Dan Balva may look like your ordinary college student, but underneath the books, classes, and fraternity, Zeta Beta Tau, functions, there is a person who is a part of something incredible – and definitely not so ordinary.
Dan has been on three missions to Guatemala (so far) to volunteer and help both children and adults who are less fortunate. Throughout his experiences with the mission, he has not only changed his perspective on life here in the United States, but has changed who he is as a person.
What makes his selfless actions even better is that Dan didn’t stop once he left Guatemala; he started a fundraiser at his high school in order to raise money, as well as awareness for the orphanage that he volunteers for.
I got the chance to ask Dan a series of questions about his experiences and tasks in Central America, and his answers were quite moving!
Q: How did you get the opportunity to first go to Central America?
A: One of my dad’s best friends is a top doctor at the University of Miami Cancer Center and also happens to lead missionary trips to Central America. After he met my dad last year, he informed him about the trips he conducts and after hearing more about the missions, we became interested and decided to give it a shot.
Q: What did you do while you were there?
A: The people on the trip consist of various types of doctors as well as volunteers, so during the trip we set up a makeshift clinic in a church and treated the people of Guatemala who have never once received medical attention in their lives. People line up hours before we arrive at the church each day just so that they can receive necessary care, and some people even walk from other cities upon hearing that doctors from the United States will be in town to see them, free of charge. They see the respective doctor that will cater to their particular ailment and receive medicine, all for free. As a volunteer, I have served as an assistant to internal doctors, pediatricians, as well as a mental health physician. (See three questions below for continuation of answer)
Q: Did you go with anyone else that you knew?
A: On each mission I attended, I went with my dad and sister.
Q: How long did your mission last?
A: Each mission to Guatemala is five days long and there are two missions to Guatemala a year; one in November to the city of Sumpango and one in May/June to a different village in the city of San Pedro.
Q: Where did you stay while you were in Guatemala?
A: In addition to working the makeshift clinic, we stay at an orphanage, Misioneros Del Camino throughout the trip. The children at the orphanage could have been abused, abandoned, neglected, or dropped off due to a mental illness that their parents were not able to control. For example, some of the children were abused by their parents and were taken to the orphanage to live a better life, whereas other children were dropped off at the orphanage because they have mental retardation, Autism, or some other neurological illness and their parents were not able to do anything for their kids. This being the case, the parents just dropped them off and left forever. There are separate quarters for the doctors and volunteers of the mission to stay at that are on the premises of the orphanage, so we stay there each trip.
Q: Did you have any exciting, unique Central American food?
A: Yes, all of the meals that we ate throughout the mission trip included some of the typical food of Guatemala: Chiles rellenos: Chile peppers stuffed with rice cheese, meat, and vegetables; Frijoles negros: black bean pastel Guacamole; Tortillas; and Yucca.
Q: How much does it cost a year to keep the orphanage running?
A: The total cost to keep the orphanage running is $100,000 a year. Keep in mind, this includes electricity throughout the whole premises, an on-site school, staffing throughout the facility including security guards (since the orphanage is located in a dangerous location), teachers, night staff to watch over the children, and doctors for the neurological center. A typical day for a child that uses the neurological clinic includes seven different therapies including physical, occupational, and sensorial and speech therapies. While $100,000 may seem like a lot of money, it is actually less than $1,000 that can be spent a year per child living at the orphanage. It is imperative that the orphanage and neurological clinic stay open because so many kids have benefited from living here and there is a waiting list of over 100 children in need of this neurological clinic. It is the best facility in the country and some parents from the United States who have heard about it have even begun traveling with their children who have been diagnosed with Autism for therapies at this neurological center in Guatemala.
Q: How was Central America different from the United States?
A: I can’t speak about Central America as a whole but one of the cities in Guatemala that we volunteer at; Sumpango is completely different from the United States in just about every way. It is a small town where practically no one has ever received medical aid. Many of the people walk barefooted because they have never worn shoes in their lives. Diseases and illnesses are prevalent, as is spousal abuse. Some use cars, but most of the townspeople walk wherever they need to go. Laundry is done in a central outdoor enclosed lake filled with germs and diseases. The wash water is contaminated; as is the drinking water and most businesses consist of street vendors. However, with all this being said, I have never met people more warn and welcoming as the people of Guatemala.
Q: Have you gone back to Central America since your first mission?
A: Since my first mission, I have returned on the following two missions and plan on returning for many missions to come, especially the one coming up this June.
Q: Did the children remember you?
A: Yes, when I returned on my second mission, the children remembered my name and everything about me. The second you meet any and all of the kids, you instantly become their best friend and that bond is everlasting. I have been asked multiple times why I don’t try the other mission trips to Ecuador or Peru that the group I go with also goes on, but the difference between this trip and others is that I have made such an immense connection with the children at Misioneros Del Camino in Guatemala that I wouldn’t be able to skip out on a trip and go somewhere else. These children adopted me and everyone else on the mission the second I stepped foot in the orphanage two years ago, and there’s no way I would ever give it up to go on a different mission. Of course I would love to travel to a different country and help out as much as I can there as well, but for now, I’m sticking with what I have, and that’s in Guatemala.
Q: Why did you decide to start a fundraiser at your high school for the children in Guatemala?
A: I decided to start a fundraiser at my high school for the children in Guatemala because no one in my school knew of the orphanage I had recently been to or about the conditions these kids live with. From living with abuse, neglect, abandonment to autism, cerebral palsy, down syndrome, learning disabilities, attention deficit disorders, mental retardation, the kids in Guatemala needed help and I wanted to share that with my school and get them involved in helping a great cause.
Q: How much money did you raise?
A: Throughout the second semester of school, I raised $1,600 through donations, fundraisers, and necklace sales (some of the older kids make glass necklaces in the shapes of hearts, crosses, and drops which are called drops of love since the children make them each with a drop of their own love, so I brought back 100 of the necklaces and sold them here for a greater amount to help raise even more money for the kids).
Q: How does it make you feel to help children that are less fortunate?
A: There is nothing in the world that is more rewarding than helping the less fortunate, especially when the less fortunate are children. These children have no one in their lives besides the loving and caring staff at the orphanage, and every doctor and volunteer that goes on the trips leaves a lifelong impression on them. However, the kids don’t realize that they are the ones that leave an even bigger impression on us. It is us volunteers that should be thankful for the kids for allowing us to step away from our everyday self-absorbed lives and appreciate all that we have. After returning from the missions, you slowly get pushed back into reality, but before you can get too deep into the egotistical and selfish lives that so many of us live, it’s time for another mission trip to help you realize once again how great you have it and how great your life is.
Q: Did you do anything else that was interesting or fun while you were there?
A: On one of the missions I was supposed to stay in Guatemala for an extra two days to visit Antigua, one of the oldest and most visited cities in the country, but this wasn’t possible due to a volcano, tropical storm, and mudslides that occurred towards the end of the mission causing all of us to have to flee to El Salvador in order to get back home. All of the airports and majority of the roads were closed in Guatemala so we had to escape the country before the situation at hand got even worse, so that was quite an adventure in itself.
Q: How have your experiences in Central America changed you?
A: My experiences in Central America have changed me into a much better person. From being able to see some of the illnesses that have been spread throughout the country to learning from each and every patient we see and treat, every person affects me in a different way. Everyone in this poverty-stricken third world country is so thankful and appreciative of our efforts to help them and even if we have to turn some people away because we aren’t able to treat their illness, they are still thankful that we took the time out of our day to sit and talk with them. Seeing how grateful people can be for the smallest gestures and receiving a smile and hug from the citizens of Guatemala has truly turned me into a better person. There is so much work that needs to be done to help the orphanage and to help the cause in Guatemala, and I hope to be able to be the person to start making a change. The people of Guatemala have given me so much, and I can only hope to return the favor.
Q: What advice would you give to other students who want to get involved in going to other countries for volunteer work?
A: If I could give advice to other students interested in going to other countries for volunteer work, I would immediate say to for sure go ahead and do so. Make sure you go with a good group that has already been established so that you have a safe trip, but doing volunteer work is one of the greatest rewards out there, and I have yet to find something better than helping others. Volunteering in other countries is an incredible life experience but even if you aren’t able to leave the country to volunteer, there is so much work that needs to be done in our country, so really just volunteer wherever you can and you’ll feel the same rewarding feeling. If you do get the opportunity to volunteer abroad however, by all means go for it because it will most likely be one of the best experiences you’ll ever have.
This is one brave Knight’s enlightening story of how he is helping to change lives! If you were inspired by Dan and would like to read additional information about the missionary trips or the orphanage, you can visit http://www.misionerosdelcamino.org/eng/index.htm