Duquesne Nursing in Nicaragua 2016

Why We Have Served the People of Nicaragua Since 1995

Nicaragua is a developing country. It is the 2nd poorest country, next to Haiti, in the Western Hemisphere. Every year, since 1995, Duquesne University School of Nursing Students have traveled to Nicaragua during their Spring Break to make a difference in the lives of the Nicaraguan people.

Life in Nicaragua

In Villa Libertad, an urban barrio in Managua, Nicaragua, “home” is a wooden structure with no door and a leaky corrugated tin roof.

There is no indoor plumbing; public water service is often only available for a few pre-dawn hours each day.  Residents collect water in barrels and use outdoor sinks, showers and latrines.  With no public sewage system, dirty water drains into streets where children play.  It is not unusual for three or four adults and children to sleep in a bed while others find comfort in a hammock or cot. Some children are not in school because they lack proper clothing, shoes and books.  The local health clinic lacks supplies and equipment.

What Duquesne University Students Experience on this Trip

Students forego their Spring Break to:

• Work in Villa Libertad’s health centers and family dwellings. 
• They assess health and environmental conditions, provide health care, education and humanitarian services, and return to school profoundly changed.
• They work alongside Nicaraguan nurses and nursing students, forming life-long bonds.

For the first time, we will also be working with AMOS Health, a humanitarian, non-profit organization whose mission is to provide community-based primary care and health education to residents of far-reaching rural communities throughout the country.  Duquesne students will teach lay health promoters in one rural community about cardiovascular disease and train them in blood pressure monitoring.

How Duquesne School of Nursing Students Impact Those They Serve

Duquesne School of Nursing students:

• Leave behind priceless gifts – medical supplies, eyeglasses, and medications, water filtration systems, beds and mattresses; school uniforms and supplies and improved housing.
• Provide critical health education to the families of Villa Libertad, sharing knowledge that allows residents to improve their health and well-being for the long term.
• And, finally, we provide scholarships for residents of the barrio to study nursing at a sister school, the Polytechnic University of Nicaragua.

How this Enriches the Educational Experience of Duquesne University School of Nursing Students

Our students emerge transformed.  So do the people they serve.  Little by little, Duquesne students are making a real difference in the Villa Libertad residents’ lives.

Please Donate Today and Spread Word of this Campaign on Social Media

Our efforts are made possible, in part, by alumni and friends like you who support the School of Nursing Nicaragua Health Fund.  Will you join us by making a gift today?

In just a few weeks, our students will return to Villa Libertad.  Please help change even more lives by making your gift today. 

Our students – and the people of Nicaragua – appreciate your generosity.

Please also spread the word of this project on Facebook and Twitter! #DUQNIN16