REGINA - Registered nurse (RN) Maureen Carabot and around 40 other individuals will be going to Guatemala in February to aid people in the country.
The individuals are part of the Moose Jaw International Medical Mission (MJIMM), which has been going to Guatemala for nearly a decade.
For Carabot, this will be her first time joining the mission. Carabot was born and raised in the Philippines.
Carabot always dreamed about becoming a nurse because of the times she helped accompany her grandma when she had checkups or when she was sick.
She noted how, in the Philippines, you have to pay for healthcare. "It's not cheap to be sick, even just like a checkup." Carabot also said residents would use the little money they had to buy food instead of paying for healthcare.
Seeing people unable to afford food and healthcare made Carabot feel "sad." She added, "you wanted to help them, but there's nothing that I could do. Seeing them being in pain [where] they have some wounds on their foot or anywhere [else]. It's very heartbreaking to see that for me."
Carabot feels her experience in the country she was born in made her choose nursing to provide help to those people in need.
She moved to Canada in Grade 11, where she got the education, skills and knowledge needed to help out others.
Carabot has worked at multiple hospitals around Saskatchewan, including the Regina General Hospital, where she currently works.
She mentioned the job can be frustrating and physically, mentally and emotionally draining for a person after a shift. However, seeing the smiles on people while they walk out of the hospitals makes it all worth it.
That’s why Carabot joined the MJIMM because she could help others who are struggling and make them feel better.
She first learned about the organization through a friend. "Back in 2017, I think the group [MJIMM] was new still. My friend, Kelly. She's from Moose Jaw and [went to] nursing school. We were talking because we've been talking about, you know, we're going to [go on] missions and all that. Then, she mentioned this group. At that time, I didn't have the means to join the group at the time. So, I've heard about how they're making a difference and helping people in Guatemala. And then I got interested in that."
Carabot mentioned that a few people from the Regina General Hospital will also join the relief effort next year.
She walked through the timeline and what part of Guatemala the MJIMM is headed to.
"We're flying from January 30th to February 9th. This group goes to Patzun, Guatemala. We go to less fortunate villages, like more poor stricken villages there."
Carabot also mentioned the group is divided into three teams to do different work. "There's the OR (Operating Room) team, medical team, and STO's team. Our team [the medical team] will be going to the communities and do some checkups. We'll do some medical clinics and teaching. The STO's team will be putting in [the work and] installing stoves and water filtration to help out with the houses. So they're go[ing] house to house. And our OR team will do the surgeries for [the people that require procedures]."
The OR team performs general surgeries and gynecological surgeries. According to Carabot, the OR team provided around 40 surgeries during their trip last year.
For the medical team, Carabot talked about how the organization and residents of Guatemala collaborate to understand how they can make remedies using the resources they have.
We learn how they, you know, how their remedies do [work], like, you know, [in] their community how they deal with it and how they work together to help each other. So I think that's a learning for us too."
The teachings also provide the residents with knowledge about reproductive health, safety, human rights and inequality.
Carabot mentioned seeing Guatemala would be an "eye-opener" because of the current situation in the country. She pointed out it would be like seeing the Philippines in a way.
She added, “I think it will help me more appreciate my work and more appreciate how privileged I am. And it's like going back to the reason why I chose to be a nurse, and it's because of this, this situation. And I think it's going to be [a] fulfilling emotion. It's probably going to be sad too. But we'll be able to help them.”
The MJIMM has partnered with Days for Girls, which supplies the group with reusable pads that women in the country don’t have access to.
The organization is also bringing down dressing supplies, medications, and toothbrushes. Carabot recalled hearing stories last year about how thankful and excited the people of Guatemala were for the supplies
Carabot understands when she goes down to Guatemala, she will see many people in pain.
She spoke about the need to "advocate for these people, keep on advocating that they might need extra help, extra pain medication. And it's tough to see some people are crying or like screaming, and you just want to take out that pain. But sometimes it's, it's really hard to."
Carabot noted as a nurse, it’s important to listen to your patients. "It's just providing your ears and, you know, just letting them know that you're there to listen and you're with them, that you know, you're there to help."
Currently, the MJIMM is far from its overall goal of donations. People interested in helping out the organization's efforts can donate at
