifts and candy we left them after each visit. Everyone looked healthy although they lived in what we in America would consider very poor conditions. Our group provided polio vaccines for 16 children and the total for this village was 135 vaccinations.
Caborca Children's Medical Fund
That evening we were hosted by Dr. Mendez, the Director of the Medical Clinic in Caborca, where she showed us the medical equipment and neo-natal intensive care units that were purchased with a recent Rotary Global Grant. The Director explained how the equipment was being used and the positive impact it has had on their community.
Later that evening we were treated to dinner at the Cobarca Rotary Club. After dinner we assembled in the main hall where Dr. Mendez introduced two young children who were aided by the donations provided to the Caborca Children’s Medical Fund at last year’s Polio Plus event. One small child has had three surgeries to repair severe angling of her feet (out-toeing). She is now able to walk, and even though she will require some additional surgeries, she will only get more mobile from here on out. Another young girl was present that was born without ears. She is now able to hear, and subsequently able to talk, with the aid of hearing aid implants that are attached to the bone in her inner ear area. She will undergo additional surgery when she gets a little older to further improve her ability to hear. This year the U.S. Rotarians donated approximately $14,500 to Caborca Children's Medical Fund.
It was very heartening to see that our efforts and resources as Rotarians, from both the U.S. and Mexico, are making a difference in the lives and health of the people living in the rural areas around Caborca.