Impact Belize

College of Health and Human Services International Service Learning Program: Gales Point, Belize

Jordan Norris et al. — Fri, 07 May 2010 15:55:15 PDT

IMPACT Belize 2010 Executive Report

Ritchie D. Taylor et al. — Fri, 07 May 2010 15:55:14 PDT

Belize as a Classroom

Jordan Norris et al. — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 13:59:35 PDT

During the week of January 7-14, 2010, Molly Calico and Jordan Norris participated in the Impact Belize program through the College of Health and Human Services. This program took place in Gales Point, a rural, underserved community in Belize. Impact students provided medical, dental and public health services to the community in an interdisciplinary service-learning format. As Master of Public Health students, Molly and Jordan directed health education initiatives and served on the Leadership Team for the program. Having participated in January of 2009 as well, Molly and Jordan were well prepared to conduct public health research and to assume leadership roles within the program. By immersing themselves in the Belizean culture, they saw first-hand the relevance and application of health behavior theory and were able to recognize the importance of tailoring interventions to fit the needs of a particular community. Because Molly and Jordan had previously participated in the program, they were able to build upon the relationships they had made in the community, allowing them to successfully accomplish their research objectives. As leaders in the program, Molly and Jordan participated in meetings with the WKU faculty, the Ministry of Health and community representatives. They were able to develop a deeper, more meaningful understanding of public health and its relationship to politics, economics, and international affairs. Their experiences in Belize have enriched their education and have helped to shape their personal and career goals.

Environmental Health Service Learning and Water Quality in Gales Point, Belize

Ritchie D. Taylor et al. — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 14:49:58 PDT

Belize is a country in Central America, formerly British Honduras, located south of Mexico and east of Guatemala on the Yucatan Peninsula. As part of the WKU International Health and Human Service Learning Program, an assessment of the local water supply in Gales Point, Belize was conducted. Gales Point is a small rural village located on the Caribbean Sea coast of Belize. Belize is a developing country thus access to safe drinking water can be problematic, as was observed on the local scale. The lack of technical, managerial and financial capacity coupled with the rural location of the village, create water resource management challenges. The service learning program provided medical, dental, and environmental health services to the community. The environmental health team has collected source water and drinking water samples over a three year period. Quamina Creek, the sole source of public water for this community has been found to be contaminated with fecal coliform bacteria and E. coli. This water is pumped directly into homes completely untreated. The overarching purpose of the drinking water assessment was for the environmental health team to identify possible solutions for the protection and provision of safe drinking water to rural villages in Belize. Working with the Ministry of Health, Water Quality Branch, the environmental health team is developing strategies for capacity development of rural water systems in Belize from the national to village scale.

Southern Lagoon and Village of Gales Point, Belize, CA: Water uses, water quality, and potential health impacts

Rasmi Nair et al. — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 11:09:04 PDT

An International Health Service Learning Program, Impact Belize 2010, was conducted by Western Kentucky University. Faculty and students worked closely with Gales Point villagers to gain an insight into the use of Southern Lagoon. The objective of the study was to assess fecal coliform levels in Southern lagoon, its primary and secondary contact use by villagers and its potential impact on health. Study methodology involved collection of water samples, both near shore and offshore, in the lagoon and incubating them using ColiQuant EZ method approved by EPA. A questionnaire was administered to villagers attending the WKU clinic to collect data regarding the use of the lagoon and associated health problems. The range of fecal coliform levels near shore was 5501 – 6284 (95% CI) Colony Forming Units (CFU)/100 ml of water and offshore was 566 – 1065 (95% CI) CFU/100 ml of surface water. Secondly, 74% of the respondents stated that they use the lagoon, of which 56%, 10% and 33% of the people used it for primary, secondary or both purposes respectively. Results indicated that 77% of the participants reported having health problems, including respiratory illnesses or skin, eye and ear problems. Preliminary data demonstrates that contamination of the lagoon may affect the health of Gales Point villagers.