Health Matters!

Well, Casa Mosqoy has some happy news! Thanks to the LUSH funding we just received, we are able to provide professional psychologists to our students! In February, Cara and I began the process of interviewing potential candidates in Cusco. This past month, we were proud to announce to the students the availability of four incredible professionals. The students are now able to decide (based on personal preference) which psychologist they would like to meet with. Three of the four psychologists have already visited the house and have presented their experiences, both personal and professional. The most intriguing attribute of these professionals is that they come from completely different backgrounds. One of the female psychologists grew up in a small town in Puno and now lives in the city of Cusco, which is a story that many of the students who live in the house can relate to. Another male psychologist grew up in the city of Cusco, but has extensive experience working with adolescents who have found themselves in high-risk situations, or are simply struggling with complexities that arise during the teenage years.  All four psychologists have expressed their interest in providing workshops for our students. The workshop themes would include, for example, personal development and future life planning. With the extra professional support, our students will be better able to focus on their studies and on planning the futures they hope to have.

While on the topic of workshops, my nutrition workshop has been quite a success thus far. Although the workshop is originally written in English by the United States Department of Health and Human Services, I spent countless hours translating the information and have really enjoyed presenting it to the students. The entire project is composed of six different workshops, all with different themes that are meant to give the audience a new perspective on the food they eat. The themes are: Enjoy Healthy Food That Tastes Great; Quick and Healthy Meals and Snacks; Eating Healthy on a Budget; Tips for Losing Weight and Keeping It Off; Making Healthy Eating Part of Your Total Lifestyle; and Physical Activity is Key to Living Well. These workshops are meant to make the students more aware of the type of food they put into their bodies and what physical consequences might result due to overconsumption of certain elements or types of foods. Some of the activities in the workshops include creating and organizing a personal grocery list, counting how many spoonfuls of sugar are in a can of soda, and mixing different herbs and spices in olive oil (taste-tested with bread) to learn how to avoid salt and to cook instead with a variety of flavors. There are only three workshops left in the series, so we’ve still got a few more weeks of nutritional fun!

Although I am trying to spread nutritional consciousness throughout the house, I must admit that in February, we held two different activity nights that were a bit less than healthy. First, I planned a Valentine’s Day activity. We spent one night making an Oreo truffle version of a Hersey’s Kiss. The idea was to encourage family unity within the house by creating an assembly line process with an end product of Kiss-shaped truffles. Nataly was in charge of crushing the Oreos while Clayda, Cristian, Orlinda and Fernando mixed the crushed Oreos with cream cheese. With this mixture, everyone, including volunteers, helped to make the special treat to celebrate Valentine's Day. The next week, Katie organized a pancake night in honor of Pancake Day in the United Kingdom. We all had a blast teaching the students how to flip pancakes, which was the most challenging part of the whole process. All pancakes were served with bananas and maple syrup - something that the students tried for the first time that night.

While there has been a lot of positive activity in the house, Carmen unfortunately experienced an unlucky occurrence. While working on her family’s chakra (farm), she fell from a ladder and broke her wrist. Cara and I spent several hours in several hospitals trying to find her the best care possible. Thanks to some personal contacts, we were able to schedule her for an emergency surgery with one of the best trauma doctors here in Cusco. Carmen then decided to continue her recovery treatment with an herbal doctor in Urubamba. She still has a bit of limited movement in her wrist, but it seems to be recuperating well. Her broken wrist has given me and the other volunteers the opportunity to help out with cooking a bit. Katie, who lived in Italy for ten years, has been a great help in terms of creativity in the kitchen. Thanks to her, we have made really incredible, yet healthy meals that tie in well to the nutrition workshop themes I have been presenting. While Carmen recuperates, I hope to continue learning from Katie’s Italian-inspired cooking techniques. Everyone in the house knows that my cooking skills could use some help!



- Stephanie Smallshaw

Comments

  1. My life is beautiful thanks to you, Mein Helfer. Lord Jesus in my life as a candle light in the darkness. You showed me the meaning of faith with your words. I know that even when I cried all day thinking about how to recover, you were not sleeping, you were dear to me. I contacted the herbal center Dr Itua, who lived in West Africa. A friend of mine here in Hamburg is also from Africa. She told me about African herbs but I was nervous. I am very afraid when it comes to Africa because I heard many terrible things about them because of my Christianity. god for direction, take a bold step and get in touch with him in the email and then move to WhatsApp, he asked me if I can come for treatment or I want a delivery, I told him I wanted to know him I buy ticket in 2 ways to Africa To meet Dr. Itua, I went there and I was speechless from the people I saw there. Patent, sick people. Itua is a god sent to the world, I told my pastor about what I am doing, Pastor Bill Scheer. We have a real battle beautifully with Spirit and Flesh. Adoration that same night. He prayed for me and asked me to lead. I spent 2 weeks and 2 days in Africa at Dr Itua Herbal Home. After the treatment, he asked me to meet his nurse for the HIV test when I did it. It was negative, I asked my friend to take me to another nearby hospital when I arrived, it was negative. I was overwhite with the result, but happy inside of me. We went with Dr. Itua, I thank him but I explain that I do not have enough to show him my appreciation, that he understands my situation, but I promise that he will testify about his good work. Thank God for my dear friend, Emma, I know I could be reading this now, I want to thank you. And many thanks to Dr. Itua Herbal Center. He gave me his calendar that I put on my wall in my house. Dr. Itua can also cure the following diseases ... Cancer, HIV, Herpes, Hepatitis B, Inflammatory Liver, Diabetis, Bladder Cancer,Colorectal Cancer,HPV,Breast Cancer,Kidney Cancer,Leukemia,Lun,Fribroid,Infertility,Parkinson's disease,Inflammatory bowel disease ,Fibromyalgia, recover your ex. You can contact him by email or whatsapp, @ .. drituaherbalcenter@gmail.com, phone number .. + 2348149277967 .. He is a good doctor, talk to him kindly. I'm sure he will also listen to you.

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