Colombia Blogging: Tuesday October 26

| alexandersanger

Today a visit to the hilltop suburb of Alto de Florida, an hour south of Bogota. The last mile in was on a steep, rutted dirt track. The community has electricity but no running water or sewage. Water is delivered in tank trucks. The school is a one hour walk for the children. The Church runs a communal soup kitchen. We climbed the last bit to reach the site of the Profamilia mobile health clinic, which did not operate out of a van, but instead, was set up inside two ramshackle huts on a precipitous ledge. The Profamilia team consisted of two doctors, two nurses, two social workers and a van to transport all the necessary equipment. The social workers had visited many times over the past weeks to educate the community on the upcoming visit. When we arrived at 9am, about ten women and children were already lined up and waiting. An hour later there were about 80 mothers and children, and a few men, waiting. The Profamilia staff quickly set up a consultation room and exam suit in one hut and another consultation area and dispensary in the other. The lead doctor took everyone’s name.
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Colombia Blogging: Monday October 25

| alexandersanger

Colombia has poverty unlike anything we see in the US. On average Colombia is a middle income country, but the disparities in wealth mean that it’s poor are among the most disadvantaged in the world. Transportation is spotty and communication erratic. Machismo is alive and well, and teen pregnancy is increasing. So, how to reach the kids? You don’t wait for them to come to you; you go to them.
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Spain

| alexandersanger

This week Spain decriminalized abortion up to 14 weeks of pregnancy. The government enacted the law over the strenuous opposition of the Roman Catholic Church and brings Spain’s abortion law in line with much of the rest of Europe. Minors of 16 and 17 can obtain abortions without parental consent and in some cases notification. This is a major victory for women, which we hope to replicate in the former Spanish colonies in the Western Hemisphere.