My return to Sabana Grande, Nicaragua

December 16, 2013

What an incredible feeling, being back in beautiful Sabana Grande! Everything looks the same as when we were here in June, except wherever I look it feels comforting and familiar, rather than foreign and new. My classmate Molly and I arrived late last night, after a long 7-hour bus ride from Managua…we were delayed several hours by mechanical problems on the road…but we did arrive safely!

A local bus stops at the Pan-American Highway

We received a warm welcome into Vidalia’s home—maintaining the community’s reputation of kind and generous hospitality. The homestay is truly one of my favorite parts of this experience.

Our homestay sister, Tahiris, sitting with Rabito as he naps on a comfy sac of corn.

Today was my most anticipated day of the trip! I got to join a meeting held by the Cooperación Salud y Bienestar (Health and Welfare Cooperation). The Cooperation members include local brigadistas (human health workers) and promotores veterinarios (veterinary health promoters). Both parties are community-appointed, government trained, and volunteer their time to help improve the health of their community. 

From left to right: Doña Carmen (brigadista), Hilario (vet promoter), Maira (brigadista), and me!

Hilario teaching us how to make a supplemental nutritional block for cattle. Our photos will be used to make an illustrated step-by-step guide explaining the process—a valuable tool for Hilario to disseminate his knowledge to livestock owners in the community.

Today’s meeting was unique because it also included the leader of PSAE: Promotores Solares Agroecológicos (Agroecological Solar Promoters). It was a true One Health experience! I got to hear updates from each party, including both resolving and emerging health concerns, which directly shape the efforts of our project.

A cow grazing on open pasture, just before the rain began.

Exciting news—the brigadistas have reused the educational materials from our workshops in June in order to disseminate information about zoonotic diseases and sanitation techniques. I am so glad to learn they found our flyers useful for their own workshops in the community!   

Ocotal, Nicaragua (about a 30 minute bus ride from Sabana Grande). Interviewing a veterinarian in her clinic, where she sells veterinary products and examines domestic animals. We interviewed the only 3 veterinarians in Ocotal, gaining as much information as possible to better understand the local healthcare access and services.

Although it’s only my second time in the community, I feel very bonded to the Cooperación members. They are our primary collaborators in the community, and this stakeholder meeting gave Molly and me the opportunity to ask many follow-up questions regarding the efficacy of our workshops in June, the usefulness of monthly Cooperación meetings, and their desired collaborations with UC Davis in the future.

Hilario (vet promoter) and me assessing his cow (above) and calf (below).

Where I’m from, email, phone calls, and texts are the standard for communication. Being here, it is evident that nothing replaces a visit in person. Without easy access to Internet or even electricity in Sabana Grande, maintaining and strengthening our collaborations with local partners will require regular visits. I’m very thankful for this opportunity to return to Nicaragua and continue developing sustainable improvements to animal health and production.

This is already proving to be a very busy trip! The rest of our stay is packed with interviews, both in this community and surrounding towns. I look forward to sharing all of our updates with the rest of our veterinary team waiting for us in California, and seeing how all of this new information shapes our plans and efforts for the next visit!  

Written by Carolina Vicario, photos by Molly Liepnieks, UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine c/o 2016.