Travel Nurse Headed Abroad to Help Others
Between being a doting mother to two young children, a wife and a full-time travel nurse, Annie Kennedy, RN, still manages to find the time to provide medical care to orphans in Guatemala.
This vivacious ER nurse, who has been traveling for seven years with leading travel staffing company Medical Express, has managed to free up time in her busy schedule to participate in an upcoming trip to Guatemala to provide medical assistance and support to an underprivileged clinic and orphanage.
The group, “ER Abroad: Mission Possible,” composed of one physician, eight nurses and two EMTs, based in Springfield, Illinois will leave on a one-week mission in mid-February to immerse themselves in the lives of abandoned, abused and neglected children in need of medical attention.
“We will be staffing a medical clinic as well as doing home physicals for a woman who cares for 92 children in her home,” said Kennedy. “We will also staff an orphanage, Casa Angelina—a refuge for lost and forgotten children who would otherwise be homeless.”
Kennedy explained that this mission is especially important since these children get no government assistance or health care.
“The clinic staff posted our arrival,” she said, “and, as a result, they expect locals as well as other residents of Guatemala to be traveling from outlying pueblos to receive medical care from us.”
Most of the children who are at the orphanage will be there long term, Kennedy explained. The orphanage is not licensed for adoption and many of the children are there with their siblings.
“At this time, there are approximately 50 orphans who have been rescued and living at Casa Angelina,” Kennedy said. “The orphanage continues to grow and the plan is to house 500 orphans in family-style housing”
The group has been holding fundraisers for the clinic and taking donations for the children of Casa Angelina.
“We have been collecting supplies for the clinic as they depend on outside help to care for the patients who need medical assistance,” she said.
Annie has traveled all over the country with her husband, Brian, who also works as an ER nurse, and believes her upcoming trip to Guatemala will be her most unforgettable travel experience yet.
“Although I have had many memorable experiences, I believe that this trip to Guatemala will be the most rewarding,” Kennedy said. “I think this will be a life experience I will never forget. We take a lot for granted here (in the U.S.), so I think it will be an eye opening experience.”
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