Taiwan Root Medical Trip to Guatemala

For 20 years, Taiwan Root has deployed teams of health care professionals and volunteers to bring short-term medical relief to the neediest parts of the world. The Chao Foundation has had the pleasure of supporting Taiwan Root's committed work over the past few years; and in August 2012, Nancy and Steve got to participate in a medical mission to explore new avenues of partnership with the organization.

On August 19, we arrived in Guatemala City, Guatemala. Guatemala is located in Central America, bordered by Mexico to the north and by Belize and the Caribbean to the east. Despite its rich scenery and recent development following a 36-year-long civil war, the country remains one of the poorest in Latin America. With over half the population living in poverty and many more lacking medical care, it was understandable why Taiwan Root had selected Guatemala as the site of its next mission.

Taiwan Root goes to...

...Guatemala!

Over lunch, we convened with the rest of the 26-member team that consisted of physicians, nurses, pharmacists, dentists, and other volunteers. The united team then traveled the remainder of the day to a much less developed department (equivalent to "states" in the U.S.) of Guatemala called Zacapa and spent our first night at Esperanza de Vida, a Christian ministry that provides refuge to orphans and the elderly.

First group photo during lunch in Guatemala City. It was the last time we had Taiwanese food until much later in the trip.

Beautiful view from the hills of Esperanza de Vida. Guatemala truly is a beautiful country.

Our medical service initiated promptly the following morning. We traveled an hour to a primary school in a small rural town, where many dozens of patients had camped out since the early hours of the morning. Throughout the day, our team provided free medical examinations, dental services, and medications to over 200 patients. The work was exhausting, but it was clear that the need was great, and everyone labored diligently to provide medical attention to  every patient who came.

Patients wait to receive medical care. The local government had helped spread word about Taiwan Root's coming.

Not only the scenery - the Guatemalan children are beautiful too! Many came out to receive check-up from our doctors.

Taiwan Root's mission also functioned to build peace between the countries of Taiwan and Guatemala.

We returned to Esperanza de Vida later that evening and immediately went to bed to rest up for the next day. Over the course of the week, the team traveled to a different town each day, bringing medical intervention to nearly 1,500 individuals who lacked readily available care. Although our work lasted only a week, we were encouraged by how much the patients seemed to value our presence. We, too, tried encouraging the people by letting them know that their struggles were seen and heard.

Throughout the week, Nancy assisted at the dentistry station. This photo was featured in a Taiwanese news article! (see below)

Nancy even made a little friend!

Steve helped out at the pharmacy, which meant lots and lots of writing to prepare the patients' prescriptions.

Later on in the trip, we met a lady seeking treatment for her engorged leg. The doctors will try to find a way for her to receive surgery...

There are many injustices and tragedies in the world. Unfortunately, not enough people stand up to take action. Given this reality, it was a privilege meeting and working alongside the members of Taiwan Root, whose compassion and conviction to serve were truly inspiring. We wish the best for Taiwan Root and its future philanthropic endeavors; the memories made and the relationships built will last a lifetime.

The team takes a group photo after an eventful, rewarding trip.

Yahoo in Taiwan ran a news coverage on this medical trip - check it out here!
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Photo credits: D&N Photographie, Susie Lee, and Steve Ko. More photos can be accessed here.