Wednesday, March 26, 2008


Thank you Dr. Jerry and family….

It was a fun and tearful party as we said goodbye to Dr. Jerry, Camy, Zach and Sam last night at Las Milpas. Dr. Jerry came to the Hospitalito last fall to begin his six-month commitment. He served as medical supervisor and Chief of Staff. Zach, age five (under the table) and Sam, three attended the local kindergarten, and made good friends there. In the photo are their physician friends visiting with their children from Ventura, California. The children (and adults) took turns with a piñata, and we all enjoyed delicious pulique (a traditional chicken with tomato mint sauce served on special occasions) for dinner. Thank you all for sharing with us!

Posted by Joel at 5:38 AM | | Comments

Monday, March 24, 2008


Good Friday

An example of the truly amazing alfombras (carpets) made of colored sawdust that cover the streets of Santiago Atitlán. These incredible works of art are created by youth groups of the Catholic Church, and last only a few hours because the procession will pass over them during the night. The huge coffin which bears the body of Christ is carried by more than 30 young men out of the church at 4 PM and passes thru the streets, over the alfombras all through the night entering the church again at 6 in the morning.

Posted by Joel at 4:50 AM | | Comments

Wednesday, March 19, 2008


Hospitalito Atitlán staff and volunteers

Following a meeting today, we felt it was time to update the photo for the web site. Many will recognize the faces of the employees, the local volunteer nurses, and others volunteering from Spain, Australia, Harvard, and obviously, Dr. Jerry Noah about to return to California.

Posted by Joel at 8:22 PM | | Comments

Thursday, March 13, 2008


The Construction Commission met with the Architects from the Ministry of Health today on site to discuss recommendations made by all the architects involved in new Hospitalito. In the photo: from the Panajachel architectural firm Tierra Linda; construction supervisor Noe Perez, and architect Molly Molander, K'aslimaal board members on the construction commission; Juan Tziná, Dr. Juan Manuel Chuc and Lyn Dickey, representatives from the Ministry of Health in Guatemala City; Architect Leonardo Arzu, Arzu's assistant, and senior architectural student Monica Serrano who is doing her senior project on the Hospitalito in the office of TIerra Linda. Missing from the photo is the Hospital architect, volunteer David Schele, and Larry Finnegan from the board of Pueblo a pueblo, inc.

Posted by Joel at 4:24 AM | | Comments

Monday, March 10, 2008


€1000 donation from County Cork, Ireland towards construction of the permanent Hospitalito Atitlán.
You never know whom you might meet at a rock festival, and it surprised K’aslimaal board members to meet Father Padriag Kough at the 2008 Festival Atitlán fundraiser for construction of the new Hospitalito. He attended at the recommendation of a friend, when he told her he was looking for an organization to which he could deliver a donation entrusted to him by a friend from Ireland.
Board member Kathy Searle gave the group a tour of the temporary hospital, and the next day they returned with a check. The donation came from, Ms. Eileen Forrest Corbally, of Leamlara in Co. Cork.
Pictured left to right, K’aslimaal member Kathy Searle Acevedo, Mary Ann Cantillion of Vancouver, Canada, Father Pádraig and Mary Ann Morris of Antigua Guatemala and Nelson BC Canada.

Posted by Joel at 6:37 AM | | Comments

Thursday, March 06, 2008


QUEEN SOFIA DONATES MEDICINES TO HOSPITALITO ATITLAN!

It took a lot of work and more than a year for this donations of medicines to arrive from the QUEEN OF SPAIN. More than a year ago, Club Rotario Guatemala Oeste and the Asociación K'aslimaal began the paperwork to apply for the donation. On March 5th, Jose Reanda (center) traveled to Guatemala City to meet the flight from Iberian Airlines to accept the donation of more than 51,000 EUROS worth of medicines donated to Hospitalito Atitlán. In this picture is (left to right) Rotary president Robert Way, Jeff of the Spanish pharmaceutical company that made the donation, Rotarian Mario Rosito, Hospitalito Administrator Jose Reanda, Mynor Mendoza from AMICELCO, and Rotarian dentist Oscar who volunteers frequently at HA.

Posted by Joel at 6:11 PM | | Comments


A CLEANING DAY

On Tuesday 27th of February the Santiago Atitlán’s Town Council organized a town wide cleaning day with the local schools. Early in the morning the streets were full of older children picking up trash, and then the garbage was gathered inside “costales” and brought to the town dump with pick up trucks.

Even though there is still much more to be done in the sense of garbage consciousness… It was the first community effort to give Santiago Atitlán a clean face!

Posted by Joel at 6:08 PM | | Comments

Wednesday, March 05, 2008

LEARNING ABOUT GUATEMALAN TAX LAW

Last Tuesday, February 19th, Lic. Erick Palma (tax consultant) and Lic.Oscar Piedrasanta (lawyer) trained the Pueblo a Pueblo staff and a board member on issues related the Guatemalan tax system.

The class was designed to prepare Pueblo a Pueblo staff to begin fundraising in Guatemala. This effort will further our mission which is to empower Guatemalan individuals, organizations and communities to improve their own lives by facilitating access to services, commodities and financial resources.

Posted by Joel at 8:40 AM | | Comments

EASTER PROCESSIONS BEGINS!

Every Friday afternoon for six weeks, beginning with Lent, a procession leaves the Catholic Church. The Parroquia was built in 1548, and this year the bell tower is under renovation.

Posted by Joel at 8:38 AM | | Comments


Vanderbilt University students are hard at work on the retaining wall at the construction site for the new Hospitalito. 22 students arrived on Monday the third of March for four days of moving dirt, rocks and cement. Their work adds to that of other volunteers trying to complete the wall before the rainy season begins. Thanks to all of them, their efforts are a great help!

Posted by Joel at 8:36 AM | | Comments


THANKS to STANFORD UNIVERSITY Department of Emergency medicine and especially to Drs. Paul Aurbach and Bob Norris for sending two ER Fellows to Hospitalito Atitlán on March 4th for a full day of training in resuscitation for our physicians and nursing staff. Everyone learned a LOT and there were a few laughs too when the trainer told the students to clear the mouth of "foreigners". In this photo, Dra. Irene Quieju is explaining the search to fellow physicians and nurses.

Posted by Joel at 8:33 AM | | Comments

Tuesday, March 04, 2008


MOTHER / INFANT SPONSORSHIP PROGRAM

Educational Monthly Meeting – February 2008

The Educational Monthly Meeting in February was held by Amanda Slayer (coordinator of the local Library Puerta Abierta) and Kristen Jamsa, nurse practitioner and midwife who has been volunteering at the Hospitalito since September 2007.

Kristen explains; “As part of a discussion about infant and toddler growth and development, we talked about reading/enjoying stories with your baby”.

The mothers and children assisting to the meeting listened to the story La Oruga Hambrienta (The hungry Caterpillar) and afterwards the older children did an art project.

The meeting was a success as everybody was very engaged and seemed to enjoy it!!!

We want to thank Amanda and Kristen for coming and showing effective and fun ways to interact with children.

Posted by Joel at 4:21 AM | | Comments

Monday, March 03, 2008


BRIDGE BUILDERS

is a group that has helped the Guatemalan people for many years with medical visits to small rural clinics. In this picture, Antonio is receiving a donation of medicines and supplies from Dra. Eva Pickler.

Posted by Joel at 11:07 AM | | Comments

The Wall

Dr. Juan Manuel Chuc, director of Hospitalito Atitlán, (here in one of his many roles on the construction commission), is inspecting the progress of the retaining wall at the construction site of the new permanent hospital. The farmer who owned the neighboring property was concerned that as the rainy season began, that his coffee plants would be in danger of collapsing onto the Hospitalito property. He can now be assured that his coffee is safe.

Posted by Joel at 11:04 AM | | Comments


Service / Language / Culture elective

Dr. David Burt brought visitors from the faculty of Medicine, Nursing, Public Health and Engineering from the University of Virginia to discuss their proposed alliance with Hosptialito Atitlán. The group met with director Dr. Juan Manuel Chuc. In this photo, Bill Soares is discussing his volunteer experience at Hospitalito Atitlán and his past work at the Hospital Parroquial in San Lucas Tolimán.

Posted by Joel at 11:02 AM | | Comments