July - September 2011

Kristen Mallory, a graduate student from Ohio State University, contributed to this story and more on www.partnerforsurgery.org. Kristen interned this summer with Partner for Surgery in Guatemala. Maynor Ronaldo is one of the more than 7,000 individuals given the opportunity for surgery by our organization over the past ten years.

Maynor is twelve. Three years ago Maynor's father died leaving the family heartbroken and in extreme poverty. Maynor's mother, working to support her family, cleaned the home of a wealthy woman and Maynor would often go along and help. His mother says that he is the type of child a mother can always count on.

One day, about a year ago, Maynor was helping his mother do laundry. They were up on the terrace, hanging clothes on the line to dry. The house was protected by electrical wire and, when Maynor threw a shirt over the line by mistake, 13,000 electrical volts went through his entire body. Read More ...

Visit the photo album on www.facebook.com/partnerforsurgery. "When I look at my photos of the trip, I am reassured that I made the right choice... seeing all those little faces changed forever makes it all worthwhile." Judy Cummings, Faces of Hope volunteer

June's Medical Mission saw Partner for Surgery's first joint triage mission with Timmy Global Health. Timmy Global Health, an Indianapolis-based group that performs global rural medicine and encourages students to pursue international medical service. It was an exciting week with three doctors and seven medical students from Puerto Rico, the University of Chicago and Brown University in Rhode Island. The students sharpened their triage skills and gave seminars for patients to better understand their surgical issues. By week's end, the group had provided medical care to over 400 people and identified approximately 200 candidates for future surgical missions. Timmy Global Health and Partner for Surgery look forward to more collaboration in the future.

Partner for Surgery now has eight full time staff in Guatemala and twenty-two part time rural health promoters. In July, everyone gathered for a weekend to exchange information and engage in activities to promote strong teamwork.

One of the unique facets of Partner for Surgery is our Guatemalan-born rural health promoters. They locate patients, confirm surgeries, serve as escorts to the surgical center, monitor recovery, and more. We could not do our work without them. At the staff retreat, Dr. Oscar Asturias, our new Medical Director, taught participants how to recognize different surgical issues and classify the urgency of a patient's care. The health promoters practiced leading informational health discussions on topics such as hygiene and nutrition, using a book developed by PfS summer intern, Kristen Mallory. This experience capacitates the health promoters to share this information with our patients and their communities.

This educational, team building retreat will help the PfS staff work better together as they reach out to impoverished Guatemalans with the greatest needs.

Staff in the Spotlight 

It has been a busy summer. In closing, Partner for Surgery would like to express deep appreciation of all of the staff, volunteers and donors. Together, we have truly made a difference in the lives of thousands who are among the neediest in the world.