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Princeton University Athletics
Players Mentioned
Men's Basketball's Nick Lake Travels to Peru for Aid Project
August 27, 2009 | Men's Basketball
Nick Lake, a rising senior on the men's basketball team, traveled to Peru as part of an aid project. Here are his experiences, in his own words:
Earlier this summer, I had the incredible opportunity to go on a medical mission to Peru with Christian Emergency Relief Teams (CERT) International. My mother (a nurse) and I, along with another mother (also a nurse) and son and our team leader from CERT, traveled to the jungle town of Puerto Maldonado in the southeastern part of the country. For 10 days we traveled in a long motorized canoe up the Rio Madre de Dios, a tributary to the Amazon, and set up medical clinics in the villages along the river in the jungle. It was an incredible experience in which I learned a great deal about the people and culture of Peru and had the opportunity to help them where they had serious needs. I returned to the U.S. with a new appreciation for everything I have and I learned that even the smallest things we do for others make a big difference in their lives.
The main goal of our mission was to bring medical care and medications to the villagers living along the river. The villagers have little or no access to the medical treatment they are in need of. Most of their medical problems stem from impoverished conditions and a lack of education concerning clean living habits. Their main source of water is the river which is full of parasites and bacteria. With very few bathrooms or outhouses in the villages, people often take only a few steps into the trees to go to the bathroom leaving waste right next to common walking paths.
Although the villagers had good spirits, the level of poverty was eye opening. They do not have many of the things we take for granted, such as electricity and running water. The people have very little money or material possessions and any serious illness poses a huge financial burden to the community. Most of them cannot afford to travel to see a doctor and even the most basic medicines are hard to come by. Only one of villages we visited had a medical clinic of any kind and it was often closed or out of supplies. Nearly everyone suffers from intestinal worms and other parasites. Other common conditions we saw included fevers, skin funguses, respiratory problems, and gastrointestinal disorders. Many of the children also suffer from stunted growth due to malnutrition. Our group and others have been trying to educate the people on these issues and have been raising money to purchase water filtration systems.
Our team set up clinics in each village's main hall or church and did our best to create partitioned rooms to give people privacy for their examinations with the nurses and doctor. My main responsibility during our clinics was to dispense the medicine the doctor prescribed and to explain instructions for taking them. This forced me to practice my Spanish, which improved considerably as the week went on. By our last clinic, I was proficient in saying, “Toma uno de estos dos veces cada dia” (Take one of these twice a day). Nearly everyone received medicine for worms as well as one month's supply of daily vitamins. In 10 days, we were able to see and treat over 800 patients.
Between clinics we got to see some of the natural beauty of the jungle. While traveling on the river we saw all kinds of wildlife from caiman to monkeys to macaws. We even climbed to the top of a 400 year-old Kapok tree that stood nearly 200 feet tall. But more than anything else, the most rewarding parts of the trip for me were the interactions I had with the Peruvian people and my fellow team members. Eriberto, the doctor, and I became very good friends. Although he spoke very little English, we joked around and talked about all kinds of things, mostly in Spanish. Eri had a strong passion for helping his fellow people and continued to see patients long after the sun went down. Another one of my favorite memories was a conversation I had with two little girls at the village of Shipetiari who were very entertained by my broken Spanish and bad accent. Lastly, one of the men who I became friends with in Boca Manu gave me his hunting bow along with several arrows and fishing spears as a token of gratitude. I felt deeply honored by the gesture and I have the bow and arrows hanging on my wall at home.
Although our team was small and our resources were limited, we were able to make a positive impact on the lives of the people we met. I am very grateful to have been able to give and share with the people of Peru and I hope that someday I can return there or go to another part of the world on a similar mission.