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In 2004, Jenny Hartsell RN, the founder of Shared Beat, asked Marie Berkenkamp MD, Mary Jackson, and me (Torri Wilson) to go to Spanish language school with her in Antigua, Guatemala. We all had been to Guatemala together before on a medical mission trip, but this trip was for fun. We spent our days listening to Jenny's Spanish teacher say "Jenny, Jenny, Jenny" after shaking his head in frustration. In the evenings we wandered the town, ate bruschetta at El Sabor and stopped by the Mono Loco where we tried to get Mary's professor to teach us Spanish slang.

At the end of the week, Jenny proposed that we visit a school in Guatemala City that she had read about. It was a school created by one woman, Hanley Denning, who gave up everything to help kids who have nothing. The school was Safe Passage, located next to the city dump in the poorest and most dangerous area of town. We would have to take the chicken bus from Antigua and have a local escort us to the school from the bus stop. We were told to not take photos and to walk fast and stick together. Marie and I didn't need to be told twice.

To tell the truth, I wasn't expecting much of the school after walking through the "neighborhood" but once we made it past the armed guard and into the building, it was like a little oasis next to the largest dump in Central America. The new yellow school was clean, organized, and safe. The name, Safe Passage, fit it perfectly. Kevin, a volunteer from Australia, gave us a tour and background information. Before Hanley created the school, the children would work in the dump or be left there unattended while their parents sifted through the garbage. Now they attend school daily and are given one hot meal a day. For many, that might be their only meal. There are showers and flush toilets - things I am sure not one child in the neighborhood has in their home.

Bayer Pharmaceuticals funded a small clinic upstairs and provided a full time nurse who looks after all of the 550 students and their families. Kevin said that various medical groups from the U.S. and other countries would come for a week to provide care, but it was all done as a one-time deal. There was no followup or continuity, and there was no hope of knowing when the next medical group might come. Even with the assistance from Bayer, it just wasn't enough.

I believe that was the moment Shared Beat was born. Jenny had this determined look on her face, and when we left the school, she pointed her finger at Kevin, as only a southern woman can do, and said "We will be back." Words I am sure they have heard before, but Jenny was serious. In less than one year, Shared Beat was created and the first biannual medical group travelled to Safe Passage.

That first trip was a learning experience for all involved. The school, rightly so, wanted to be present during exams and to be hospitable by providing lunch, snacks and entertainment. We, in turn, took steps to include Lucy, the school nurse, and to let the school know that we were there to serve them - not for them to serve us. We were there to work!

With the help from many dedicated Shared Beat volunteers and generous donors, each student now has a History & Physical chart documenting growth, vision and individual health issues. Medication, glasses, reading glasses and daily vitamins are being provided. An annual emergency fund has been created for the community, and three nursing scholarships have been awarded - one to a student and two to mothers in the Adult Literacy Program at Safe Passage.

There have been many challenges since that first trip, but relationships and trust have been built through Shared Beat's partnership with Safe Passage. Little by little, lives are being changed, and all of this was made possible by one dedicated woman with a pointed finger saying "We will be back."

On that note, I hope you will come back to check out our blog and Twitter updates. Our next trip to Safe Passage is 15 days from now on July 25, 2010.

Thank you for stopping by!
Dos Besos
Torri

If you need any summer reading, head over to Borders Sunday July 11th and Monday July 12th - they will donate a portion of the sales to Safe Passage. Here is a link for the coupon - just print and shop!