Flurry of Activity

It is hard for me to believe that a month and a half of 2014 has come and gone…we have been that busy.

• We welcomed a new volunteer coordinator, Maria, and said “see you later” to our old coordinator, Neville.* 
• We have also welcomed a new volunteer, Alice.
• We have had a brigade from Bucknell University. 
• Two dear friends were with us for the month, Nora and Becky. 
• My parents came for the last two week.
• We hired the orthopedist.

  

  Rogelio consulting with technician at sesame plant

• We obtained the lease of the sesame processing plant and as a result... 
• We have much goings and comings to the plant two hours away:
• Cleaning, painting, etc.
• Inventorying
• Getting lights and water to the plant and much, much more   

 
And the start of the new year always means

• brochures updated 
• year-end books closed
• a board meeting
• goals set
• year-end letters and booklets mailed out
• getting Sarah ready for her speaking tour including her presentation
• as well as the day-to-day tasks.

With all the year-end reporting we look back and go “Wow!  A lot got done” …not as much as we would have wished – always - but a lot nonetheless.  And the work that did get done is a direct result of others.





 

Pedro cutting grass at sesame plant

The staff of the CDCA is extraordinary.  Our clinic is reaching more and more people, doing better quality prevention and education because of our health promoter, nurse, and our new administrator who has more organization in her little finger than I could ever hope to have.  Our new hospitality director has providing for the needs of delegations down to a tee.  Our projects director is a phenomenal community organizer.  Our construction director is a self-taught architect, engineer, and manager.   And the list goes on.  The work is nothing without them.
 
And then there is you - who give to the work and support the work from afar - which allows the CDCA to have the freedom to do what is needed when it is needed.  For example: when Dr. Jorge Flores, a radiologist who had worked with us for the first 10 years of the clinic, wanted a job full-time that would have helped us address two goals for the clinic and more importantly two great needs for patients…many of you responded with gifts and pledges and so within less than a month we hired him.  This is one example of many.
 
We have goals and dreams for 2014 and over the next few weeks, we will be writing about them so you can dream with us.  So stay in touch.  -Kathleen
 
*Neville is still in Nicaragua working for another NGO.