summer 2009
grassroots
Nonprofit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Raleigh, N.C. Permit No. 64
a publication of Curamericas Global, Inc.
Hope Through Health 2245 North Hills Drive, Ste E Raleigh, NC 27612 (919) 510-8787 fax (919) 510-8611 toll-free 1-877-510-4787
The Millennium Development Goals: Curamericas Global’s Role in Achieving the MDGs by Ira Stollak, MA, MPH
obstetric emergency response system utiliz-
In 1990, the General Assembly of
ing cell phones, renewable energy chargers,
Millennium Development Goals (MDG) .
the region’s rough jungle roads (see page 7
The heads of state of the nations of the
to learn more about the Nehnwaa project).
General Assembly pledged to join efforts
to attain eight goals by the year 2015:
and the Nehnwaa project both support
•
Goal 1- Eradicate extreme poverty
MDG 6 with their focus on preventing the
and hunger.
mother-to-child transmission of HIV. In
Goal 2- Achieve universal primary
addition, combating malaria, the number
education.
one killer of children in Liberia, is a heavy
Goal 3- Promote gender equality and
focus of the Nehnwaa project; the Nehn-
empower women.
waa teams have just finished their part in a
•
Goal 4- Reduce child mortality.
massive country-wide effort to distribute
•
Goal 5- Improve maternal health.
insecticide-treated mosquito nets, and they
•
Goal 6- Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria,
will be educating mothers to properly use
and other diseases. • •
Wes is the founder of a single specialty five physician group practice and was recognized this
Our new PEPFAR HIV project in Haiti
As community members in our Nehnwaa project area, this mother and child have access to curative and preventive services that will meet the MDGs and reduce their chance of disease and mortality.
the nets, and to recognize symptoms of
for development.
health education and direct curative ser-
daunting task. But with your help, Curameri-
Goal 7- Ensure environmental sustainability.
Dr. Wes Jones, a Charlotte native, obtained his undergraduate and all subsequent post-
graduate training from Duke University before moving to Fayetteville, North Carolina in 1983.
safe deliveries, and the deployment of an
and rugged 4WD vehicles to respond on
•
of traditional village midwives to do clean
the United Nations formally adopted the
•
Board Member Spotlight: Dr. J. Wesley (Wes) Jones, Board Chair
antenatal and post-partum care, the training
Goal 8- Develop a global partnership
malaria in their children and promptly seek treatment.
Attaining the MDGs by 2015 will be a
April as the Distinguished Citizen for Cumberland County by Boy Scouts of America.
The MDGs have become the guiding
vices to combat malaria, diarrheal disease,
cas Global and its partners in Bolivia,
principles for the concerted global efforts
and pneumonia, and to provide vital child-
Guatemala, Liberia, and Haiti are making
Bolivia, taking 250 youth and adults on his trips. Wes first joined the Curamericas Board of Direc-
of governments, international organiza-
hood immunizations against killers such as
an outstanding contribution to this unprec-
tors in 1988, returning to the Board in 2006 and became Board Chair in 2008. In the past nine
tions, and nonprofit organizations, including
measles, polio, and hepatitis.
edented global effort.
months, Wes has visited our projects in Bolivia, Guatemala, and Liberia.
Curamericas Global.
improve maternal health and reduce mater-
Spanning two decades, Wes has served as a short term medical volunteer making 18 trips to
In 2004, Wes joined 30 British and US physicians as guest lecturers for the first Iraqi Medi-
cal Specialty Forum in Baghdad. There Wes began writing his book on gastrointestinal health, Cure Constipation Now (July 2009). Information gleaned from his trips to Bolivia are high-lighted throughout his book and Wes hopes that an entirely new donor source for Curamericas
Dr. Wes Jones at our project in Guatemala reviewing vaccination records with Nurse Juani.
Our work in Bolivia, Guatemala, and,
Parallel to this has been our efforts to
most recently, Liberia and Haiti, squarely sup-
nal mortality, MDG 5. Our new birthing
port the efforts to attain MDGs 4, 5, and 6.
center in Calhuitz in Guatemala will provide
a safe clean place for women to deliver,
MDG 4, reducing child mortality, has
may be attained from grateful readers.
long been our paramount focus, dating
with ready access to emergency care, and
back to our original projects in the altiplano
the keystone intervention of the Nehn-
of Bolivia, and continuing through to our
waa project is reducing maternal mortality
volunteers and the value of CBIO, which inherently leads to community ownership of our projects, and ultimately long term sustain-
current Nehnwaa project in Liberia, where
in a country where the most dangerous
ability. Wes believes this means building social capital at its highest level (see article in Fall 2008 grassroots). Thank you, Wes, for your
our mobile primary health care teams
thing a woman can do is get pregnant. This
leadership and commitment to Curamericas!
and community health volunteers provide
intervention includes provision of timely
As recently pointed out by Dr. Henry Perry, III, what makes Curamericas unique is our blended emphases on work teams and
CBIO (Census-Based, Impact-Oriented) methodology. Our Board recognizes the transformational effects of first hand experiences for
in this issue: 2-3 News from Headquarters 4-5 Volunteers Keep Making a Difference 7 Meet our Nehnwaa Project Director 8 Board Member Spotlight
Curamericas Global, summer 2009
Curamericas Global, summer 2009
Coming Up at Curamericas Headquarters . . . Welcome to New Staff Member, Jaime Carrillo
More Ways you Can Help Support Curamericas:
Jaime Carrillo, MPH, joined our team this
asking your HR department if your employer will match your contribution. Doubling
May as our new Program Specialist. He last
your money will make twice the difference and volunteers can receive employer
functioned as the International Affairs Advisor
matching gifts as well. Call us toll-free for more information at 1-877-510-4787.
to the State Health Department’s Director in the Mexican state of Nayarit. He is a Medical Doctor trained in Mexico with an MPH from Loma Linda University in California. He comes with extensive experience in Community Health, primarily reaching out to minority groups in Southern California, and International Health, serving in Central America and Southeast Asia. Welcome, Jaime! Curamericas is Getting a Makeover Our new website is coming! Check back this fall to see our brand new look. www.curamericas.org.
Corporate Matching Gift Programs Any time you give a gift to Curamericas, you may be able to double your money by
iGive. Do you shop for gifts or everyday items online? If so, visit www.iGive.com/Curamericas to support Curamericas while purchasing items for you or for a loved one. iGive. com is connected to over 700 stores including Best Buy, Apple Store, Barnes & Noble, 1-800-FLOWERS, drugstore.com, Expedia, and hundreds more, and donates a portion of each purchase to Curamericas, at no extra charge to you. But ONLY if you go to our page above. You may even save money or get free shipping! Create Your Own Project! High school student Megan Carroll researched world hunger and raised $1,300 at the same time for her trip to Bolivia with Curamericas. What can you do? The possibilities are endless!
Learning More about our Projects Wells and Latrines: Providing Safe Water
Have You Seen Curamericas in
to Save Lives
Your Inbox?
Curamericas is now sending monthly e-
The need for safe drinking water and sanitation
Meet Allen: Nehnwaa Child Survival Project Director A Q&A session with our Liberian Child Survival Project Director, Allen Zomonway How long have you worked in community health? I have been working with the community since 1991. What is the greatest challenge for health care in Liberia? The greatest challenges for health care in Liberia are the bad road conditions, and the complexity of the culture. What are three great needs for the project? Three great needs for our project in Liberia are strong vehicles, provision of safe drinking water to the communities that we serve, and training for staff. What is your favorite part about working with mothers and children? I like to see them healthy, happy, and active. How have your own friends and family participated in the project? My friends and family give me emotional support which gives me strength. My family allows me to spend most of my time away from them due to my job.
What would you like our supporters in the United States to learn about Liberians? I would like for the supporters in the US to know that their money is restoring hope and health for the Liberian women of child bearing age and children here in Liberia. What is your favorite fun activity and local food? My favorite fun activity is joke to make my staff happy as they are always out on the field. I love eating GB. GB is the second staple food in Nimba and is prepared from cassava root.
URGENT NEED! Vehicle/Ambulance Needed for Liberia
to reduce the extremely high rates of infant and child
prefer to receive updates electronically, let us
deaths in Liberia. The current water and sanitation situ-
know at info@curamericas.org or sign up
ation contributes greatly to child deaths and illnesses
online at www.curamericas.org.
such as chronic diarrhea.
“Children will continue to die from diarrhea in the
developing world,” says Curamericas Global Senior Program Specialist Ira Stollak. “But what happens even By supporting Curamericas you can help this young boy and his family have access to sanitary bathroom facilities and safe water for drinking.
more often is that chronic diarrhea prohibits the normal development of children below the age of five, leading to malnutrition, depressed immune systems, and impeded brain development that can be irreparable.”
An estimated three fourths of the more than 280,000 people in our proj-
ect area do not have access to any type of latrines or bathroom facilities.
“Latrines are absolutely essential to break the cycle of disease transmission,” says Stollak.
It takes only about $100 to build one latrine that will save dozens of lives. Your contributions help provide safe water through our child survival project in Liberia. To provide Mother and baby waiting to be vaccinated in Guatemala.
hands-on support for this effort, contact volunteer@curamericas.org. 2
Update On Haiti By Jaime Carrillo, MPH Our HIV prevention project in Haiti has launched successfully. “Staff and patients have reacted very positively to the project and we trust we will meet the objectives as planned” said Dr. Antoine Augustin, Director
facilities has been identified as a top priority in the fight
newsletter updates to our supporters. If you
Allen Zomonway, Nehnwaa Child Survival Project Director, during a training in November.
This is the only emergency response transport for our project area that will cover more than 135,000 beneficiaries under the Nehnwaa Project. Read below to learn about the need for a second vehicle
The vehicle that you see above is currently the only way to transport emergencies to the hospital or to take our teams into the villages. Our phased child survival project will be adding two more teams of seven workers beginning October 1, 2009, and we need $40,000 to purchase a sturdy vehicle in Liberia that can withstand the rural terrain. We ask that your local civic organizations and/or your church help us with this urgent request. Please contact the Curamericas Global office for more information at info@curamericas.org or call us toll-free at 1-877-510-4787. 7
of MARCH, our partner organization. In the span of this three-year project, we expect to reach up to 100,000 women with HIV counseling and testing as well as other critical services. Special attention is given to expectant mothers in order to avoid transmission of the virus to their unborn children. Edutainment, an engaging and informative way of communicating, is a centerpiece in our community outreach efforts. Project beneficiaries are enrolled in a Managed Care Program, an innovative approach to HIV prevention that allows us to track beneficiaries and provide the support to avoid this dreadful ailment.
Curamericas Global, summer 2009
Curamericas Global, summer 2009
Honorarium and Memorial Donations
A Letter from the Executive Director
A gift to Curamericas Global in honor of or in memory of someone is such a thoughtful tribute. Use the attached envelope to let someone know you’re thinking of him or her. Nat Robison
Teresa Wolf
Fern C. Culbreth
Dr. and Mrs. Lee R. Hougen Henry, Baker, and Luke Perry
Rachel LaBruyere Rev. David Wolf
Dr. Wes and Lucy Jones
Amber Rudder Teresa Wolf
Alice Woodard
Barbara C. Robison
Shields and Martha Edens Clark Samuel Jones
Kim Bourassa
Taylor Keeley
Rev. St. Clair and Yvette Moore
Kristine Trippodo
Shields and Martha Edens Clark
Tina Manis
Rev. Carl and Bette Shafter
Karen Melk and Timothy Johnson
Shields and Martha Edens Clark
In Memory Of
Cynthia Martinez
Rev. Thom and Karen Shafer & Family
Dr. Frank and Bessie Beck
Shields and Martha Edens Clark
Gregg Bishop
Karen and Richard Johnson
Carol Shelton
Walter F. Hunter
Loyde and Sarah Middleton
Mr. and Mrs. S.D. Reynolds
Dr. Frank M. Houser
In Honor Of
Carrie and Gavin Brown Rev. and Mrs. Robert M. Blackburn
Judith Bocangel
Kirk Jackson
Virginia Broiles Kirk Jackson
Nova Dickson Brown Mr. and Mrs. James W. Pace, Jr.
Maggie Carttar Barbara C. Robison
Laura M. Clark Teresa Wolf
Ruth Ann Caufield Shields and Martha Edens Clark Barbara C. Robison
Mary Darby Betty McDavit
Carole Deily Clara S. Deily
Renee Dillon Joyce Houser
Florence Francis Joyce Houser
Jack Gage Olivia Gage
Raymond Gagnon Rosemarie Guerette
Mary Garber Mara and Gary Garber
Camille and Red Hall David Ross Garr and Deborah Williamson
Juan Jose Hardy
Mr. and Mrs. Edwin L. Jones, Jr.
Teresa Wolf
Karen Melk
James Middleton
Amy Sirot
Maude Middleton
Karen Melk and Timothy Johnson
Marion S. Chamberlain
LeGrand and Jayne Smith
Patty Mintz and Greg Leiberknecht
Mr. and Mrs. Elton S. Smith
Anonymous
LeGrand and Jayne Smith
Vivian Mitchell
Evelyn Bertha Pace Strubinger
Philip K. Mitchell
Jill Nobles Teresa Wolf
Richard and Lila Palmiter Alan Palmiter
Beverly Parks Lorinda Parks
Lorinda Parks Rev. and Mrs. Roger A. Parks
Helena Peacock Barbara C. Robison
Pat Peacock Barbara C. Robison
The Smith Family
Teresa Wolf
Leslie Zalles Michael D. Zalles
Gary Meyer and Bindy Beck-Meyer
Shields and Martha Edens Clark Joyce Houser Falesha Houston Mr. and Mrs. Dan Moore
Sidney E. Manning Teresa Wolf
Anita Perry Patricia J. Hatinger
Mr. James W. Pace, III
Alberto H. Santana
Rev. Todd and Cristina Montero Stube & Family
Asuncion E. Santana
Shields and Martha Edens Clark Karen Melk and Timothy Johnson
Edward and Patricia Godin Chester and Madelyn Sadowski Anthony and Susan Smyczek
Cathy Ward
James C. and Neva M. Simms
Laura Sweet
Teresa Wolf
Dr. Roger Winsor
Marie R. Savoie
Bruce A. Simms David J. Simms
Dr. Michael Winsor
Ian Thompson
Ruth Marie Wolf
Beth Alexander
Teresa Wolf
Henry and Mirlene Perry
Curamericas Global’s Board of Directors
Lorinda Parks
J. Wes Jones, MD, FACP, AGAF
Henry Perry, MD, PhD, MPH
Luke W. Perry
Founder of Curamericas
Sandra Hartford
Buzz and Sandra Hartford Robert and Mary Etta King Baker, Patience, Holden, Chase and Kipenzi
Chair, Board of Directors Cape Fear Center for Digestive Diseases, Fayetteville, NC
Jessie Harper
Mr. and Mrs. Duane W. Wakefield
Mary Hartley Barbara C. Robison
D. Kevin Berchelmann Triangle Performance, LLC, Spring, TX
Jim and Patricia Raymond
Richard Fox, II
Nina Long
Victor and Iris Lynn Patterson Ruth Ann Caufield
Cheer Limited, Fayetteville, NC
Margot Houser
Ann T. Robison
Atlanta, GA
Barbara C. Robison
John Matheson, DDS,
Lourdes R. de Robison
Scully and Matheson, Asheville, NC
Katelyn Hennis
Joyce Houser
Brenda Jackson Kirk Jackson
Joyce F. Dillon Houser, PhD
Warmest regards,
Teresa M. Wolf, Executive Director
Robert and Mary Etta King Baker, Patience, Holden, Chase and Kipenzi
Tricia and Matthew Beaudoin
Dear Friends of Curamericas Global, It has been a year of beginnings so far with two new projects just getting off the ground, one new project in development, as well as continuing our supportive relationship with our partners in Bolivia and Guatemala. We are sharing information about all of these projects throughout this issue of Grassroots. In January, three of us from Curamericas Global went to India to develop a project with our new partner there, the Naujil Integrated Rural Project for Health and Development (NIRPHAD). The new project will be using the lessons learned in Latin America to lower mother and child death rates. We will be working with NIRPHAD in the Uttar Pradesh region, which has some of the highest child mortality rates in the world. Curamericas is currently submitting our project to several large funders and we will keep you posted on the results. In February, Board Members Dr. Wes Jones, Joyce Houser, and Dick Fox traveled to Liberia to see our new child survival project. They were extremely impressed with what has been accomplished so far and it was a delight to see them experience their first “African” welcome! Our Liberian team is making huge progress in establishing and implementing the first phase of our project in the Ganta region and we expect to hire and train the next team for Phase Two within the coming months. Also in February, our Haiti project commenced and we will be sharing a more in-depth update in the Fall edition of Grassroots. This new project is in partnership with an established organization called Management and Resources for Community Health (MARCH) and we are working to use our Census-Based, Impact-Oriented methodology to fight HIV/AIDS. Finally, with all that is happening “in the field,” we have some news at home as well. Our Raleigh office will be moving to a new location soon, still within the Raleigh area, and we will send you our new address this summer. Please keep us in mind as we stretch ourselves to help more people. Whether it is with our technical programs or our work teams, “we are doing all that we can, wherever we can, for all the people we can,” and we invite you to join us in our work.
Maternity Center Now Providing Services
The Calhuitz Maternity Center in Guatemala is now officially up and running and received its first mother in labor last month. In an area with severely limited access to modern medicine, the Center’s first labor was a perfect example of how this facility can mean the difference between life and death. The fourteen-year-old mother was brought to the Center by her family and her comadrona (traditional birth attendant), who knew about the facility’s services and recognized that help was needed for the complicated birth. Our trained local staff, realizing that the baby was poorly positioned, rushed the mother to the general hospital, five hours away, for an emergency C-section. Thanks to the assistance of all involved, mother and baby (a seven-pound boy) are doing well. Thank you to all of our volunteers and donors who helped to build this life-saving Center! See the Guatemala section of our website www.curamericas.org for more information on this project.
Board Members Visit Curamericas Project Sites
Future Generations, Baltimore, MD
Stephen Smith Wells Fargo Insurance, Charlotte, NC
Linda Velonis, CPA Los Angeles, CA
Teresa Wolf, ex officio Executive Director, Curamericas Global, Inc.
PHOTOS L-R: Joyce Houser visits an excited community group in Liberia; Linda Velonis in Guatemala with Country Director Dr. Mario Valdez; Dick Fox meets with Nehnwaa Team Water-Sanitation Officer Edwin Dologbay in Liberia.
Barbara C. Robison
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Curamericas Global, summer 2009
Curamericas Global, summer 2009
VOLUNTEER NEWS RECENTLY COMPLETED EXPEDITIONS
annual mission trip to the Kory Wawanaca Children’s Home in Tacachia, where they helped with farm work, painted a wall mural (with the help of several small hands), and organized a fun day of “Olympic” games for the children. Eighteen kids between the ages of 3 and 13 now live in the Home, making the volunteer experience absolutely unforgettable.
Thanksgiving Pilot Trip to Liberia Our first team expedition to Liberia in November helped to foster camaraderie with our new partners, aided in the launch our USAID-funded Child Survival Project, and yielded helpful feedback and enthusiasm for the future. We and our friends in Liberia would like to thank our pioneer volunteers who helped to pave the way for what we hope will be many more helpful and exciting expeditions!
CURRENT AND UPCOMING EXPEDITIONS June 2009 Pine Forest UMC Trip to Kory Wawanaca Children’s Home After a successful first trip last year, Pine Forest United Methodist Church of Goldsboro, NC will return to the little village of Tacachia, Bolivia this summer to volunteer for the Kory Wawanaca Children’s Home, which is now the permanent residency of 18 beautiful children.
January 2009 Elon University Service-Learning Program in Guatemala 19 Elon University students spent their 2009 Winter Term learning about international development, community health, and Mayan culture, while laying the foundation for a much-needed community training center in Calhuitz, Guatemala this January. The team built a wonderful relationship with the local community in an excellent example of what service-learning is all about. We look forward to working with Elon again next year.
July 2009 FUMC-Cary Youth Mission Trip to La Paz, Bolivia A youth team from First United Methodist Church of Cary, NC will take part in their third annual mission trip with Curamericas Global this summer, heading to the highlands of Bolivia to help our partner, CSRA, expand a health clinic into a hospital serving the poor, urban, indigenous population of El Alto - the slum city next to the capital city of La Paz.
March 2009 Volunteer Trip to Guatemala During our annual March trip to Guatemala, construction volunteers continued working on the community training center in Calhuitz, while medical volunteers facilitated educational workshops for local health workers and traditional birth attendants. The group also helped to vaccinate dogs and cats, took part in a local festival, and learned about traditional Mayan religious customs. Planning will soon begin for next year’s “alternative Spring Break” trip – open to students and professionals of all types. (Who says service-learning is just for school?)
September 2009 Christ UMC of Plano,TX Mission Trip to La Paz, Bolivia Christ United Methodist Church of Plano, Texas will return to La Paz from September 22nd to October 3rd to continue their long-time support of our local health partner, CSRA. The team will help with both construction and medical work and there are currently three spaces open for individual volunteers to join this team. Contact us at volunteer@curamericas.org for more information. Medical doctors and Spanish-speakers are especially helpful.
April 2009 Central UMC of Asheville Trip to Kory Wawanaca Children’s Home Central United Methodist Church of Asheville completed their
Perspectives: the View from our Volunteers
Sights Set on India
by Rainey Bezila, Student, Elon University
by Ira Stollak, MA, MPH
In 2007, Curamericas Global’s Board made a strategic decision to expand the reach of our programs into India. Vast areas of India’s north, especially the state of Uttar Pradesh, are still mired in horrific poverty, with very high child and maternal mortality. We found a promising local partner operating in Mathura District of Uttar Pradesh, the Indian non-profit organization Naujhil Integrated Program for Health and Rural Development (NIRPHAD). During our visit to India last January, we worked with NIRPHAD to design an innovative child survival project incorporating our CBIO methodology and the resources of both NIRPHAD and the Indian government. A proposal was submitted to USAID in February, and we expect to receive their decision this summer. Meanwhile, we are exploring other possible funding sources to help us realize this exciting new project. Check back for updates on
It is so easy to get caught up in the de-
mands of being a college student: exams, group projects, presentations, roommates, internships, resumes and cover letters. There is very little time to just stop and take a breath. After the first semester of my junior year, I found myself feeling the pressure more than ever. When I applied for my study abroad course, GST 242 Guatemala: Culture and Service, I wanted nothing more than to escape my life as a student confined to lectures and textbooks. I felt like Rainey’s teammate, Catie Hill, befriends a patient while assisting our local staff with my whole world had been boxed in and I was community health work. losing touch with the world beyond my campus. Curamericas was a new organization to me, but the idea of service and servicelearning certainly was not. I interned for a year in the Kernodle Center for Service Learning, the volunteer office at Elon University. I have done hundreds of hours of volunteer work, helped facilitate other student-initiated service projects, and have gone on service trips to the Dominican Republic and Malawi. Consequently, I did not expect that my time in Guatemala would challenge me any differently than my other service experiences already had. This is where my experience and knowledge met my naiveté. I was absolutely taken-aback by the level of commitment Curamericas has to creating mutual, respectful, strong and sustainable partnerships with communities. This is certainly a quality that sets it apart from other organizations that I have worked with. Because of Curamericas’ commitment to its partner communities, my class and I learned first hand that quality and effective sustainable development is, in fact, possible. Although it requires a tremendous amount of time and patience, a range of resources and a dedicated team on both sides, Curamericas is making change happen, and I became a part of it. My classmates and I not only worked in Calhuitz for one week, we became part of the community. It was one of the first times being on a service trip where I did not feel simply like a volunteer or an outsider. The people of Calhuitz made us feel like we were their relatives or old neighbors. I know that I would not have felt so accepted were it not for the commitment Curamericas has to their relationship with the Calhuitz community. It was obvious that the people of Calhuitz are proud of what they have built through this partnership and are excited about hosting future volunteers. I cannot wait to meet more of Curamericas’ partners on future expeditions because this is an organization that is living its mission. I truly believe in Curamericas and the change their work is creating. Thank you for letting me become part of the change.
this groundbreaking venture.
Happy relative with young child, photo taken during visit in February.
Looking for a Volunteer Opportunity?
PHOTOS L-R: Volunteer Nurse Mandy Wall makes a new friend in Liberia; Renee, 4, celebrates ‘Olympic Games Day’ at the Kory Wawanaca Children’s Home in Bolivia; A local Guatemalan woman gives student Jennifer Oseroff a traditional Mayan hairstyle during Elon University’s service-learning program last January; John Simmelink, a high school teacher, and Lisa Hartland, a university student and former Curamericas intern, build a community training center in Guatemala.
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Is your youth group, school, or mission committee looking for a volunteer opportunity? Curamericas Global, Inc. will work with your team leaders to plan a trip that best fits your skills, interests, and travel preferences. We set up all in-country travel arrangements, including meals, lodging, transportations, cultural activities, etc., and we send a facilitator with the team to translate and provide on-the-ground support. Our partners are in need of many different types of volunteer services. Visit our website www.curamericas.org or contact the volunteer program at volunteer@curamericas.org or call 919-510-8787 to find out if our program might be a good match for you. 5