San Carlos Health Center
Project Update Spring 2011
The construction of the San Carlos Health Center began on March 14th. The walls are almost up! Unfortunately there have been obstacles to overcome, primarily the failure of the Office of the Mayor of León to pay workers on time. (See Spring Newsletter). This caused some delays in construction, and has been a reminder to us of the labor abuses that workers experience every day in Nicaragua.
PML is supplying the building materials and leadership support to the local community leaders. We are now back on schedule and seeing steady progress!
We continue to be inspired by the dedication of the volunteers from the communities of San Carlos and El Pilar who, in some cases, have dedicated over a week of their time to assist the construction workers in order to help move the project along faster. Jonathan, an 8-year-old community member, stood by to take care of the construction materials on a day that the construction crew was not able to arrive. Doña Petrona, another community member, has been helping mix cement and provide snacks for construction workers. We are hoping the construction will be completed mid-May. Stay tuned for further updates!
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Current Goals
Project Minnesota-León is currently fundraising to purchase tables and chairs for the facility. In the future, the Ministry of Health will assume responsibility for financing and operating the Health Center.
History of Project
San Carlos is a rural community seven kilometers outside of León. In 2008, residents of San Carlos identified a need for a health center in their community. Two years of cooperative planning between the community of San Carlos and PML has resulted in a plan of action.
On September 7, 2010, PML signed a covenant of cooperation with the Office of the Mayor, the community of San Carlos, and the Ministry of Health to construct the San Carlos Health Center. Once operational, the clinic will provide free and accessible health care and preventative treatment to reduce the incidence of common illnesses. Construction of the Health Center building started in November, 2010.