FIMRC

Through a partnership with the Roberto Clemente Rancho Santana clinic, FIMRC’s Project Limon brings medical care to children living in remote areas of rural western Nicaragua. By placing volunteers to work alongside the doctors, nurses, and other medical staff in the clinic, FIMRC aims to improve pediatric care in the region and improve the lives of Nicaragua’s children.

The Roberto Clemente Rancho Santana clinic is located 20 miles from the city of Rivas in the Pacific lowlands region of Nicaragua. It was founded to serve the isolated villages of Rancho Santana and Limon. Rancho Santana is a popular coastal tourism and surfing destination known for its colonial heritage, beach communities, mountains and volcanoes. Directly outside the upscale resorts, however, are numerous impoverished communities which before the building of the clinic had no access to medical care. At present, the clinic provides free and low-cost medical care to the residents of Rancho Santana and Limon, as well as 41 surrounding communities in southwest Nicaragua.

As one of the poorest countries in the Americas, Nicaragua presents serious challenges related to health care. Nearly half of Nicaragua’s population live below the poverty line and nearly half lack sustained access to proper sanitation. Only 6.3% of Nicaragua’s population carries health insurance. As a result, child illness and mortality rates are high for the region, and preventable or treatable conditions such as respiratory diseases, diarrhea, and malnutrition make up the main causes of death for children under 5.

The clinic serves over 10,000 patients per year and has a staff of 9 which include a doctor, two nurses, pharmacists and administrative staff. The clinic currently provides primary care, emergency care and health education to children and adults. In partnership with the clinic, FIMRC aims to expand the program of free medical care for children while providing volunteer opportunities to serve the community alongside the medical staff.

The principal goals of our work in Nicaragua include:

1. Establish an effective system for the delivery of acute and preventative healthcare to members of this underserved Nicaraguan community;
2. Transition from a system of triage healthcare to one of continuous care by implementing biannual well-child visits for the entire community while monitoring key indicators of overall health;
3. Achieve a marked decrease in pediatric malnutrition and in the number of underweight children in the community;
4. Curb the devastating spread of common endemic disease caused by preventable microbial infections;
5. Promote and sustain programs in health education, with particular focus on pediatric and maternal health initiatives.

Project Limon welcomes volunteers traveling individually as well as in groups up to 8. Our volunteer program operates year-round, so please contact us with the dates you would like to travel and we will do our best to accommodate you!

The nature of the Nicaragua volunteer program will vary depending on the number of volunteers in each group, the length of the volunteer trip, respective proficiencies in Spanish, medical training, and the current needs of the community and the clinic. What FIMRC can guarantee, however, is that every volunteer mission will be culturally and socially enlightening. Each volunteer will have opportunities to examine Nicaragua’s systems of medical provision in numerous ways and hopefully learn about health care disparities and ways to address them.

Volunteers will have the opportunity to shadow the staff during examinations and procedures. The community outreach program is a major component of the service we provide to the patients and families, and volunteers will have the opportunity to leave a lasting impact through this program. Volunteers will host educational community discussions about a variety of general health topics. The opportunity also exists for interacting with children on both a group and one-on-one basis to teach them about basic hygiene and good health practices.

There are lots of opportunities for shaping an itinerary to your interests, as FIMRC’s goal is to provide every volunteer a memorable, worthwhile experience that will instill lasting impressions about healthcare in developing communities.

We have found that volunteers’ favorite aspect of their volunteer missions is the clinical experience – we give each volunteer the opportunity to shadow the doctor in the examination rooms, administer medications, and take vital statistics of patients. It is important to note, however, that a visit to a FIMRC clinic may not revolve around clinical or medically focused experiences for the volunteers. While giving an injection, for example, may be an inspiring experience for a volunteer interested in a career in medicine, FIMRC maintains the policy that medical care must be delivered by qualified, trained professionals for the benefit of our patients. Those volunteers with medical background or expertise will likely have the opportunity to work in a medical capacity alongside our clinic staff. Student volunteers are asked to enhance our projects by participating in and conducting health education seminars, construction related projects, and other activities that promote the FIMRC mission, in addition to their time in the clinic. FIMRC asks that all volunteers be flexible and willing to help FIMRC staff out where needed.

The U.S. Department of State urges American citizens to take responsibility for their personal security while traveling overseas. For general information about appropriate measures travelers can The U.S. Department of State urges American citizens to take responsibility for their personal security while traveling overseas. For general information about appropriate measures travelers can take to protect themselves in an overseas environment, see the Department of State’s pamphlet A Safe Trip Abroad at http://travel.state.gov/travel/tips/safety/safety_1747.html.

We require all participants in the Global Health Volunteer Program to possess health insurance either from your current provider or from a third-party travel insurance company; for your protection, your insurance policy must include medical evacuation coverage.

If you wear prescription glasses or contact lenses, it is advisable to bring an extra pair as well as cleaning fluid. You should also carry an adequate supply of medicines and first aid accessories.

Volunteers in Nicaragua will be staying at a local hotel a few minutes away from the clinic site.

Volunteers should fly into Managua airport. FIMRC will provide vehicle pickup and dropoff transportation between the airport and the hotel. As the clinic is in a relatively remote region and there is no daily vehicle access within the community, FIMRC will provide a bicycle to each volunteer for transport between the hotel and the clinic. Walking is also an option if bicycles are unavailable at the time of your visit; the clinic is approximately 25 minutes walking distance from the hotel. If bicycle riding is a problem due to functional limitations or any other reasons, please contact us and we will do our best to arrange other means of transportation.

Meals are purchased locally and are available from the hotel or from reputable family-owned vendors.

The vaccination requirements change from year to year, based on the health situation of the country. FIMRC does not require proof of vaccination, but as a policy we refer volunteers to the CDC for the most up to date information.

Contact your physician, local or state health department, or U.S. Department of Health Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) International Traveler’s Hotline at (404) 332-4559 or the CDC Fax Information Service at (888) 232-3299. Please refer to the website of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for updates on outbreaks and vaccination suggestions via www.cdc.gov.

The following are costs payable to FIMRC for a volunteer mission in Nicaragua:

• Program donation:
• $699 per week during peak months (January, March, May, June, July)
• $599 per week during semi-peak months (February, August, September, December)
• $499 per week during off-peak months (April, October, November)
• Housing/Breakfast & Lunch/Transport: $450 per week (in-country transportation covers round-trip transport from Managua airport to clinic site, approximately 3-4 hours each way by car)

Note: Program donations are determined based on the date of departure as it relates to peak, semi-peak and off-peak periods. Some meals may not be covered while in transit between Managua and the clinic site.

The following are additional estimated costs:

• Airfare: $300-$600 depending on travel dates & season
• Spending money: $150 (minimum recommended amount for in country for miscellaneous daily expenses during your trip)

Long-term placements are negotiable.