La Hora Chapina
All the Healthy Schools news that’s fit to print
January/February, 2009
Anemia Mania!
What is it and how can we prevent it?
Content: Anemia “occurs when the
Tricks of the 2 level of healthy red blood
Trade: Energy cells (RBCs) in the body
highs and lows becomes too low,” accord-
ing to an article posted on
The Cure: Falling 2 KidsHealth.org, which also
from above provides information in
Letter from the 3 Spanish.
Editor: I think I The article goes on to
can state that “this can lead to
health problems because
Healthy Recipes: 3
RBCs contain hemoglobin,
Choco-berry
smoothie
which carries oxygen to the
body's tissues.” The disor-
der often results in fatigue
and stress on bodily organs.
The World Health Or-
ganization classifies anemia
in children under the age of
La Hora Chapina
Publisher: Sheny
Huerta, shuerta@gt.
peacecorps.gov
Editor: Kristina
The Smack Down!
Crawley, kcrawley@ Happy New Year 2009 and
gonzaga.edu much success in your en-
Senior Reporter:
deavors to improve the lives
Kristina Crawley,
kcrawley@gonzaga. and health conditions on
edu hundreds of Guatemalan
students!
La Hora Chapina is a It’s time to renew the
newsletter dedicated to bonds established with your
providing PC Guate- counterparts and parents.
mala volunteers with Begin home visits with
information regarding them, check school condi-
the Healthy Schools tions, do teachers trainings.
program. La Hora
This recommendation is
Chapina welcomes
letters to the editor. especially for the group of
2 as a severe public health
problem in Guatemala. As
of 2007, 56 percent of chil-
dren under 2 in Guatemala
were anemic, as were 39.7
percent of those under the
age of 5, according to a
study posted on Nutri-
net.org, a web site dedicated
to information about nutri-
tion in Latin America and
the Caribbean.
While anemia can be a
hereditary disorder, it can
also be caused by an iron
deficiency. To prevent this
second type of anemia, an
iron-rich diet is of utmost
importance, especially
colleagues leaving this year.
Sheny and I will start visit-
ing some of you in January,
in preparation for your close
of service and follow-up.
Visiting the schools prior to
our visits will make you fa-
miliar with the school’s
status and make the orienta-
tion to the teachers and par-
ents easier.
Seventeen PCTs have
been accepted and invited to
come to the Healthy Schools
Free
among young children and
teenage girls beginning
menstruation. The new
monthly blood-loss in girls
going through puberty in-
creases the amount of iron
they need to consume.
Iron-rich foods include
iron-fortified grains and
cereals, red meat, egg yolks,
leafy green vegetables, yel-
low vegetables and fruits,
potato skins, tomatoes, mo-
lasses, and raisins. Note that
drinking tea or coffee with a
meal significantly inhibits
the body’s ability to absorb
iron, while vitamin C pro-
motes it.
Project this year! Five of
them are men. They arrived
the 7th of January. Please
join me in welcoming them
and make them feel en su
casa!
Página 2 La Hora Chapina

Tricks of the Trade with Seño Katie

We’ve probably all noticed
that elementary kids are
usually more radioactive
than tranquillized, but there
are days when the kids are
just beat. Either way, the
kiddoes just can’t pay atten-
tion. So what do we do?
The best way to deal is to
understand what mood the
kids are in before starting
the lesson; read your stu-
dents. For example, if they
are acting like they’re high
on Red Bull, have them run
around the school a couple
times (do it with them!) and
then play silent ball* for a
minute afterwards.
This releases some en-
ergy and then refocuses their
brains. All this should only
take 5-7 minutes and is to-
tally worth it in order to get
them back on track, even if
you have to cut the lesson a
little short.
And what if they are
coming off their morning
caffeine high? You can do
the same as above (the exer-
cise wakes them up), or if
there’s no chance (i.e. they
are so tired they are staring
at an imaginary doughnut
hovering six inches from
their face), gather them in a
snug circle on the floor and
read a story instead of your
lesson.
Keep Valentine Mata-
sanos in your bag just in
case. Don’t worry about
missing an entire lesson
because there’s no sense in
trying to cram new informa-
tion into their brains when
they’re too distracted to ab-
sorb it.
It’s okay if they already
know it by heart as long as
they like the story, plus it
gives them a nice simple
reminder about microbios.
Make the characters’ voices
extra goofy and let them
finish lines for you to keep
their attention.
Try this out when the
kids just can’t seem to focus
their brains and before you
lose yours altogether.
*Silent ball is a simple
game. The kids sit on their
desks and pass the ball (or
any other safely passable
object) to each other in the
classroom without making a
single sound. If they make
noise, they have to sit in
their seat and the ball is no
longer passed to them. This “There’s no
is also a good game to prac-
tice self-control and helps sense in trying
with the ever-so-difficult to cram new
concept of raising your hand
and waiting to be called on information
before speaking.
Katie Noren-Yeagle is a into their brains
Healthy Schools PCV living
in Aguacatán, Huehu- when they’re
etenango. She is a graduate
of Linfield College in too distracted
McMinnville, Ore. with a
bachelor’s degree in early
to absorb it.”
childhood and elementary
education.

The Cure
Comparing traditional remedies in Guatemala with common First Aid practices

One day last year, several of my teachers were working on repairing the roof of the school, replacing some lamina. A
few minutes in, I heard a loud crash and looked up to see one of the teachers looking through a huge hole in the roof,
shouting that Profe Giovani had fallen through to the ground approximately 25 feet below. I rushed into the classroom to
find Profe sitting upright on the floor with two other teachers pulling him to his feet.
Though stunned he was able to stand and was soon walking around. His scrapes were treated with water, iodine and
bandages, but the teachers were convinced he was in shock. To treat this they filled there mouths with a water/liquor
mixture and then sprayed him with it. A local healer was then brought to the school and performed some chiropractic
procedures to help with pain he was having in his hip. The next day he went to the health center to be seen and luckily
all was well.
General first aid recommendations would be that the victim not be moved until it was determined there were no seri-
ous injuries. After a fall of a similar magnitude, the victim should receive professional medical attention as soon as pos-
sible.
-Kristina Crawley
*If you’ve experienced unusual or uncommon first aid practices here in Guatemala, send an email to Kristina Crawley
at kcrawley@gonzaga.edu. Did it seem to work? Why did they do what they did?
 January/February, 2009
Letter from the Editor
I think I can, I think I can, I think I can think positive
Jacaltenango re-
ceived its biannual
visit from a group
of U.S. doctors and
Habitat for Human-
ity volunteers a few
weeks ago. Last year, during my
site visit, I had worked in the clin-
ics with the doctors helping to
translate and was excited to work
with the group once again.
I translated for three days, in-
cluding one day in the aldea of
Buxup, where one of my schools is
located. At the end of the week, I
had this feeling of having come full
circle, especially having just com-
pleted my first year in country and
with the start of the new school
year on the horizon.
I began to see Jacal and the peo-
Choco-Berry Dessert Smoothie
1 handful blueberries, strawberries or
blackberries (or a mix of all three)
1/2 cup milk
Ice al gusto
2 spoonfuls (or more) of hot chocolate
mix or coco powder if you can find it
1/2 banana.
“Children have never been very good at listening to their elders,
but they have never failed to imitate them.”
ple who live here the way the doc-
tors and volunteers see them – the
way I saw them when I first got
here. And seeing my students’
smiling faces and having them run
up to me the day we went to Buxup
was just what I needed to get me
excited for classes to start again.
Starting out the year in the same
manner I had when I first came to
site felt like getting a fresh start. I
was surprised to feel so renewed
and energized. After ending last
school year with a mix of relief and
anxiety, I had been waiting for that
refreshed feeling to hit at some
time during the break. But it wasn’t
until I got busy with the doctors
and planning my kick-off work-
shop that I felt the motivation re-
turn.
Healthy Recipes
Blend all ingredients, adding ice first. If
you’ve got access to protein powder
add it to the drink for a boost.
Note: You may have to search a bit
if you don’t have a freezer but you
should be able to find a tienda that
freezes bolsitas de agua. If you don’t
have a blender find a neighbor who
Quote of the Month
—James Baldwin
Página 3
I’m not breaking any new
ground by saying the hardest part
of our job is staying positive in the
face of so many challenges. My
goal this year is going to be to
maintain this positive attitude. It’s
a lofty goal, to say the least, and I
don’t expect to be 100 percent suc-
cessful but I’m going to give it a
shot anyway.
I think the trick will be remem-
bering that no matter what the pit-
falls, this is an experience I’m glad
to be having.
Alright, that’s it for the cheesy
stuff. I’ll try to be more entertain-
ing with the next column. Although
my newfound chipper-ness could
make that difficult. Happy New
Year! Peace out,
Kristina Crawley
does and have a smoothie party!
Contributed by: Kristina Crawley
La Hora Chapina is always looking for
new healthy recipes. Please email yours
to Kristina Crawley at kcraw-
ley@gonzaga.edu.