COMMON HOPE BLOG

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Last month, our education support staff hosted a day of hearing exams with support from the University San Carlos. They performed 57 exams on mostly children along with a few adults.

Mariela España, psychologist and speech therapist for Common Hope, organized the event. She says that hearing loss is very common in Guatemala, because people are exposed to a lot of loud noise on a daily basis, including diesel buses and firecrackers. People start losing their hearing around 40 or 50 years old in Guatemala because of the loud noise. The hearing tests are very important for educational success, because when a child is young and still learning to talk, if they have hearing problems, they will end up having speech problems as well.

Mariela usually conducts hearing exams at Common Hope herself, but she wanted to do an exam day to be able to test a large group at once. She invited university students and two professors from the University San Carlos to perform the exams. Children were referred by Common Hope staff and teachers from our partner schools. The students referred have shown possible symptoms of hearing loss, including difficulty with homework, not responding when called on, or having frequent ear infections.

This week, Mariela will meet with the students who tested poorly to retest and confirm the results. She will then recommend treatments depending on the issue. If they have ear infections, she will refer them to an ear, nose, and throat doctor. If they have hearing loss, Common Hope will get affiliated children a hearing aid. Children who are not affiliated with Common Hope will be referred to public health services. If children don’t have a hearing problem, our Education Support staff will work with them to figure out if they have a learning disability, and they might also be referred for an eye exam.

Mariela says that one of the best things she observed was that the university students from San Carlos not only had a great experience practicing what they are studying but also they had the opportunity to serve low-income students—a valuable experience for Guatemalans from diverse backgrounds to have. Many thanks to the University of San Carlos for the support!

To read in English, click here.

El mes pasado, el programa de terapia del lenguaje del departamento de apoyo educativo organizó una jornada de exámenes de audición con apoyo de la Universidad de San Carlos.  En total se realizaron 57 exámenes, la mayoría siendo niños y algunos adultos.

Mariela España, Psicóloga y Terapista de Lenguaje de  Familias de Esperanza, coordinó dicho evento. Según Mariela la perdida de audición es muy común en Guatemala debido a que en la vida diaria, la mayoría de gente está expuesta a ruidos fuertes como las camionetas, cohetes, etc. y porque no se tienen información para el cuidado del oído.  Muchas personas empiezan a perder la audición a los 40 o 50 años por estos ruidos estrepitosos.  Cuando un niño es muy pequeño y está aprendiendo a hablar, si tiene problemas de audición, también resultará con problemas de lenguaje y esto repercutirá en su éxito educativo, y es por esto que los exámenes de audición son esenciales para el éxito educativo.

Mariela normalmente maneja los exámenes de audición sola, pero decidió organizar una jornada auditiva para poder examinar un grupo numeroso durante un solo día.  Ella invitó estudiantes y dos profesores de la Universidad de San Carlos para realizar los exámenes.  Los niños fueron referidos de nuestro personal y los maestros de las escuelas socias.  Los niños referidos habían mostrado síntomas de pérdida auditiva como dificultad con las tareas, falta de responder cuando les llaman o infecciones recurrentes de oído.

Esta semana Mariela se reunirá con los estudiantes quienes salieron con perdida auditiva en sus exámenes para volver a examinarlos y confirmar los resultados.  Si tienen infecciones de oído, los referirá a un otorrinolaringólogo.  Si tienen perdida auditiva, Familias de Esperanza conseguirá un aparato auditivo para niños afiliados.  Los niños no afiliados serán referidos a los servicios públicos de salud.  Si los niños no tienen un problema auditivo, nuestro equipo de Apoyo Educativo trabajará con ellos para determinar si tienen una dificultad de aprendizaje y posiblemente les referirá para un examen de la vista.

Mariela expresa que lo mas bonito que observó de la jornada fue la oportunidad que tuvieron los estudiantes universitarios no solo de practicar lo que estudian pero también poder servir a los niños de escasos recursos – una experiencia valiosa para los guatemaltecos de diversos orígenes.  ¡Muchísimas gracias a la Universidad de San Carlos por su apoyo!

Jesus Alex with the butterfly he made with Debra.

by short-term volunteer Debra Des Vignes

A couple of weeks ago, I was glad to be heading to the Santa Catarina school along with my husband to meet some children who go to the school. We left behind Antigua’s candlelit restaurants and beautiful courtyards for the winding path into the small town. We drove past cornstalk and aluminum walls of family homes—a scene very different from where I was from. It was eye-opening to be in this corner of the world.

A child, whose name I would later learn is Jesus Alex (pronounced hey-soos ah-lex), approached me inside the school. He was pint-sized and dusty, and his smile melted my heart. Jesus Alex seemed eager to join with the other students in an after-school art project I was leading. Ten students were already painting a butterfly when Jesus Alex shuffled alongside them and dipped his fingers in paint; the dirt on his hands made for an even darker shade on top of stark white paper.

Standing next to Jesus Alex I realized how small all these kids appeared. ¿Cuántos años tiene? I asked. Jesus Alex told me he was five years old, but he looked much younger. I gave him a high five.

When we finished the art project, Jesus Alex waved good-bye. His mother didn’t come to greet him like many of the others. Instead, he walked outside and hopped on an old bike. That day I realized there are many simple things that I take for granted back home. My heart sank. I wanted more for Jesus Alex, at least the certainty of basic needs, like food, water, and a roof over his head. Then I smiled. Jesus Alex is a part of a new generation. There’s great hope and opportunity for kids of his generation and the future of the people in Guatemala.

Last year, the 1000th Common Hope affiliate graduated from high school. And in 2010, Common Hope families worked 5,532 sweat-equity hours to earn homes that are clean, dry and safe. I wondered where five-year-old Jesus Alex fit into the equation. I hope he knows that his future is not already carved out for him.

Correction: An earlier version of this story identified the town as San Rafael and Jesus Alex as Jorge.

Debra with Jesus Alex at the Santa Catarina partner school.

In light of Mother’s Day (celebrated yesterday in Guatemala, Sunday in the U.S.), we honor all of the mothers we work with—both in Guatemala and the U.S. We wish you all a wonderful holiday.

En honor del Día de la Madre (celebrado ayer en Guatemala y el domingo en los EE.UU.), honramos a todas las madres con quienes trabajamos, tanto en Guatemala como en los EE.UU. Les deseamos a todas una celebración maravillosa.