Going where there is need
Going where there is need
Meeting someone else who went, served and made a difference. Why it is important, and our next steps.
My 90 days in Brazil has come to an end. Yuri and I are currently in Lethem, Guyana. A retired couple are staying at the hotel. He is a doctor from Canada. He came here to serve as the community physician. He traveled every 3 months through 40+ villages in the area providing medical care to the villages. He also served in the local hospital, and along with the minister of health planned a new hospital. He also mentored many local children into becoming doctors and nurses. He said the first time he went to the school, he asked the children “What do you want to be when you go up?” All said “I want to be a farmer like my dad.” Except one, who said “I want to be your driver.” He understood that the children knew no other way of life. I continued to visit and talk with the children and showed them, that they can learn other skills and be anything that want to be. He guided many of the local children to go to medical school. They all returned and became doctors and nurses in the hospitals and clinics in the area. He also encouraged several to go on for surgeon, OBGYN, and other specialties. This small community now has on of the best hospitals in the country. It all started with one man following God’s lead in going to a different country. When I told them what I do in Brazil, he said “Wow! Your story sounds so much like my story.”
As we have traveled, many of the parents have told us, they do not want their children in the same jobs. They know that their children can learn better skills and have a better life. But we also want to respect the culture of the community. We want to encourage the children to learn things that help their communities. There are so many skills and new technologies that can by used to build up the local communities.
We are taking digital literacy to communities that have only recently started getting cellular and wi-fi. Giving opportunities to learn about computers and mobile technology can have a major impact on their lives and communities. Even starting with how to find information online. A few years ago I visited a farmer who had recently planted coconut trees. He explained that once the trees mature, it will greatly increase his income. I couldn’t find anyone locally that knew how to start the trees, so he searched Google and found the information he needed. Likewise, the teachers in Tres Unidos found some simple electronics projects on YouTube. They learned and taught the children how to make simple circuits with batteries, switches, lights, and motors. They are looking forward to expanding into automation using Raspberry Pi’s so that they can become more energy efficient.
Some of the projects in Brazil we learned about and are working on include:
In Goiana
Raising money for the pastor to convert his car to natural gas which will save him much as he travels between the communities of the “Northern Forest” region.
Funding to help with their youth activity and events center.
Documenting the medical needs during the sugarcane harvest.
Early intervention and recovery programs.
In Tres Unidos
Technology, online and cultural literacy
Technology education so they can automate things to improve energy usage.
English language education
An tribal language dictionary app they want help learning how to develop.
And supporting other projects in the Amazonas region.
During the next several months that I will be spending out of Brazil we will be working on planning and fundraising. The primary vehicle for fundraising will be the consulting projects and map-based website/webapp tools we are developing. I have met a few people who have stories like mine, and I hope to encourage others through training to follow God’s tug on their hearts.
Please upgrade to paid membership or founding member to help support our projects. If you own a business or lead a group please consider purchasing a group subscription. More details and other options to support can be found at my website www.chetbailey.com. Any of these things help us help these communities.