Our mission was multi-purpose.  Most of the men did construction projects in several different villages.  They built fences and latrines and repaired roofs.  Another goal of the trip was to aid and improve education.  We visited 3 different village schools and gave supplies to a total of 5 schools.  A majority of the families living in La Laguna and the surrounding villages are too poor to even buy a notebook for their children.  Without one they cannot attend school.  We, NY/HELP, purchased 100 of these in February and distributed them to all the schools.  Imagine, the only reason you cannot attend school is because you have no paper to write on.  This is a normal occurrence there and it is a shame because most of these children are very eager to learn.  
    We also provided arts and craft supplies:  crayons, glue, construction paper, pencils, scissors, dry erase boards, staplers, and many other items for the classroom.  Without our help these schools would have none or very little of these very basic school items.  I participated in the distribution of these items at a couple of the schools.  The response by the children was overwhelming.  It is like our Christmas morning to them.  They very rarely receive anything that they can barely contain their excitement when they see us coming.  They honestly look forward to and appreciate everything we do and bring, which makes it all worthwhile.
    Education in this part of the country only goes up to the 6^th grade level.  Very few of these children (maybe 3-4 out of 25) go on to a higher level of education.  Several years ago NY/HELP built a middle school (grades 7-9) in Mataderos, one of the villages in the mountains.  Attendance has not been what they anticipated it would be.  The main problem being transportation, there is none.  Unless you live in Mataderos, the next closest village is a 30-minute walk, minimum, and the farthest could be 1 1/2 to 2-hour walk each way for these children.  NY/HELP is exploring the options of building a dormitory for the kids to live at Monday-Friday, or finding host families in Mataderos for them.

    The third goal of our mission was to provide medical care and basic health and hygiene education.  For some, the only medical treatment they receive is when NY/HELP is there twice a year – February and August.  Mostly women and children, sometimes walking for hours to be seen.  The closest hospital is an hour car-drive away.  Most people in the mountains only have horses.  They would have to waken hour and a half down the mountain to the town of La Habbana to catch a bus.  My main job while in La Laguna was working in the clinic as a pharmacy assistant with my mom.  We were the two people mostly responsible for filling and handing out all medications.  Which means, we met and exchanged smiles with just about everyone who came through the clinic.

    Sanitary issues are a big problem in La Laguna.  Basically due to the fact that the homes do not have running water, and using soap is a foreign concept to most.  There are spigots located throughout the village, from which they get their water.  They honestly do not know or understand that simple hand washing is necessary to prevent the spread of infection.  The doctors have a very difficult time trying to get this point across.  Especially for moms with babies who have no cloth diapers.  (Another item which we handed out hundreds of.)  Worms and lice were common problems families came into the clinic to be treated for.

    Overall, this was a very positive experience for me.  I learned it is possible to live without electricity and running water.  Not fun or sanitary, but possible.

    Spiritually I learned that loving and helping thy neighbor stretches far beyond the literal meaning of the word.  God created all of us as individuals with different talents and abilities in order for us all to help one another, regardless of where we come from or the color of our skin.
    Lastly, I returned home with a greater appreciation for all that I have, and I feel very blessed to have been born where and who I am.