As a
small non-profit in today’s world, Children of the Americas, Inc. (COTA) faces
a myriad of challenges. The organization
continually strives to meet those challenges and continue to provide quality
medical and surgical care to indigent women and children in Guatemala.
The biggest challenge facing COTA is
funding for our programs. Although we
rely heavily on donated equipment, supplies and volunteer support, there are
substantial costs that require financial support. These include transport of supplies to
Guatemala, medicines for the team clinic, and passport and visa costs for
children who travel to the U.S. from Guatemala for donated care. With so many non-profit organizations vying
for available donor funds, COTA finds it increasingly difficult to secure the
financial resources necessary to continue our mission.
Another challenge that COTA faces is
logistical support, both here in the U.S. and in Guatemala. In the U.S., COTA depends largely on
volunteers to coordinate supply donation and shipment. Although COTA is blessed with many wonderful
team members and partners, busy lives and other commitments sometimes get in
the way of volunteerism. Careful pre-planning
and advance scheduling are necessary to maximize the available resources that
the organization depends upon to succeed.
In Guatemala the challenge is even greater. Again, COTA is blessed with dedicated
partners, but the reality of life in Guatemala curtails volunteerism. More than 50% of the population lives in
abject poverty, and even those who are gainfully employed struggle to feed
their families on the low wages that are prevalent in that country. As a result, volunteerism necessarily takes a
“back seat” to the basics of survival.
Another hurdle facing COTA’s work in
Guatemala is the country’s financial infrastructure. Guatemala is very poor and their resources
are scarce. There are few resources to support health care for the indigent. When COTA arrives on site for the annual
team, the hospitals are unable to provide even the most rudimentary support,
and often look to COTA for assistance. Poorly
maintained buildings, broken equipment, and inadequate supplies are the norm,
and provide enormous challenges to the team on their annual trip. As a result, COTA operates very much as a
MASH unit, transporting its own equipment and supplies to the site to ensure
efficient quality care to the patients.
Despite the
challenges the organization faces, COTA is also blessed with a number of
opportunities to grow and improve our efforts to provide quality health care to
our patients. It is COTA’s mission to
take full advantage of these opportunities as we move forward into the future.
Each team to Guatemala provides COTA an
opportunity to form new partnerships with the areas and people we serve. We have returned to several locations in
Guatemala on more than one occasion. Each
return strengthens COTA’s relationships with the hospital, director, and staff,
which in turn facilitates a smooth transition for future teams. The local community is better able to
anticipate our needs, and we are more prepared to assist them with theirs. With missions to new locations, we are provided
an opportunity to broaden the areas and the people we serve.
In addition to
these partnerships, we also have the opportunity to expand the educational
aspect of our mission.
At every time
site, local physicians and health care providers are encouraged to work side by
side with our providers in order to provide teaching opportunities for all,
including recognition and treatment of disease, preventative health care, and
surgical techniques. The sharing of
educational wealth leads to better quality health care for the
women and children we help.
Finally, and very
importantly, COTA gives its volunteers an opportunity to see life beyond the
U.S. borders. It allows them to
experience first-hand the vast contrast in the standard of living and access to
health care in developing countries. It
also shows them the rich and diverse cultures of the people of Guatemala. It is COTA’s wish and aspiration that those
volunteers will bring back those lessons to the U.S., and that those lessons
will lead them to a better appreciation of diversity of culture as well as a
desire to continue and expand their altruistic work, both in the U.S. and
abroad.
