Wednesday, March 21, 2007


Sister City Volunteer - The staff at Hospitalito Atitlán is happy to welcome a volunteer from our sister city… Vashon Island, Washington. When Francisco Sojuel, president of the board of Directors of HA visited Vashon Island in October, he met Carol Ireland McLean. Carol has many friends who have traveled to Santiago Atitlán, and wanted to put her experience as a Hospital Administrator to work. She began studying Spanish and arrived mid March eager to help in any way. Carol is staying in the home of Francisco and Argentina Sojuel and continues to study Spanish.

Posted by Pueblo a Pueblo at 2:43 PM | | Comments

Friday, March 16, 2007

Young mothers enrolled in the Mother Infant Sponsorship Program attend the monthly meeting at Hospitalito Atitlán with their infants and children.This month they had requested that Chonita the social worker give a class in how to cook a babies first foods. They learned how to prepare five nutritious foods, mashed potatoes with cheese, bean paste with corn flourand oil, creamed carrots with corn flour, creamed squash, and mashed bananas with cooked egg yolk. At the end of the class, the mothers were presented with donated gift packs. It was a lot of laughs as the mothers exchanged baby caps, to try to find the perfect fit for their baby.

Posted by Pueblo a Pueblo at 9:11 PM | | Comments

Saturday, March 10, 2007

It is always a pleasure to see familiar faces return to volunteer. Last week, when CEDEPCA returned with a Pennsylvania group it was an emotional reunion. In March 2005, just prior to opening in Panabaj, two churches that share the same minister, Reverend Bob Klinger arrived to put the finishing touches on the hospital. They waxed the floors, purchased and assembled the pharmacy shelving, sheet rocked the ceiling in the operating room and much much more.
Before they left, they planted an avocado tree. They were experienced and enthusiastic, so when we saw their smiling faces last week, we knew that they were going to get a LOT accomplished…. and they did. The new kitchen (built so that we can use the old kitchen for patients) needed the water filter installed, counters built, painting benches, and the electrical installed. They completed this and more. In addition the congregations of the West Springfield United Methodist Churchand Cranesville United Methodist Church generously filled ten suitcases with items from our non-medical wish list (which had to be revised immediately). They promise to return in two years, and we hope that they will be able to put the finishing touches on the permanent Hospitalito Atitlán!

Posted by Pueblo a Pueblo at 9:32 PM | | Comments

Wednesday, March 07, 2007

Albanil (builder) Domingo Quik Petzey stops pick pick picking one of many huge rocks that are in the path of the foundation for the new medical storage building. Locals comment that the name of the area should have been Nim Abaj (big rocks). The rocks are being cut and will be used as paving stones for the new Hospitalito Atitlán.

Posted by Pueblo a Pueblo at 9:35 PM | | Comments

Thursday, March 01, 2007


The First Volunteers on the New Construction!

by Lyn Dickey

March 1, 2007 -- Steve Nelson teacher at Henderson International School of Warren-Walker, in Las Vegas, NV brought ten students to help Hospitalito Atitlán. Several went to work to organize the inventory at the old hospital in Panabaj, a few volunteered at yard work at the temporary hospital and those with the dirty work are pictured here. Elliott Colgan, Steve Nelson, and Fabiola Pachas are excavating for the footings for the new medical storage building. The group is a tremendous help, and I hope that from this experience they will learn more about the world and themselves. Thank you all! You did a great job.

Posted by Pueblo a Pueblo at 4:05 PM | | Comments