Submitted by Catherine Gehringer on the 2017 summer session program in Peru sponsored by the School of Nursing…
My final week with UD Nursing in Peru was filled with various emotions including happiness and a longing to spend a few more days in the sacred valley. We spent the last week completing our health teaching project which included stopping at a local community to teach about hand washing, teeth brushing, daily water intake, re-hydration, and teratogens to avoid before getting pregnant. We offered the community time to ask us questions about their health and we’re happy to give them more information and resources. A lot of the women were shy to discuss their health concerns at first and it was important to be culturally sensitive to their needs in order to maintain their well being. Although the community we helped was small, we made a difference in their lives by showing an interest in their health and spending time with them. The most important thing I learned on this program was that everyone can make a difference no matter how small and when knowledge is shared with others it has the power to change the world!
We ended the program by touring one of the seven wonders of the world, Machu Picchu! Rooted in rich, Inca history, it was a breathtakingly wonderful experience.