Hello, my name is Lisa. I am thrilled to announce I will be going on a medical mission trip to Nicaragua this December for about 1 week with UCLA Global Medical Brigades, a non-profit organization. I am blessed to have this opportunity to combine my love for traveling and strong interest in medicine to volunteer abroad and work alongside a group of healthcare professionals and fellow volunteers to assist with providing care in order to help promote sustainable development in the underserved areas that do not have access to high quality healthcare. It has always been a goal of mine to join an organization that can make an impact in the world so that I can do my part and make a positive impact in someone else’s life. Although my contribution may be small, each contribution made by the volunteers to bring sustainable development in underdeveloped communities will bring hope and cause a chain of reactions to reduce social and economic inequality on a global scale.

What is sustainable development? It is the existence of living conditions in a community that meet the present essential human needs for the population without the depletion of natural resources and compromising future needs. The importance of preserving the environment is remarkable when the population is constantly consuming and depending on natural resources to support the population. Sustainable development will promote healthy lives and well-being for people of all ages in future generations.

While we are volunteering in Nicaragua, we will engage with community members and assess their needs and determine what resources they are lacking. Our medical brigades will provide medications, medical supplies, and hygiene products for patients as well as address a wide range of health concerns that may be chronic or urgent conditions. We will hold educational workshops for patients to teach them how to perform basic hygiene and equip them with supplies and life skills that will help them maintain their wellbeing and improve their quality of life even after we have left the country. The challenges communities face can be overcome in ways that allow them to continue to thrive and grow, while improving resource use and reducing the spread of diseases. A goal we hope to achieve for our underdeveloped communities is a future with access to basic health care, clean water and sanitation, and economic development. The better conditions that we help create in the community, the greater the effect on quality of life.

The mobile medical clinic and public health workshops for the community members are geared towards sustainable development and will address the current challenges the citizens of Nicaragua face. Not only will patients get treatment for their current illnesses, the public health workshops provide knowledge of how to prevent the most prevalent diseases within the community. We expect to see 100-200 people per day who need our help and services. It is not unheard of that people will walk miles and miles from their homes in the rural areas to seek medical care and treatment that they need.

In Nicaragua about 50% of the rural population is living below the national poverty line. As one of the poorest countries in Central America, approximately 80% of the population live with less than $2 per day. The money that is donated to the medical brigade will go towards medicine, supplies, and financing in country doctors and staff to continue to provide access to care for the community members. In addition, donations will help fund our public health project, which is focused on clean water and infrastructure, such as making a new cement floor to cover the dirt floor and help prevent skin diseases as well as constructing a new latrine system that aims to decrease the spread of infectious diseases and parasites.

How else can you help? We are collecting hygiene supplies that we will take with us on the trip.
Our hygiene supply list includes the following but not limited to:
• Dental floss (900 units)
• Travel size shampoo (900 bottles)
• Travel size soap (900 units)
• Children toothbrushes (360 units)
• Adult toothbrushes (540 units)
• Travel size toothpaste (900 tubes)
• Paper lunch bags (900 units)

We also need the medical supplies below to take vitals and perform blood glucose testing at the triage station at our clinic:
• Blood pressure cuffs (different cuff sizes)
• Thermometers
• Glucometers, test strips, and lancets

This will be my first service trip and it will be such a privilege to have this opportunity to assist with bridging the gaps in healthcare in Nicaragua. No matter where you are or who you are in the world, when you are sick, old, or poor and cannot take care of yourself, the healthcare you need is the same as anyone else. The bottom line is we all deserve access to high quality health care anywhere in the world.

I am determined and driven to give my all to this mission to improve and touch the lives of the community members we meet in Nicaragua. It would mean the world to me if you could make a tax-deducible donation of any amount, which will bring me closer to my goal of volunteering in Nicaragua in December. Every donation made, no matter the amount, will support my cause and is beyond greatly appreciated. By donating funds, you will not only be benefiting me but also every Nicaraguan citizen I help. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your generosity and kindness!

Please help spread the word and share with any family or friends. Please feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions. I will be more than happy to answer them. Thank you very much for taking the time to read my mission statement.

Please check out the following websites if you would like any further information on Global Medical Brigades.

https://www.medicalbrigades.org
https://www.globalbrigades.org/countries/nicaragua/


Yours truly,

Lisa Leung