LA DALIA, Nicaragua ?

In their fight against global poverty, All For One, in collaboration with CARE International, rebuilt and refurbished a clinic in the small, rural farming town of La Dalia. With construction beginning in 2005 and ending in June, 2006, All For One was able to provide the people of this impoverished town and surrounding areas in central Nicaragua with a health facility that includes an emergency room, a labor and delivery room, a laboratory, and an infant care room.

In the labor and delivery room, All For One contributed a new ventilation system, new beds, a new bathroom, a gynecology chair, and new equipment used in deliveries. Prior to remodeling this area of the clinic, only approximately 39-43% of women in the community could deliver in the clinic and were forced to share beds during and after the birthing process in a room that had no air conditioning. Now, thanks to All For One, there are more beds and equipment to help a greater number of women in a clean, air-conditioned environment. Also, thanks to the gynecology chair and new equipment, the clinic is capable of providing pregnant women with pre-natal care that will prevent complications with birth. By granting the clinic with this new equipment, the clinic is not only capable of helping more women in the community, but also lowering the area?s extreme maternal and infant mortality rate.

In the clinic?s emergency room, major changes were made to the clinic?s infrastructure and equipment. A potable water supply was added and approved, along with the construction of storage cabinets for the clinic?s supplies. Before this addition, clinic workers had to haul water long-distances to the clinic and had no safe area to store their supplies. Also windows with glass panes were added, which were not there prior to All For One?s involvement. Since many new beds were supplied, the clinic is now capable of in-patient care and monitoring, which they were unable to accommodate in the past. This will allow clinic workers to provide a wider range of care for patients who they were unable to accommodate in the past.

Another aspect of patient care that the clinic was unable to provide in the past was the ability to specialize in the treatment of infants and children. With new cribs and equipment catering to the needs of newborns, the clinic can now offer post-delivery care for newborns. Since this was unavailable previously, there was not much that clinic workers could do for a newborn since they did not have the means or equipment to do so. Because of the current availability of this much-needed asset to the clinic, All For One was able to help the clinic attempt to lower the area?s infant mortality rate.

The people of La Dalia have voiced their thanks for the contributions of All For One, as well as performed at the ribbon-cutting ceremony (as seen in the video on our video page). Because of All For One, approximately 58,000 women of reproductive age, 60,000 children under the age of 5, 56,000 newborns in 173 communities can be helped in the La Dalia area. Because of All For One, the infant and maternal mortality rate in La Nicaragua can be lowered. Because of All For One, hope was created for future generations in Nicaragua.

For a video of the All For One?s contributions in La Dalia, as well as a message of gratitude from Ralph Merriam, the Programs Director of CARE Nicaragua, and the people of La Dalia, check out our video page: http://www.allforone.org/videos/videos.jsp