Francisco Carracedo Cosme is a young psychopedagogue and teacher specialized in physical education from Zamora, who participates this year with Juan Ciudad ONGD in the Castilla y León Youth Solidarity Program-2017, at the San Juan de Dios Clinic in Piura (Peru).
As part of this program, Francisco is participating as a volunteer in the months of September and November 2017, in the Juan Ciudad ONGD project. “Health promotion and integration of children with disabilities in Piura (Peru)” Funded by the Regional Government of Castile and León. This project aims, in addition to supporting the social and health activities carried out by the centers, to raise awareness and educate for the development of our societies through knowledge of other realities and cultures and the solidarity experiences fostered by this volunteer work.
The San Juan de Dios Clinic in Piura It is a non-profit charitable institution belonging to the Hospitaller Order of Saint John of God, specializing in Physical Medicine and Comprehensive Rehabilitation. For over 28 years, the clinic has provided medical care in the rehabilitation of children and adults with neurological, physical, psychological, and other conditions, guaranteeing quality and a humanized approach to service.
The Order of Saint John of God in Peru and the management of this Clinic, led by Mr. Dante Garcés Abendaño (Administrative Director) and Brother Benigno Chahuillco (Executive Director), make it possible for young volunteers to participate in the center's activities through projects like this one.
Francisco has sent us some photos of his experience there, and tells us about his experiences and his voluntary participation at this center:
I am currently volunteering in the psychopedagogy department at the San Juan de Dios Clinic in Piura, northwest Peru. This clinic offers support to low-income children with disabilities.
Economic inequalities are evident in this area, and there is a significant gap between the school and health care available to low-income families and those who can afford better care for their children. All of this reflects the profound need for care experienced by the most disadvantaged people in Piura.
The number of families coming to the San Juan de Dios Clinic in Piura is overwhelming; the clinic's schedule is usually full for each of its services (psychology, speech therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, and psychology). Furthermore, many families travel long distances on roads in poor condition (largely due to the "El Niño" phenomenon that emerged in January of this year) to attend therapy.
These children often live very difficult realities, and their families often find themselves with a child who doesn't attend school, and with whom they don't know how to deal due to their lack of knowledge of the disease itself. It is appropriate, on the one hand, to provide families with educational guidelines, so we can move forward in a common direction, and on the other, to provide emotional and sentimental support, which increases the patients' expectations, hope, and confidence in a promising future.
Finally, I would like to highlight the care provided in the psychopedagogy department of this clinic, which entails highly specific and individualized training and close, personalized monitoring of the development and progress of the patients treated. This is due in large part to the diverse range of disorders and pathologies these patients experience, and the diverse family circumstances in each case.
Photos and testimony: Francisco Carracedo. SJD Clinic, Piura.
By: JCONGD Volunteer Department.
