Megan Durham, University of Louisville, Brown Fellows Class of 2016 Health and Outreach Across Latin America: Guatemala and Peru

Background: Summer 2012-Travelled to Turkey with the Class of 2016 Brown Fellows Summer 2013-Attended Veritas University in San Jose, Costa Rica to study Spanish with an intensive month program, volunteered at Hogar Infantil de - Maria orphanage for two weeks Abstract: This project was designed to fit into my career path more than my previous projects. Because I studied Spanish last summer, I was able to do some - - more in-depth volunteering programs in Spanish-speaking countries. I would like to use my projects for potential career exploration opportunities, so - - this summer I chose to explore the field of public health. I worked at a public health NGO called Sonrisas de Amor in Zaragoza, Guatemala for one - month. Then, to deal more with my psychology minor, I worked at a women’s center for teenage single mothers called Casa Mantay in San Jeronimo, - Cusco, Peru for one month.

Guatemala (May 29-June 28) This summer I volunteered at a public health NGO called - Sonrisas de Amor, which is centered in Zaragoza, - Guatemala and headed by Pilar Marroquin (who was also - my host mom). A big part of my job was giving seminars - called capacitaciones all over the highlands region of - Guatemala. They ranged in subjects from recycling to hygiene to studying techniques, and were given to children, teenagers, adults, and the elderly. Sonrisas de Amor also met with groups of women weekly, where we talked about female empowerment, had cooking classes with healthy recipes, and worked on literacy skills. In addition, Sonrisas de Amor also partnered with a clinic that worked for cheaper medicines and consultations for the residents of the highlands region, but especially the indigenous population. While I was there, we evaluated the children for malnutrition with the doctor at the clinic. Also among my duties were organizing and distributing donations and running the organization’s Facebook page.

Peru (June 29-July 24) In Peru, I volunteered at a women’s center called Casa Mantay. - Casa Mantay houses 14 single mothers, all under the age of 18. At - Casa Mantay, they have access to an altered-schedule education, - job training, healthcare, and help with finding housing once - they’re 18. Their kids are taken care of during the day, while they work in the laundry, the daycare, or the kitchen in a rotation. Some of the mothers work in the workshop, where they make keychains, jewelry, and small bags that are sold to fundraise for Casa Mantay. I did a variety of jobs at Casa Mantay, including helping in the kitchen and helping clean up the grounds of Casa Mantay, but most of my time was spent in the daycare. The daycare held kids under the age of three. My duties included feeding, changing, and playing with the kids. In the morning shifts, the nurses that worked in the daycare made sure the kids were at the right place in their cognitive development by playing spatial reasoning games and having them memorize patterns. In the afternoon shifts, we made sure the kids were at the right place in their motor development by having them run, climb stairs without using handrails, and balance on one foot.

Future Goals: I would like to continue to explore career options through my enrichment projects, so next summer I would like to work in a lab. Possible options include the James Graham Brown Cancer Center or an REU lab position

Special Thanks: This project would not have been possible without the James Graham Brown Foundation, Dr. Elmaghraby and Andrew Grubb (University of Louisville), Virginia Hosono (University of Louisville International Center), Pilar Marroquin (Sonrisas de Amor), and Raquel Garcia Matias (Casa Mantay).