Dee Smith was a student at St Mary’s College, Strawberry Hill from 1973-1976 and has maintained strong links with the college since her graduation. After several years teaching in western Kenya with VMM, Dee was appointed by Action Aid in the early 1980s to be their Field Officer with responsibility for a major education project for nomadic Pokot children in the Kerio valley. St Mary’s overseas charity, Strawberry Hill Overseas Concern (SHOC), has supported her work since the 1970s and is pleased to be associated with the Project Life Hospice Appeal.
Dee’s first posting as a Maryknoll Sister was to Guatemala where she joined a small team of health workers and sisters. Shortly after her arrival, she started Project Life. Today the Project Life team consists of two overseas sisters and 14 Guatemalans.
Project Life runs four HIV/AIDS linked programmes which provide:
Information and education relating to the prevention of HIV/AIDS
Health services for people living with HIV/AIDS
Laboratory testing for HIV with pre and post counselling
Psychological and social provision for those living with HIV/AIDS.
Since its opening, Project Life has dealt with over 1000 people, 60% of whom have been males. Currently it is treating many children under the age of five who are living with HIV, 90% of whom are between the ages of 15 and 44 years. Most of the people who visit the clinic are from the local Coatepeque area and the surrounding four coastal districts but some travel from the neighbouring state of San Marcos.
The distribution of HIV/AIDS within Guatemala, as in many countries, coincides with the commercial and migratory routes through the country. Coatepeque and Project Life are located at the epicentre of the infection and are in an almost ideal situation to meet local and wider needs.
Project Life has recently been donated two acres of land and is in the process of building a hospice for those individuals who have nowhere to go when they are terminally ill. These people include young women trapped in prostitution, individuals whose families have rejected them and people from other countries who are too sick to travel home.
The Project Life hospice involves the local community. Businesses, the Lions Club, Red Cross, the Ambulance Society and local Health centres are all involved. A local businessman has kindly donated the land for the proposed hospice.
The amount required to finance this initiative is £50,000. For full details of the new hospice or to make a donation click on the links above. |
