PINCC in El Salvador

11/15/2013
New colleagues and friends meet for a last photo before saying our goodbyes.

PINCC in El Salvador

11/15/2013

Adios a las Abuelas fuertes y valientes de Cacaopera.

PINCC in El Salvador

11/15/2013
A smaller group this A.M. - always good news on the last day as we can assume those needing to be seen have made it in...and have post-test time and closing ceremonies.

PINCC in El Salvador

11/15/2013
Sadly, we are leaving the lovely respite of Hotel Perquin Lenka this morning and heading into Cacaopera for our last clinic (for now)... Though PINCC will return in 6 months to Certifiy the doctors and nurses trained this week in these procedures.

PINCC in El Salvador

11/14/2013
Las chicas bellisimas de Cacaopera...waiting for Mama'

PINCC in El Salvador

11/14/2013
Our colleague Marsha with one of the very small abuelas, from a vanishing indigenous Indian tribe with their own language. It has been a cultural immersion experience here in Cacaopera much to be appreciated.

PINCC in El Salvador

11/14/2013
Our dear colleagues/now friends, Concepcion, Berenicia and Karla...with Nurse-Midwife Lyle and me.

PINCC in El Salvador

11/14/2013
The very competent, professional, well-trained (and well-dressed!) Nurses of Cacaopera, Morazan. It has been an amazingly rewarding clinic experience so far...none of the usual 'bumps in the road'...and so many women showing up to be seen.

PINCC In El Salvador

11/13/2013
Poster on the wall at the Museo de la Revolucion we were able to visit after clinic.

PINCC in El Salvador

11/13/2013
The area we are working in, the Dept. of Morazan, was the heartland of some of the most brutal battles during El Salvador's Civil War in the 80's. They were the heroes and Martyrs (FMLN - the Faribundo Marti Liberacion Front) who fought and died to win back their democracy from the brutal CIA-backed military at the time. Many of the women I have interviewed prior to their exam tell of losing fathers, husbands, sons and/or daughters during 'la guerra'.

PINCC in El Salvador

11/13/2013
Why we are here in El Salvador:

PINCC in El Salvador

11/13/2013
The women keep arriving, 30-40 per day usually...for this important exam (and frequently, treatment).

PINCC in El Salvador

11/12/2013
With gratitude to Luxembourg for building this clinic for the under-served families of this area and the Ministry of Health for keeping it staffed with the dedicated hard-working men and women hosting us this week.

PINCC in El Salvador

11/12/2013
Dr. Leah teaching the LEEP procedure to the local doctors and nurses here in Cacaopera.

PINCC IN El Salvador

11/12/2013
PINCC's model, Each one teach one/Train the trainer has been a gift to undeserved areas of the world over the years...a proven success at lowering the risk for at-risk women.

PINCC in El Salvador

11/11/10
Our incredibly multi-talented administrator, Carol C. doing health teaching with the women awaiting exams.

PINCC in El Salvador

11/11/2013
Our team of 9 arrived in Cacaopera, a first visit for PINCC, to discover an amazingly clean, well-organized, well-staffed and well-run public health outpatient clinic.
They had pulled out all the stops and pulled doctors/nurses from other areas to make this a successful teaching experience. The women came from miles around, some walking to arrive here. The message was definitely out there that this was an important opportunity for them. We were all very relieved and gratified at the end of the day.

The Garden

The Garden: Dagapur Tea Estate, Siliguri, West Bengal, India.

The tea plantation is referred to by local residents as 'The Garden'. It is a beautiful place and a difficult place. A very good description of India herself.  

We have completed our week at the Dagapur Tea Estate. I am touched, inspired and deeply grateful for everyone who took part. Our remarkable team: Rhoda Nussbaum MD and John Adams PhD, the founders of PINCC, India. Ginger Ruddy MD the new medical director of PINCC. Debra Levinsky MD, Lauren Sokolik ARNP and myself Leonie Wolff RN, Vedic Master. We were joined by George Lewinsky, broadcast journalist for Link TV and David Betsill PhD.

PINCC was invited by Sumita Cancer Society (SCS) of Siliguri. We worked closely with the SCS President Papiya Sen and its founder MK Bhattacharjee. 'MKB' as he wanted us to call him, founded Sumita Cancer Society with his wife Sumita who passed away the same day it was dedicated. She died of ovarian cancer at age 27. Their vision was to offer education for cancer prevention and support for those living with cancer. Since Sumita's death in 2006 MBK has dedicated his life to this organization.

We were joined by volunteers from Sumita Cancer Society to assist us in all aspects of operating the clinic including administration, translators and of course the trainees in VIA. These mostly young, enthusiastic volunteers were eager to be trained and will provide a solid base as SCS continues to grow.  

And the reason we were all there… The women of Dagapur Tea Estate. These women live hard lives picking and processing tea. They live simply and almost all are illiterate. It took bravery and trust on their part as we offered them health exams they had never experienced. An uncomfortable and personally invasive exam searching for an ailment they could not see or feel. I will carry their eyes and smiles in my Heart always.

While the large majority of those who came to the clinic were tea workers we had several members of the Sumita Cancer Society also get screened. And the day after the district director of the local police came by to see our camp, several women police officers came for VIA. 

Bikram, the manager of the Tea Garden, partnered with Sumita Cancer Society to be the host site. His wife Sarvaprit, who is a school teacher in town, was the first person screened. The final evening they had us to their home for a celebration that included fireworks and a campfire. 

We screened over 200 women in our 4 day camp and had surprising results. Cryotherapy was only required on 2 women. And no LEEP. These women were remarkably healthy! This is of course great news for their community although it decreased the opportunities for trainings. Pap and biopsy results will be interesting to receive.

We left with strong ties with the members of Sumita Cancer Society and the local community. We are optimistic that the PINCC program will continue to be supported and grow.  

The photos of the Dagapur Tea Estate site include views of the clinic, tea plantation, some of our PINCC team and India volunteers. 

-- 

What happens when your soul begins to awake in this world... To your deep need to love & serve life? Oh, The Beloved will send you... Wonderful & Wild companions!  ~Hafiz

Leonie Wolff RN LMT Vedic Master

PINCC in El Salvador

11/10/2013

We had a sweet rest (with hot showers!) at the lovely Casa Tazumal in San Salvador before heading out today for the long trip to Cacaopera ...in the mountainous rainforest near the Honduran border.  We are all very up for a rewarding week with the women of Cacaopera

Two Leaves and a Bud

Our PINCC team is offering a cervical cancer screening clinic this week at the Dagapur Tea Estate Plantation. It is located in the city of Siliguri, West Bengal, India. People live and work on the plantation, often for generations. Their work consists of tending, harvesting and processing Darjeeling Tea which is sold around the planet. We are told they make approximately $1.50 per day. The plants are over 85 years old. To sustain the health and productivity of the tea bushes, the workers pick only 'two leaves and a bud'. 

I (Leonie Wolff RN, Vedic Master) am currently training with Lauren Sokolik ARNP to be the co-administrators of PINCC India. We are following in the footsteps of John Adams who is leaving us with an extraordinary wealth of planning and experience. He makes our way so much easier.

Our clinic is being held at the Dagapur Tea Estate Hospital, a health care building that offers good space for us to work in. But before we arrived the 'hospital' was empty of anyone to offer services. I am not sure for how long but "the doctor went away". Our 'administrative office' for this clinic is on the front porch and front yard. It is where we and our Sumita Cancer Society volunteers register, offer pre-exam education and post exam teaching. As our table is on the porch I have a beautiful view of the tea plantation and can watch the comings and goings of both the women attending clinic and all the people of the plantation community as they move about their day. 

These people live in an interestingly sheltered and beautiful world compared to many of the poor and urban residents of Siliguri. The tea plantation is beautiful and due to the sheer size expansively empty compared to the crowded conditions in the city. 

I notice the people of this community intently watching us. I imagine we must look like alien space visitors. I place myself in their eyes. The empty 'hospital' building is cleaned up and full of life (it is quite apparent it looked different before our arrival, the ditch in front of it is the only clean one in the area and the grounds have been racked and weeded). And although we wear the clothes of India to 'fit in' we are well fed, white people. The iPhone I take photos with represents what would take years for them to pay for and for these illiterate people, unimaginable technology. We pull out 'snacks' from our bags and drink water from bottles that to them represent a wealth of nourishment. As intently as they examine me, I wonder of life in their world.  

I meditate every morning and set an intention for the day. My intent is connection. Today is the third day of clinic. The first day I was distracted by establishing 'the process'. At one point (too) late in the day, I slowed myself down to look into eyes. Yesterday was better… Today will be even better. Today I also am bringing them some snacks. We are treated like special guests. Tea is served to us on a regular basis, I want to serve them. 

We arrive with our western time tables and expectations. We arrive with goals and expected outcomes. They are teaching me… Two leaves and a bud. Pinch off just a bit. That allows the plant to continue to grow and even thrive. For many of them I will be the first western woman's eyes they have ever looked into. I will be the first white woman who they ever touched as I offer my hands to them in namaste. My intent is simple. Connection. Namaste.

--
What happens when your soul begins to awake in this world... To your deep need to love & serve life? Oh, The Beloved will send you... Wonderful & Wild companions!  ~Hafiz

"This Is India!"

This is PINCC's first week of training at the Sumitra Cancer Society and 8 of us have survived the 24 hour + travel to reach a remote part of Northeastern India. We look at one another, exhausted, but enthused to be here "We Made It!" was exclaimed. After 2 months of roadblocks getting our newly required employment VISAs for volunteer work in India, I think we were all in a state of disbelief that we were really here. "T-I-I," our courageous and dedicated leader Rhoda Nussbam, MD reminds us, "This Is India."

 

Our first day was an auspicious one, arriving in time for Diwali, the country's well-known festival of lights, celebration, family, and FIREWORKS! The hotel had a delightful celebration that we were included in, a festive way to kick off the first week of training at this new site.

 

Today was our first day of official meetings and we were impressed by the preparedness of our Sumitra Counterparts- photocopies have been made, supplies gathered, trainees prepared, and the clinic organized for the camp- so far things are going smoothly. The Sumitra Office is a buzz of activity today as introductions are made, to-do lists are reviewed, and chai is served in small Dixie cups. We all start to relax a bit more as we gain confidence in the Sumitra organization's ability to meet our expectations for the camp.

 

This trip has special implications for PINCC India, in that the husband and wife team leaders who initiated PINCC's work in India about 5 years ago, Rhoda Nussbaum and John Adams, are passing the baton to a new group who will be taking over the India programs from here on out. John and Rhoda successfully developed two Cervical Cancer screening programs during their tenure and women's lives continue to be saved thanks to their dedication and expertise in medicine, organizational development, and persistence to work through the ever present challenges of working in India- "T-I-I!"

~Lauren Sokolik, MSN, FNP, Training for Administrative Role for PINCC India

Nov 4, 2013

John and Rhoda Celebrating Diwali Festival of Lights

Day One: Siliguri, West Bengal, India: Core Team Members