| PETs to Ecuador |
| Tuesday, 29 March 2011 20:13 |
 Von Driggs, Director of Operations for PET International, came to us on February 7 asking if we could help with filling a container to go to Ecuador. When asked how many PETs would fit in a container, Von replied “oh, a hundred and eighty or so. Maybe two hundred.” We didn’t have near that quantity in our inventory, but Von knew that other workshops might be interested in helping out. Another kink was that the partner, Medshare, was also asking for Pull PETs, which we do not build in our shop. As Von began working out the distribution details with Medshare to make sure the distributing organization in Ecuador was qualified, we began coordinating with two workshops who had expressed a willingness to help out, PET Bryan (TX) and PET MI (East). PET Bryan quickly put together a shipment of 70 Adult PETs, and PET MI worked diligently to raise funds to ship 25 Pull PETs from their shop. We received both shipments at our shop, unloaded them and put them into our warehouse.Logistics were provided by Medshare, who took care of arrangements to get the container to Ecuador and coordinating with PET International to establish a distribution partnership with an organization there. Von worked closely with Medshare to teach the Patronato Provincial how to identify and qualify potential recipients. As a result of this, there were over 200 applications approved for people needing PETs, so every PET vehicle already has an owner assigned to it!! This is the second container with PETs sent to Ecuador by Medshare. It is the first shipment that involved coordination between three PET workshops, PET International, and two sister partnerships. We do not need to forget the anonymous donor who provided the funding to pay for the container and its transportation to Ecuador. And, of course, all the faithful PET volunteers along the way.  On Thursday, March 24 the container showed up first thing in the morning, as Dave Halterman, our workshop coordinator, and we waited hopefully for the volunteers we had so vigorously called for. Initially the turnout was small, but then people started arriving, and it turned out that we had the perfect number of people for our container load. With all the people that showed up, we were able to load the container in less than three hours. We were all curious as to where the PETs were headed, so we asked Amanda Paniagua, Medshare Shipments Manager, for some details. She explained, “The container is going to the Patronato Provincial de Esmeraldas. The Patronato Provincial is a social charity foundation run by the brother of the Prefect of Esmeraldas province. The mission is to serve the poor and needy people of Esmeraldas. The Patronato operates a medical center that serves the poor, among other social service operations. Some of the medical services include: physical therapy, primary care, family planning, general medicine, pediatric check-ups, OB/Gyn care, nutritional counseling, laboratory services, and endoscopies. About 6,000 patients are seen each year, mostly for outpatient services.” “Esmeraldas is one of the poorest of Ecuador’s provinces. It is unique in that there is a large population of blacks there, who are often neglected and marginalized by the central federal government. In February 2010 MedShare staff was able to visit Esmeraldas and tour the main Patronato health care center building. The level of poverty was quite striking. Hundreds of patients were lined up outside and inside the halls waiting for medical care including the elderly, mothers with babies, and people from all walks of life. The facility was over-crowded, under-equipped, dirty, and bare. There is a desperate need for more aid to this facility. “  On behalf of PET Tampa, PET International, PET Bryan, and PET Michigan East, PET Tampa like to thank all our volunteers for your assistance in giving the gift of mobility to 174 people of the Esmeraldas Province in Ecuador. This was truly a unique distribution in that it involved so many different groups and organizations working together to change the lives of people we do not know and who live in poverty and despair thousands of miles from our cozy homes.
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