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Pennies for Belize
Fundraising activity will support needs of medical clinic in Central
American country.
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Intermixed last March between excursions to explore Maya Indian ruins,
traveling down a rainforest river and relaxing on beautiful beaches was
a trip to a remote medical clinic.
Iowa State students were participating in the "Political, Policy
and Environmental Issues in Economic Development of Third World Countries"
study abroad program in Belize coordinated by Steffen Schmidt, University
Professor of political science.
In addition to cameras and a weeks-worth of clothes, the students brought
with them over $2,000 worth of medical supplies, primarily basic supplies
like gauze and over-the-counter medications.
One day, instead of visiting a Belize zoo or snorkeling, the group delivered
those medical supplies to the Valley of Peace Health Center in rural Belize.
"It was a nice added component to the trip and gave us an opportunity
to do service work while we were there," said student Alison Lima.
"We were able to give them the supplies that clinics like this are
in need of."
Lima said the nurse on duty that day, Elita Herrera was grateful for the
donations, indicating to the students that the center was always in need
of supplies.
"We asked her if there were any specific medical supplies the clinic
needed and one of the first things that came to her mind was nebulizers,"
Lima said.
A nebulizer is a device used by asthma sufferers that takes pressurized
air and turns a liquid medication into a fine mist for inhalation, allowing
the medication to be delivered more effectively to the lungs. Nebulizers
are relatively inexpensive but even at $150 a machine; it’s out of the
price range of the Valley of Peace Health Center in Belize.
The nurse's desire for nebulizers stuck with Lima long after she made
her way back to Iowa State. As a founder of the Student International
Medical Aid Club at Iowa State, Lima was instrumental in getting the original
supplies to Belize.
Now she's attempting to raise money via SIMAC and Iowa State residence
halls.
"Cents that Save" will be held throughout November with the
proceeds going to help purchasing the much-needed nebulizers. Students
in the residence halls will drop coins into jars as a competition. Pennies
in the jars count as one point for the halls. Other coins dropped into
other residence halls' jars count against that hall.
Lima says that several area businesses have contributed prizes for the
competition including Gumby's Pizza, Papa John's, the Memorial Union and
Home Team Pizza.
Residence halls competing include Maple, Willow, Larch, Oak-Elm and Linden.
The competition is between halls and between floors in certain buildings.
"We did this last year in one residence hall and raised over $150,"
Lima said. "Hopefully we'll get more this year."
But Lima and other members of SIMAC aren't just counting their pennies
to help purchase a nebulizer for the Valley of Peace Health Center. She
has talked with a local medical supply business and has hopes of receiving
at least one used nebulizer to send to Belize.
This is just the latest in a series of donations that the Iowa State SIMAC
group has undertaken. In just two years of existence, the student group
has delivered much-needed medical supplies to Bolivia twice and Russia
in addition to the Belize donations.
A campus-wide collection is scheduled for the spring semester to collect
additional supplies.
"We are trying to get the word out about the international health
problems and educate the campus," Lima said.
Around LAS
November 15 to December 5, 2004
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