Making Choices…

It started with a casual remark made in my husband’s dental office. 

A patient thought Joel might be interested in doing free dental work on poor children in Ecuador.  He was right.  Joel loves Spanish and doing service, and couldn’t resist.  After checking out Causes For Change International, (www.causesforchange.org), Joel decided this would be a wonderful opportunity for us to make a positive contribution in the world.  

So two years ago, we set off with our son, Andrew on a healthcare mission.   It was adventurous, exciting and challenging!  A true eye-opening experience.  Our work touched 2500 children in one week, who received free medical and dental help.  Left untreated, dental infections can not only cause blindness, but also cause death.  Joel was one of three dentists, and the rest of us helped in whatever way we could.  Andrew taught children how to brush their teeth, and I provided musical entertainment with a borrowed guitar.  With no electricity, the dental work involved check-ups and tooth extractions.

(We brought along shots and novocaine, of course!) 

Even though I adore children, I didn’t think I had it within me to return again.  Ecuador is right at the equator, and we work outside in the 90+ degree heat.  (Much like Chicago!) 

The bathroom conditions are primitive, and there is no hot water in our simple hotel.  It’s easy to focus on the minor inconveniences.  Still, the children and adults are SO grateful, loving and appreciative… 

This summer, at Joel’s urging, we returned to Ecuador again.  We fortified ourselves with protein bars, digestive supplements, packages of toilet paper and hand sanitizers.  I sent out emails and gave talks to raise money for the dental supplies.  Through the generosity of friends and colleagues, we raised $2000, to cover dental materials and prepared to go.  Since 1996, this small nonprofit has reached thousands of children, who otherwise would have no help at all.       

From June 27^th – July 3^rd, 2010, we immersed ourselves in a unique world – the remote villages of Ecuador.  What an amazing experience!  Imagine no computers, phones or flush toilets!  (Yes, such a place exists.)  Each day, our group of twelve volunteers board a bus, trekking through miles of banana plantations, and over dusty roads with no traffic lights.  In most places, even though the residents had been informed of our arrival, they don’t believe it.  Often, only a handful of people are waiting at the designated area for our work.  The natives looked surprised.  FREE healthcare?!!? 

Once we begin unloading our suitcases of supplies, word quickly spreads.  Within a short time, hundreds of children and their families stream in from every corner.  (Along with mangy dogs and roosters!)

These villages aren’t accustomed to visitors.  Children stare, a bit awestruck.  We scout the area to place our supplies, often within a school.  Volunteers then post signs outside each room on a brick wall:  Dentistry, Medical, Pharmacy, and Lunchroom. 

Dentistry involves sitting in a plastic seat and spitting on the ground.  Children have their teeth checked, and if infections are noticed, teeth are extracted.  Volunteers hold a flashlight over each mouth to provide necessary light.  The medical area was handled by one doctor from Ecuador, who did check-ups on each child.  The pharmacy was simply a table, where a volunteer handed out a small baggie with children’s vitamins or pain pills.  Our lunchroom consists of whatever food was packed ahead by the Ecuadorian cook.  Usually, it’s tasty.  Once, it was not.  (Unless you like a shrimp stew with fish eyes.)

The most fascinating place was the island of Santa Domingo.  We were probably the first Americans these natives had ever seen!  Bumping along on the bus for forty-five minutes, with huge banana lives brushing our windows, we then transferred onto a small motorboat.  It was an hour’s ride to Santa Domingo.  Traveling past shrimp farms in the river, we finally reached our destination.   The island was perched on a hill, and it was necessary to climb twelve rungs on a wooden ladder to reach ground level.  Children peered at us from the hill as our boat slowly edged into the dock.

For most of us, it’s no big deal to climb up twelve rungs on a ladder.  But for Zully Alvarado, Founder of Causes For Change, this takes tremendous courage.  You see, Zully works out of her wheelchair, and almost died as a poor child in Ecuador.  She is so committed to her mission because she doesn’t want other poor children here to suffer as she did.  Trusting in the muscular men at her side, Zully is lifted up the ladder, rung by rung.  One wrong step or slip-up, and she would be thrown in the water.  I marvel at her courage.  Other volunteers carry her wheelchair onto land.  Naturally, there is no sidewalk.  But that doesn’t stop Zully from pushing herself forward to oversee our work.

Zully tells me, “Children with disabilities in Ecuador are hidden away.  You can’t even buy a wheelchair in this country.”   That’s why Zully is so outspoken in serving children with disabilities.  Just as she overcame handicaps, she wants everyone to see the potential within each child.  Her leadership is inspirational.

There is no grass or shady spot for doing children’s activities.  Using a borrowed guitar, I teach songs, dances and games.  We do coloring and relay races.  Dripping with sweat, my brain goes blank.  I take a short break and start again.  At day’s end, we all gather together to listen to the leader of this village, who thanks us profusely in Spanish.  We’re invited to have dinner with the Mayor of Naranjal that evening, who has promised his support to Causes For Change.  We feel blessed to receive so much gratitude.

As I walk toward the dock, I hold hands with a new friend, Tatianna.  She looks about eight years old, and exudes a happy-go-lucky demeanor.  I don’t want to leave her, and I’m sure she feels the same way.  We pause, looking at each other one last time. 

 ”Hasta la vista,” I say, hugging her close.  “Hasta la vista,” she answers.

  This is the best reward.  This is the reason I brave the challenges.  Love does conquer all. 

It was an adventure we would never forget. 

On July 23^rd, 2008, a group of thirty-one volunteers journeyed to Ecuador on a program called Causes For Change International.  Most came from the Chicago area, but others ventured from Ohio, Michigan, California, Jamaica and even from as far as Australia.  For many, this was a first-time experience.  Our purpose was to provide free medical and dental services to poor children who had never received help before.  For those who weren’t healthcare professionals, we offered to do whatever we could. 

It was a life transforming experience, filled with the joys of giving.  My husband Joel Sanders, a holistic dentist in Highland Park, couldn’t resist.  Soon, our intrepid teenage son, Andrew decided to join, along with his buddy, Jack Fuller of Winnetka.  Others from the North Shore included Highland Park college student Anne Bartels, Dr. Ricardo Senno of Evanston/Lincolnshire and Wilmette photographer, George Pfoertner.   

As my son Andrew recommended, sometimes you’ve got to “step outside the box.” 

So, although nervous, I decided to go along too.  The trip pushed me beyond my preconceived limitations, and offered much more than we all anticipated.  Causes For Change International showed us a wider perspective of the needs beyond “our box,” and the value of giving.  After all, the deepest connections are the inner ones.   

When given the assignment to collect 1000 small stuffed animals for the Ecuadorian children, it seemed impossible.  Yet, with faith and effort, we were able to surpass that goal.  Thanks to the generosity of North Shore locals, about 1800 toys were donated, which the children cherished.  Dental supplies were also donated, and monetary contributions purchased 1700 new toothbrushes and 250 solar calculators for the schools which lacked electricity. 

It was amazing to realize these children have no toys.  The stuffed animals motivated the children to sit down for dental treatment.  Dentistry consisted of a check-up and if needed, dental extractions.  (They were more afraid of the shot than the extraction!)  There was no electricity.  No fancy equipment.  And no x-rays.  A flashlight provided light over each child’s mouth.     

From our hotel base in Naranjal, Ecuador, a bus drove us to different remote schools.  Each day, about 500 children waited at a schoolyard, accompanied by a parent.

They came by bus, canoe or on foot, often traveling for hours.  An armed guard stayed with us for added protection.  

We were a handful of people serving 2,300 children in one week.  Three dentists.  Two general doctors.  An ophthalmologist.  An occupational therapist.  And everyone else – both youth and adults from different professions.  Using five separate rooms, we set up stations at each school:  an education room – teaching kids how to brush teeth, a dental room, medical room, eye doctor room and a pharmacy, rationing out 10 children’s vitamins, anti-parasite pills and aspirin. 

Children sat in a plastic seat, alongside a garbage pail with a plastic bag for spitting.  With plentiful sugar cane and no toothbrushes, toothpaste or dental checkups, children in the past had died from dental abscesses.  Before treatment began, some children screamed.  Some cried.  And some refused to open their mouth, even with their desperate mothers urging them on.  There was no other healthcare option for them.  Most children in need lost their baby teeth.  Some had adult teeth removed to prevent bigger problems in the future.

Under 90-degree heat, as the kids waited their turn for hours in the schoolyard, we distracted them with activities.  Everyone pitched in, doing whatever they could.  You could see by the looks of gratitude that we were appreciated.

As the Naranjal Mayor said in an inspiring speech, “You are the causes for change.”  I learned that he was right.  Yes, we each can create change.  All it takes is the belief.