On July 9th, Healthy Neighbors International dispatched its first official team of 28 individuals to Nicaragua. The team revisited two communities previously served on prior trips and explored two additional communities. Our vision of delivering continuity of care within these communities started to materialize as the medical staff identified several patients for the initiative. Although the logistics for achieving this are still being finalized, significant progress was made during this trip. Adding to excitement, five Nicaraguan nursing students joined the clinics through a newly established partnership with UNAN University in Matagalpa. This offered valuable insight into the training of future medical providers, with the goal of partnering with the university through our medical education initiative. During the trip, the team also visited the Avanza stove factory in Estelí. The visit allowed the board to observe how the Ecocina stoves are manufactured and understand their functionality and impact on reducing indoor air pollution in the communities. It was inspiring to see the potential of our clean air initiative beginning to take shape.

On July 11th, our team returned to Nicaragua to begin our mission of providing continuity of care to the communities we served last year. With seven providers, four nurses, and several young adults, we attended to nearly 650 patients over four clinic days. The joy of recognizing many individuals from the previous year was experienced throughout the week. Overall, it was a successful week.

A team of 21 individuals arrived at Managua airport on July 6th to commence a week-long medical mission trip in the mountainous regions of Matagalpa, Nicaragua. The two-hour bus ride to our destination began with intense heat, but as we ascended to higher altitudes the temperature became noticeably cooler. Our mission started that evening as we organized the substantial quantities of medications and vitamins we had hauled into the country to use in the clinics throughout the week.  The next morning, we traveled to our first community, where a long line of patients awaited us. While the volume was overwhelming, our team rose to the challenge, and by the end of the day, every patient had been seen and treated. The subsequent days mirrored the first, albeit in different communities. By the week’s conclusion, our team had attended to over 600 patients, distributing more than 100,000 multi-vitamins, 50,000 Tylenol, 20,000 Ibuprofen, and two months’ worth of hypertension and diabetes medication to numerous individuals. As we prepared to return to the United States, our team was exhausted. Nevertheless, during the lengthy bus ride to Managua, the atmosphere was uplifting, with much discussion about plans for our next trip.