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This past Sunday, Nov. 3rd we celebrated Dia de Los Muertos for the farmworkers. The event was held at the Episcopal Farmworker Ministry. The place was filled with family, friends, farmworkers, and kids. They served traditional Spanish food and my personal favorite, Champurrado. It is essentially a Mexican hot chocolate, but so much more than that. When I arrived, I was scoping the place out and taking some initial pictures. The ministry had a group of volunteers that were setting the stage, the mic, and designing the alter. The alter included, sugar skulls, day of the dead bread, flags, candles and memorable items for their loved ones. Day of the Dead is celebrated throughout Mexico. The celebration involves family and friends gathering to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died, and helping support their spiritual journey. In Mexican culture, death is viewed as a natural part of the human cycle. It’s a day full of life. The agenda of the event: Cancion (song), Bienvenida (welcome), La Red Defensora para Los Derechos de Trabajadores Agricolas (The Defending Network for the Rights of Agricultural Workers), Significado de Dia de Los Muertos y Oracion (Meaning of the Day of the Dead and Prayer), Obituarios de Trabajadores Agricolas (Obituaries of Agricultural Workers), Testimonios (Testimonials), Llamada a Accion (Call to Action) , Cancion y Cierre (Song and Closing). They explained what each tradition means and what it means to them and why it is important. Several obituaries were read out loud and it was very mournful to hear but very insightful. What really got me was the testimonials from poultry workers and call to action. Their working conditions are very dangerous and very physically demanding, similar to farmworkers. The testimonies really put into perceptive what these individuals go through, what they go through on the daily. After hearing the testimonies, and the obituaries I felt so much more respect for this celebration and the importance of this event. Call to action was led by Ana, she explained what the Blue Card was and our F14 competency was incorporated. This section of the event also showed us the call to action from poultry workers. They were there with posters. But what surprised me the most was that many individuals that were present at the event were not aware of the Blue Card. She explained, how the blue card bill would give farmworkers a pathway to citizenship. We had flyers in Spanish to give to individuals and we utilized our poster as well in educating individuals. 

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Worked on posters for Day of the Dead event!

Poster 1: Explaining what Day of the Dead celebration is

Poster 2: Names and descriptions of farm workers that died in NC 

Poster 3:  Blue Card information

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This week we met with Anna to finalize the details about Day of the Dead event! It is right around the corner. 

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Met with Anna to discuss the plans for the Day of the Dead event coming up on Nov. 3rd. 

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We had the opportunity to go to the last mobile clinic of the season. I was able to see two camps that farmworkers reside at and where they eat and the kitchen area. It was great to see how the providers that came were all able to speak Spanish and communicate with the farmworkers very thoroughly. I spent most of my time with Anna, who is the behavior coordinator and is leading the mental health and tell them about this program. We were able to find new farmworkers who were interested in the services! All in all, I was very happy that I was able to see the operations of the mobile clinic. 

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Getting to see how a community comes together to achieve one goal. This week was the large clinic night at Episcopal Farmworker Ministry. 

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The Health Fair was a success! Team farmworkers organized the health fair with the help of Team Prepare and Team Oral Health. We presented on the importance of mental health that included the causes, symptoms and the resources that are available for the Farmworkers. The team prepares presented on hurricane preparedness and Team Oral health presented on how to properly brush teeth and care of their teeth. Our group was able to arrange food/snacks for the fair because we wanted to foster trust and connectedness with the workers but also keep individuals engaged. It was also a token of appreciation for their willingness to listen and interact with our activities after a long day of difficult labor in the heat. At the fair, we distributed the hygiene donations that our class donated. We were very grateful for all the help we received from our classmates but it was something else to see the reactions from the farmworkers while they received the donations. With this event, we were able to address the competency R3. We used education to spread awareness and engage individuals in the conversation that involved talking about mental health as well as how they can safely take care of themselves during a hurricane during work. We gave flyers that explained how the things they needed for hurricane preparedness, oral health, and mental health resources available. One of my favorite parts was Jenga! Because we utilized it even after we used it to ask questions about mental health and their personal experiences. The farmworkers told us that they enjoyed playing Jenga with us and this was the first time that they have had such an interactive presentation and they really appreciated it. It was very heartwarming to hear that and see them open up to us through the questions we asked them. Michelle did a wonderful job translating for everyone. 

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Meeting with Anna to discuss the needs and the details for the Health Fair!

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This week's clinic experience took me on an amazing trip! This was a large health clinic that happens every so often and takes place at Episcopal Farmworker Ministry in Dunn, NC. At this clinic night, there was a PA who was fluent in Spanish, numerous residents and student doctors from UNC medical school and a couple of supervising physicians. The providers addressed the minor concerns and treated any pain/symptoms with common over-the-counter medications that were available. If a farmworker needed something more than over-the-counter medication, more forms needed to be filled out and NCFWP’s employees were needed to help out. 

Things we have learned in classes thus far, I was able to experience in real-time. Issues of transportation, issues of language barriers, issues of provider mistrust, all coupled with this idea that “health is hardiness” are all real issues that migrant farmworkers face on a daily basis. With my broken Spanish, I was able to have a conversation with some farm workers. They discussed with me how it is not always about them not wanting to seek out care but it is also about how there is not a ‘good’ time for them to seek care. This is where the mobile clinics and NCFWP resources really come in handy.  

It was very humbling to see how the community came together for this clinic.  NCFWP staff members were transporting farm workers so they could get the care they needed. Translators ( Michelle as one of them) were available to help patients fill out paperwork before being seen by the providers, and Cydney and I helped out with recording height and weight.  

Luckily, I was able to stay until the end to see how competency R2 plays out. I got to enjoy the farmworker's company as we chatted about my tattoos and what they meant and they showed me theirs and talked about why the significance they hold for them. The clinic works to solve many disparities that exist within the farmworker population and they are doing a great job. Something is better than nothing. 

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Our first time at the Benson clinic. This is where farmworkers receive treatments on Thursdays and where the health fair will take place. This is a traditional clinic setting and provided us with more of a medicinal/hospital experience that farmworkers go through. 

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Preparing our mental health presentation for the health fair, so geeked!

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Meeting with team prepare to discuss the health fair!

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Here we go!

Our first initial meeting with Anna! We discussed what the program entails and what our expectation will be. We are all very excited to make a difference and learn important lessons along the way.