Every Drop Creates A Ripple That Leads To A Wave Of Change

Pulling together a medical mission in a rural setting with no existing infrastructure is no small feat! Our team is busy sorting, organizing, packing and shipping almost 800 lbs of medicines, and supplies – much of which has been donated by supporters and collected by our volunteers.

The last few weeks were filled with work sessions with Build Health International (BHI) to fine-tune design concepts in a way that will allow medical mission teams to function efficiently and effectively in order to best serve our communities. We’ve also continued discussions with local architecture firms to determine the best approach in bringing the concept to life. 

Planning has never been more inspiring or fun! And, proper prior planning prevents poor performance – or so the saying goes. We are truly excited to partner with Build Health International (BHI) for the design concepting phase of our health facility mission. BHI specializes in designing and building health infrastructure in low-resource settings and have successfully executed projects in Haiti, Peru, Malawi, Sierra Leone and 22 other countries. They bring extensive expertise to the Onda Health build project!  BHI team members, Betsaida Curto Reyes (Architect and Project Manager) and Mikel Beaumont (Architectural Technician) traveled from Spain to Guatemala for a weeklong, on-site workshop with the Onda Health team and local community leaders, as well as evaluation meetings with local A&E firms. After exploring our build site in Purulhá and many hours discussing facility design needs (and wants!), Betty and Mikel will now collaborate with others at BHI over the next few weeks to provide a recommended concept design, preliminary massing model and renderings as well as proposed project budget.  This is one giant step forward on our journey.

In February, we focused on clearing the tall grass and brush from the land in preparation for the upcoming concept design workshop with Build Health International (more on that in our March entry!). Here in Guatemala, clearing brush is mostly done by hand with a machete (we often treat “machete elbow” during medical missions). It took five men ten days to cut the foliage growth which was then donated to local farmers who gladly used the “grade-A” feed for their livestock. A perimeter fence was also installed marking our northern and western property boundaries.

In January, we had numerous meetings with the Mayor of Purulhá Municipality, Edgar Xoy, and the neighboring community to discuss the access road to the healthcare facility site. Community leaders Eusebio Xoc and Juan Carlos Sis informed us that they had already initiated conversations with Mayor Xoy about widening the current road, improving drainage, and reconstructing a bridge to accommodate larger vehicles. We are truly grateful to see the community so enthusiastic about the opportunities the facility will bring, not only to the immediate area but to the entire region.

To ensure a collaborative approach, we formed Asociación Onda Salud in Guatemala to involve local community leaders and healthcare providers. This approach helps ensure we have our patient needs at the heart of what we do.

Building upon their legacy of improving life in Guatemala, the Lemus family offered to donate a section of their family land for a healthcare facility that could better serve Purulhá and its surrounding communities.

Onda Health is formed by a group of healthcare professionals committed to making change happen through improving access to care in rural Guatemala.

Is Spanish, onda means ripple.

“Just as ripples spread out when a single pebble is dropped into water, the actions of individuals can have far-reaching effects.”   – Dalai Lama