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Making “Kissing Bug” Proof Houses! – Almolonga

Making “Kissing Bug” Proof Houses! – Almolonga

In Almolonga, Guatemala, in March, Dr. Patricia Dorn and her parasitology class from Loyola University spent time teaching residents how to make their houses “kissing bug”- proof.  According to Dr. Dorn, the class worked on a house inhabited by a  75  year-old widow. “We improved her house and the students were able to see how the people here live,” recounted Dr. Dorn who works in partnership with other universities and KFWH to prevent the spread of Chagas disease. Their team is working on a film that documents their work in Guatemala. A calendar was distributed to the villagers as a reminder of the work toward Chagas disease. KFWH supplies money for paint, cement, chicken wire, and personnel for the project....

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Students Receive Letter from Dr. Dorn!

Students Receive Letter from Dr. Dorn!

This is the letter that the KFWH Chapter at Murray Avenue School received from Dr. Dorn after donating money to fund nutrition packets for women who are being treated for Chagas Disease. Dear Students: I want to thank-you very much for your generous donation of $5,000 to help eliminate Chagas disease. As you know, it is the most serious parasitic disease in Latin America and many people suffer and die from this disease. The medication that is available causes troublesome side effects – one of these is that they lose so much weight they are not able to finish the treatment. Your donation means that the women receiving the treatment (they get treated first since they can pass the parasite on to their babies) will have adequate nutrition so that they can finish the treatment and hopefully be cured.  Many people in these villages don’t have enough to eat, especially this year as they have had a drought so the corn, used to make the tortillas, didn’t grow. The...

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Letter from the Field to KFWH Students!

Letter from the Field to KFWH Students!

This letter was sent to Dr. Dorn by a local worker named Antonieta to thank Murray Avenue school for supporting women with nutritional packets while being treated for Chagas disease in Guatemala. Gracias a tí Patricia por el cariño que le tienes a Guatemala y su gente, pronto entregaremos en Chiquimula.   POR FAVOR EXPRESALE NUESTRO AGRADECIMIENTO A LOS NIÑOS QUE APOYARON ESTO, HAN DADO MUCHA ALEGRÍA A MUCHAS PERSONAS. “Thanks to you, Patricia [Dr. Dorn], for the love that you have towards Guatemala and its people.  Soon we will deliver over in Chiquimula.  PLEASE EXPRESS TO THE KIDS OUR THANKS FOR SUPPORTING THIS.  THEY HAVE GIVEN MUCH HAPPINESS TO SO MANY PEOPLE. Greetings, Antonieta Aludos,...

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Murray Avenue KFWH Chapter Fundraisers Boost Efforts in Guatemala in 2015

Murray Avenue KFWH Chapter Fundraisers Boost Efforts in Guatemala in 2015

The Murray Avenue School KFWH Chapter of fourth and fifth graders held events that raised money for and awareness of Chagas disease. The events included a reading marathon, a pizza sale during a Science Fair event, and a cookies booth at the annual STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) Alliance regional gathering. The Chapter studied the work of Dr. Patricia Dorn, Professor at Loyola University in New Orleans. As their first priority, KFWH students chose to place their funds toward nutritional supplemental packets for women who suffer severe weight loss while undergoing treatment for Chagas disease. The students felt that helping with these packets would also help unborn children, since Chagas is transmitted from mother to child. Women tend to give their own packets to their children if there is little food or if they are too weak to cook, which creates further need for life-sustaining nourishment. Look at these photos of KfWH nutritional packets arriving in Jutiapa, Guatemala. Members of the community help to distribute the food bags to women of child-...

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