Today was day 5 in Matamoros.
Courtnay arrived! Our Hands on Global team is all here, and so excited to be partnering with Global Response Management. Hands on Global facilitated our members to be here, and donated much needed medications, supplies, toys for the kiddos, and an open-sided replacement tent to shield from the sun and rain in our clinic space. It has all been appreciated!
Today was busier still, we are still in a lull of flu thankfully but lots of coughs and colds, diarrhea and dehydration, malnutrition, ptsd, people who have travelled far and are now stopped unexpectedly without sufficient medications for their medical problems including epilepsy, depression, and heart conditions.
We wrapped up clinic and walked back across the bridge to the US, past lines of people that happened to be born in a different country than myself, at the mercy of mercurial rules, administrations, and man made lines and borders. I was reminded acutely of my privilege and this quote by Ijeoma Oluo:
“When we identify where our privilege intersects with somebody else’s oppression, we’ll find our opportunities to make real change.”
Photo: Courtnay, Lauren and myself
Post by: Leslie Gibbs, Nurse Practitioner
