Sally Furniss
Well-known member
Leduc team fighting ?kissing bug? in Bolivia
Group will build new roofs for homes in impoverished village
Posted By Alexandra Pope
It might sound hard to believe, but in some parts of the world, a kiss can be deadly.
In Bolivia ? the poorest country in South America ? almost half the population is at risk of developing a disease that can dramatically shorten their lifespan, all because of the ?kiss? of an insect called the vinchuca.
Over the next two weeks, seven men from the Leduc Community Baptist Church (LCBC) will do their part to protect the people of a small mountain village from the vinchuca?s deadly kiss. Often, it?s as simple as removing the vinchuca?s preferred habitat: the thatched roofs common to many dwellings in Bolivia?s poorest regions.
Project spokeman Tim Kerber explained the vinchuca is called the ?kissing bug? because it tends to bite a person?s face while they are sleeping. The insect?s feces contain parasites that can get into the bite wound when the person scratches it. The parasite causes a disease called Chagas, which is barely noticeable at first but over time causes damage to the intestines and heart.
There is no reliable treatment for Chagas, and because the initial symptoms of infection are generic and mild, the disease is often not diagnosed until it?s too late.
The only way to fight Chagas disease is to prevent people from contracting it in the first place ? but in Bolivia, where the average daily income is $2, even making basic modifications to a home is out of the question for many people, Kerber said.
?They simply don?t have the resources to do anything like upgrading their homes,? he said.
The LCBC is a part of Canadian Baptist Ministries (CMB), which has a century-old relationship with Bolivia that is continued today through Sharing Way, the CBM?s humanitarian relief and development department.
?They have identified this problem (with Chagas) and have decided to make it a priority,? Kerber said.
Kerber and his team departed for Bolivia on Feb. 5 and will stay for two weeks. While there, they will work in a town of 8,000 people called Mizque, retrofitting 12-15 houses with tin roofs.
?(Mizque) is basically a mountain village, with clay houses and thatched roofs,? Kerber said. ?It?s kind of like walking backwards in history.?
All the materials for the retrofits will be supplied locally, and the Leduc team will be working closely with the local residents to complete the project.
?It?s not a kind of, ?Hey, us smart white guys are coming to help you? scenario that sometimes happens,? Kerber said. ?We?ll be working with Bolivian nationals ? (and) the homeowners are also required to work with us.?
When the team isn?t working, they will have plenty of opportunities to visit with the residents and learn about the Bolivian culture.
?The intention is really to give us a chance to connect with the people and find out about what life is like there for them,? Kerber said.
Kerber said the experience will also be an opportunity for the men to challenge their assumptions about how people live.
?I think it?s easy for us here to believe that our life is everyone?s life,? he said. ?We don?t see problems visibly (in Leduc). This is a way for us to realize what is really going on in the world and translate it here.?
If you would like to follow the team?s adventure, visit their blog at www.lcbcbolivia09.blogspot.com.
http://www.leducrep.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1421688
Group will build new roofs for homes in impoverished village
Posted By Alexandra Pope
It might sound hard to believe, but in some parts of the world, a kiss can be deadly.
In Bolivia ? the poorest country in South America ? almost half the population is at risk of developing a disease that can dramatically shorten their lifespan, all because of the ?kiss? of an insect called the vinchuca.
Over the next two weeks, seven men from the Leduc Community Baptist Church (LCBC) will do their part to protect the people of a small mountain village from the vinchuca?s deadly kiss. Often, it?s as simple as removing the vinchuca?s preferred habitat: the thatched roofs common to many dwellings in Bolivia?s poorest regions.
Project spokeman Tim Kerber explained the vinchuca is called the ?kissing bug? because it tends to bite a person?s face while they are sleeping. The insect?s feces contain parasites that can get into the bite wound when the person scratches it. The parasite causes a disease called Chagas, which is barely noticeable at first but over time causes damage to the intestines and heart.
There is no reliable treatment for Chagas, and because the initial symptoms of infection are generic and mild, the disease is often not diagnosed until it?s too late.
The only way to fight Chagas disease is to prevent people from contracting it in the first place ? but in Bolivia, where the average daily income is $2, even making basic modifications to a home is out of the question for many people, Kerber said.
?They simply don?t have the resources to do anything like upgrading their homes,? he said.
The LCBC is a part of Canadian Baptist Ministries (CMB), which has a century-old relationship with Bolivia that is continued today through Sharing Way, the CBM?s humanitarian relief and development department.
?They have identified this problem (with Chagas) and have decided to make it a priority,? Kerber said.
Kerber and his team departed for Bolivia on Feb. 5 and will stay for two weeks. While there, they will work in a town of 8,000 people called Mizque, retrofitting 12-15 houses with tin roofs.
?(Mizque) is basically a mountain village, with clay houses and thatched roofs,? Kerber said. ?It?s kind of like walking backwards in history.?
All the materials for the retrofits will be supplied locally, and the Leduc team will be working closely with the local residents to complete the project.
?It?s not a kind of, ?Hey, us smart white guys are coming to help you? scenario that sometimes happens,? Kerber said. ?We?ll be working with Bolivian nationals ? (and) the homeowners are also required to work with us.?
When the team isn?t working, they will have plenty of opportunities to visit with the residents and learn about the Bolivian culture.
?The intention is really to give us a chance to connect with the people and find out about what life is like there for them,? Kerber said.
Kerber said the experience will also be an opportunity for the men to challenge their assumptions about how people live.
?I think it?s easy for us here to believe that our life is everyone?s life,? he said. ?We don?t see problems visibly (in Leduc). This is a way for us to realize what is really going on in the world and translate it here.?
If you would like to follow the team?s adventure, visit their blog at www.lcbcbolivia09.blogspot.com.
http://www.leducrep.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1421688