Doctor Leads Mission
To Costa Rica
By Amber Marra
STEPHENS CITY -- The people of El Rodeo,
Costa Rica, do not have much. For two hours
each day they can get clean water, but they
have no electricity and are submerged in
darkness every night, according to the
service organization Plan B Arquitectura.
They also have no paved roads to properly
reach the rest of the small country in
Central America.
This complete seclusion from society results
in extreme poverty. Sixty-three percent of
the population of 400 is children, many of
whom live in small, dirt-floor shanties with
the rest of their families.
When Dr. Charles Middelhof, of Valley Family
and Procedural Medicine in Stephens City,
learned of the conditions in portions of his
wife's native country, he decided he had to
take action.
"We believe here, when you're blessed,
you're to give back," he said.
And today, he'll get to do just that as he,
his staff at the clinic, and several other
volunteers are scheduled to travel to El
Rodeo to bring aid to a community in need.
The group of 26 will fly into San Jose,
Costa Rica, travel to the colony and stay
there until Feb. 28. They will team up with
the efforts of Plan B Arquitectura.
"We've been formulating a plan of what we
can do where we can have the most impact on
the most pressing needs," said Cameron
Burkholder, a nutritionist from the clinic
going on the trip.
Middelhof's team plans on addressing each
area of concern while they are in El Rodeo,
including the construction of a concrete
road.
The main point of constructing the road is
not only for the people within El Rodeo to
access the outside world, but also to pave
the way for further help that may want to
come in.
"This community is isolated socially and
culturally, and constructing this concrete
road will help the community meet its daily
needs and allow future projects to come in,"
Burkholder said.
The road will also come with the challenge
of installing an electrical system along it
so the residents have a safer environment to
walk around at night, when they face what
Middelhof calls "sub-human conditions."
Finally, the team will work on erecting
water towers as a constant water source
throughout the village.
While they are conducting all of these
outreach efforts, there will also be free
medical care provided to residents.
The team will also be bringing 18 bags of
various donated supplies from businesses
such as Stephens City Outlet and Just
Country Living, as well as several patients
of the clinic.
"We're just overwhelmed with getting the
supplies together and putting it all in
suitcases," Burkholder said.
"Our patients have just been spectacular
about donating."
Though Projecto Costa Rica, as the effort
has been dubbed, will only be in El Rodeo
for nine days, Middelhof, his family and the
rest of the volunteers hope to establish a
long-standing relationship with the
community.
"I'm not sure if there's a whole lot as a
lawyer I can do, but I'm willing to offer
personal, physical labor. ... It should be a
really good mission trip," said Phil
Griffin, a Winchester attorney who is
traveling with the group. |
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