“Example is not the main thing in influencing others, It is the only thing…” – Dr. Albert Schweitzer
As the end of the year is fast approaching, both Carolien and myself would like to wish you very happy holidays and a blessed New Year from faraway Bolivia! From our team we would like to say a particularly heartfelt thank you to all those who have donated this year. It is our wish and prayer that God blesses you abundantly if you yourself experience any need during these times. Your unceasing prayer and support strengthens our mission and brings us ever closer to the work to which He has called us! We continue to provide medical and pastoral assistance in the many needy areas of Bolivia. Thank you so much for your trust!
In the meantime, between all the celebrations, work here continues steadily (see facebook – Rik Celie). After our previous outreaches in the Guarani area around Camiri, we returned to our Andean base where we undertook a multi-day medical trip in several nearby Quechua (Inca) villages. As always, it is striking how welcome our team is in all these villages. No wonder when you consider that there is little to no medical and/or dental care available in the remote interior of Bolivia.
We very often see children here whose baby teeth are full of caries (cavities) because they brush their teeth very irregularly or rarely. This is often due to a lack of awareness and/or because there have simply not enough resources to provide regular toothpaste and toothbrushes. These cavities occur when plaque forms. The bacteria in the plaque then convert the sugars into acids that attack the teeth. The consequence is a complete tooth decay. Very often, we see the same happen in adult teeth. Dental care is so needed in these regions.
It goes without saying that our dentist is an indispensable part of our team. Bringing awareness of good dental hygiene is very important! To motivate the children for a free consultation, we offer them the possibility to enjoy afterwards some creative activities provided by Carolien and some Bolivian girls. This way, also joy is brought !
In addition to the many known diseases, it remains notable that many children suffer from partial malnutrition. They often do not receive the necessary nutritional richness (vitamins, minerals, etc…) which weakens their immunity and causes diseases. We were able to observe this again recently in the villages of Quiruña and Yampa Pari. So it is no wonder that a lot of people from the age of 45 suffer from very painful muscle and joint diseases in the back, hips, knees or feet. For them, this is a real agony (most often no pain medication is available) when you know that their survival depends on what they can provide for themselves through some rudimentary farming, done by hard labor work.
They need all their strength to work on the paved, stone-strewn, erosive soils at high altitudes of around 3,500 – 4,000 meters. The villagers have to work manually with shovels and pickaxes because the expensive purchase (let alone maintenance/ availability of gasoline) of a tractor is an impossibility for most of them. Also the climate crisis makes life very challenging, to say the least. Last year, for example, it was a particularly dry year which completely destroyed large parts of their small crop on these sparse soils.
Then this year they are experiencing very heavy downpours. Rain is very welcome here for the growth of their crops but, on the other hand, it can also cause major mudslides. We could observe this on our trip between Aiquille and Sucre where several people died, entire streets were swept away and “adobe” houses were completely destroyed.
We would also like to tell you that our work here in Bolivia has been greatly complicated over the last two years because of the economic (and political) collapse of the country. Bolivia is plagued by corruption without parallel. There are also many protests going on right now because of the huge fuel shortage. This makes organizing and carrying through our outreaches to the remote areas quite challenging. It makes us think back to our outreaches in Haiti. If you want to gain some more insight about the current crisis in Bolivia, this link might be a good introduction…
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2024/nov/28/everything-expensive-bolivia-faces-shocking-econom/
After more than 35 years of medical aid in Bolivia, we are now working diligently with the entire team to fully transfer and self-fund Doctors On Mission. A mission to which I felt called during my “alternative” medical internship in Bolivia’s poor state hospitals in 1986-1987. A second generation of young Bolivian doctors are currently specializing in Argentina such as “Kike” (Dr. Enrique Iglesias) in Cardiology and soon his sister “Fabi” (Dr. Fabiana Iglesias). She would like to specialize in Pediatrics. Both feel deeply connected to Doctors On Mission. The future is hopeful.
Hoping you won’t forget us and knowing that every donation is very welcome, we want to thank you again on behalf of the countless Bolivians we have already helped through our non-profit organization Doctors On Mission. This way we can continue to provide free medical consultations and medicines to the people in the poorest regions of Bolivia.
To everyone who holds our work in their hearts: THANK YOU!