If I were to describe the training we did in Mazan in one word it
would be Phenomenal. One member of the Llchapa group called his
Powerful. I think both of these accurately describe the events that
took place over the last four days.
Upon arrival to the trainings, the health promoters from the District
of Mazan were introduced to one another and had a chance to play some
ice breakers where it became evident, not just to the CU students but
also to the other promoters, that we were all surrounded by some very
diverse and interesting individuals. For the entire afternoon and on
through the evening, everyone was very upbeat and eager for the
trainings.
The second day began with a pre-test which assessed a variety of
health promotion and triage skills including checking vital signs,
diagnosing diarrhea and treating dehydration. It soon became clear to
the group that we may be in over our heads. Many of the promoters had
never used a stethoscope before, and had trouble understanding the
difference between pulse and respiration. During the next two days the
student facilitatorsspent every training hour working in small groups
with the promoters to give them the knowledge that they needed in
order to utilize vital signs for diagnostic purposes. It was not until
the post-test that we were able to see exactly how well the trainings
had gone. The results are astounding. The overwhelming improvements in
knowledge in just two days of trainings were, in my opinion,
incredibly unexpected.
I think the best part of the trainings was the attitude that the
promoters held throughout the entire process. They came with an
incredibly intense eagerness to learn. And it wasn’t just learning
that they came to do, it was teaching too. There were so many
promoters who took the time to teach what they had learned in the
past, either in their own communities or at previous trainings, to the
other promoters who had less experience. Not only were they willing to
teach one another, they were very receptive about teaching the CU
students as well. My group in particular was especially helpful at
expanding my vocabulary and improving my accent. I knew I would learn
the language more easily once I was fully immersed, but I never
imagined it would go as far as five individuals who genuinely were
interested in helping me do it.
Another aspect that came from their attitude at the trainings was
their collegiality with one another. Never once did I see the typical
students who nobody wanted to hear from, or who never had a chance to
speak up. They all remained respectful, friendly and even caring of
each other. One of CU Peru’s goals was to help form a network among
the promoters and it was evident that these trainings did exactly
that. Each one of them was polite and relaxed, and part of this was
that many of them were downright funny.
I don’t think I have ever worked with a group of individuals who were
more grateful than these promoters. Many of them had to travel for up
to six hours to get to the trainings. It was clear that they came
because they wanted to be there, in fact they were missing four days
from work to come, but on top of that they were also unbelievably
appreciative that we had come. The value that they placed on the tools
we had given them was also an amazing spectacle. They would take
special care of their stethoscopes, blood pressure cuffs and
thermometers, to the extent that almost across the board, the
promoters would disassemble their stethoscopes and place each part in
their respective plastic bags before putting them back into their
satchels.
The last day, at least for me, was the most emotional. I had formed my
own network among my group members, and among some of the other
promoters who I had close contact with, and it was hard to bid my
goodbyes. The value of tools and the gratitude that the promoters had
also came out during the closing ceremony. Each promoter is given a
certificate that indicates they had attended the CU Peru training, and
with those in hand, all of them went from student to student, thanking
us and giving both hugs and handshakes. Many of them requested
pictures of their group with their group leaders, and with their new
friends. It was certainly a moving event.
One last thing of note is that the mayor of the District of Mazan, Dr.
Edward Reátegui Salas, went out of his way to visit not only the
training in Mazan, but also the training in Llachapa, to say a few
things to the promoters. This said to me that not only did the
promoters value our presence in Peru, but the mayor did as well. In
addition, he obviously respected that the promoters had come to learn
as well.
To sum it all up I would use two words. Phenomenal & Powerful.
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