Ecuador Update:
It was an “Indiana Jones” moment. We were trudging through the jungle at the edge of
the Ecuadorian region know as El Oriente (the East); the gateway to the Amazon
basin; home to indigenous tribes famous for shrinking heads; and a former conflict
zone dotted with hidden minefields - remnants of a border dispute with Peru. Earlier,
two rows of bright yellow tape with the words PELIGRO CAMPO MINADO (danger
mined area) had guided us down a safe-lane from the helicopter landing zone. We had
arrived by helicopter earlier in the day; but now it was well past noon and we were
leaving the worksites. A ribbon-like trail led steeply down from the mined areas. For
nearly 20 minutes, grasping on to tree trunks and thick vines, we slowly trekked and
skidded down to a small streambed. Then, ambling over rocks and fallen trees we
followed the trickle of water out to a river and waited for the large dugout canoe that
transported the two squads of Ecuadorian deminers and our assessment team to the
forward base camp. It was another 45 minutes by truck back to our starting point.
We had arrived in Santiago, the small town near the Peruvian border, the evening
before. We had flown from Quito, the capital, to the southern city of Cuenca. From
high in the Andes it was a four hour drive over roads cut into the mountainside down to
the town of Mendez; a town my guide book describes as “…more than quaint; this
picturesque oblivion seems made to order for Witness Protection Program
participants.” After a brief lunch it was another four hours over a dirt road past
banana plantations and tropical forests east to the army base where we were to spend
the next two nights.
I was in Ecuador, a Latin American country of 13.3 million people, at the invitation of
the Organization of American States (OAS) - Office of Humanitarian Mine Action. OAS
oversees demining projects throughout Latin America. Some of you may remember
that two years ago I went to Nicaragua - that was a similar mission. This time I was
asked to conduct trauma training seminars in Quito and then a field assessment.
As a bit of background about Ecuador, it is one of the smallest countries in South
America and sits astride the equator – hence its name. There are four distinct regions:
the coast, the Andes highlands, the Oriente, and the Galapagos Islands. Quito, a city
of 1.4 million people, sits in the Andes at about 9000 ft (2850 m) and is situated in a
long valley surrounded by mountains and volcanoes. The recently renovated Centro
Historico (historical center) is the old part of town designated as a UNESCO world
heritage site and is quite impressive. The new part of town is quite modern and plenty
of US chain restaurants are visible on numerous street corners.
With a per capita GDP of US$ 3,700, Ecuador is better off than many of the countries I
have been to recently; but it still has a long way to go. On an interesting note, in
September 2000, Ecuador switched its currency and began using the US dollar. Now I
don’t mean that their currency is pegged to the dollar, but they actually only use real
US dollars. Coins are minted locally, even though US coins are in circulation including
the Sacajawea dollars that have all but disappeared from use back in the States.
Ecuador’s history includes colonization by the Incas in the early 15th century and later
by the Spanish in 1533. Independence was gained in 1822 and soon after a long
border dispute began with Peru. Wars and skirmishes were fought every few years up
until 1995. A compromise was finally reached and a peace treaty signed in 1998 when
Ecuador gained a square kilometer of land that was previously Peru’s. One of the
unfortunate lasting results of the conflict, however, is an estimated 11,000 landmines.
My first week in Ecuador was spent teaching the Mine Injury and Trauma Seminar
(MITS) to Ecuadorian, Peruvian, and Colombian military paramedics, nurses, and
physicians. This seminar, which I created from numerous sources, provides a review
for medical personnel working in demining units and concentrates on the basics of
trauma care, including the ABCs: Airway, Breathing, and Circulation.
MITS is held over two days with a first day of lectures, videos, and discussions and a
second day devoted to skills practice and scenarios. I taught two full sessions and all
the participants stated that they learned a great deal. Apart from the Quito
presentations, in Santiago I was able to teach an abbreviated version of MITS to the
paramedics, squad leaders, and the local civilian doctor and nurse. Although the
seminar is designed for military medical personnel working with demining units, I also
cover issues relating to all types of trauma in general. When I am in the field, I eagerly
strive to include civilian personnel whenever possible; they are the ones more likely to
treat traumatic injuries on a daily basis unlike the military personnel who are on
standby and see few victims.
Since the Ecuadorian humanitarian mine action programs begin in 1999 there have
been no demining injuries; however, one civilian death and two injuries have been
reported in the region around Santiago. The sites we visited most recently began
operations in 2004 and clearing is expected to continue until 2008 or 9. Although
clearing landmines is usually a slow, arduous, and dangerous task, working in the
jungle presents even more complex problems. Unlike minefields I have seen in
Azerbaijan, Kosovo, Bosnia, and Sudan, here the mountainous terrain mixed with the
thick jungle vegetation, humidity, and high temperatures present even greater
challenges.
The purpose of my field visit was to evaluate the emergency medical capabilities and
evacuation process in the unlikely event of a demining injury. We spent time visiting
the worksites and medical facilities, interviewing deminers and medical personnel, and
gaining a full understanding of the situation. Overall it was a very productive mission
and I received much positive feedback. One unfortunate part was that I was unable to
visit the Galapagos Islands, but maybe next time.
Adios for now,
It was an “Indiana Jones” moment. We were trudging through the jungle at the edge of
the Ecuadorian region know as El Oriente (the East); the gateway to the Amazon
basin; home to indigenous tribes famous for shrinking heads; and a former conflict
zone dotted with hidden minefields - remnants of a border dispute with Peru. Earlier,
two rows of bright yellow tape with the words PELIGRO CAMPO MINADO (danger
mined area) had guided us down a safe-lane from the helicopter landing zone. We had
arrived by helicopter earlier in the day; but now it was well past noon and we were
leaving the worksites. A ribbon-like trail led steeply down from the mined areas. For
nearly 20 minutes, grasping on to tree trunks and thick vines, we slowly trekked and
skidded down to a small streambed. Then, ambling over rocks and fallen trees we
followed the trickle of water out to a river and waited for the large dugout canoe that
transported the two squads of Ecuadorian deminers and our assessment team to the
forward base camp. It was another 45 minutes by truck back to our starting point.
We had arrived in Santiago, the small town near the Peruvian border, the evening
before. We had flown from Quito, the capital, to the southern city of Cuenca. From
high in the Andes it was a four hour drive over roads cut into the mountainside down to
the town of Mendez; a town my guide book describes as “…more than quaint; this
picturesque oblivion seems made to order for Witness Protection Program
participants.” After a brief lunch it was another four hours over a dirt road past
banana plantations and tropical forests east to the army base where we were to spend
the next two nights.
I was in Ecuador, a Latin American country of 13.3 million people, at the invitation of
the Organization of American States (OAS) - Office of Humanitarian Mine Action. OAS
oversees demining projects throughout Latin America. Some of you may remember
that two years ago I went to Nicaragua - that was a similar mission. This time I was
asked to conduct trauma training seminars in Quito and then a field assessment.
As a bit of background about Ecuador, it is one of the smallest countries in South
America and sits astride the equator – hence its name. There are four distinct regions:
the coast, the Andes highlands, the Oriente, and the Galapagos Islands. Quito, a city
of 1.4 million people, sits in the Andes at about 9000 ft (2850 m) and is situated in a
long valley surrounded by mountains and volcanoes. The recently renovated Centro
Historico (historical center) is the old part of town designated as a UNESCO world
heritage site and is quite impressive. The new part of town is quite modern and plenty
of US chain restaurants are visible on numerous street corners.
With a per capita GDP of US$ 3,700, Ecuador is better off than many of the countries I
have been to recently; but it still has a long way to go. On an interesting note, in
September 2000, Ecuador switched its currency and began using the US dollar. Now I
don’t mean that their currency is pegged to the dollar, but they actually only use real
US dollars. Coins are minted locally, even though US coins are in circulation including
the Sacajawea dollars that have all but disappeared from use back in the States.
Ecuador’s history includes colonization by the Incas in the early 15th century and later
by the Spanish in 1533. Independence was gained in 1822 and soon after a long
border dispute began with Peru. Wars and skirmishes were fought every few years up
until 1995. A compromise was finally reached and a peace treaty signed in 1998 when
Ecuador gained a square kilometer of land that was previously Peru’s. One of the
unfortunate lasting results of the conflict, however, is an estimated 11,000 landmines.
My first week in Ecuador was spent teaching the Mine Injury and Trauma Seminar
(MITS) to Ecuadorian, Peruvian, and Colombian military paramedics, nurses, and
physicians. This seminar, which I created from numerous sources, provides a review
for medical personnel working in demining units and concentrates on the basics of
trauma care, including the ABCs: Airway, Breathing, and Circulation.
MITS is held over two days with a first day of lectures, videos, and discussions and a
second day devoted to skills practice and scenarios. I taught two full sessions and all
the participants stated that they learned a great deal. Apart from the Quito
presentations, in Santiago I was able to teach an abbreviated version of MITS to the
paramedics, squad leaders, and the local civilian doctor and nurse. Although the
seminar is designed for military medical personnel working with demining units, I also
cover issues relating to all types of trauma in general. When I am in the field, I eagerly
strive to include civilian personnel whenever possible; they are the ones more likely to
treat traumatic injuries on a daily basis unlike the military personnel who are on
standby and see few victims.
Since the Ecuadorian humanitarian mine action programs begin in 1999 there have
been no demining injuries; however, one civilian death and two injuries have been
reported in the region around Santiago. The sites we visited most recently began
operations in 2004 and clearing is expected to continue until 2008 or 9. Although
clearing landmines is usually a slow, arduous, and dangerous task, working in the
jungle presents even more complex problems. Unlike minefields I have seen in
Azerbaijan, Kosovo, Bosnia, and Sudan, here the mountainous terrain mixed with the
thick jungle vegetation, humidity, and high temperatures present even greater
challenges.
The purpose of my field visit was to evaluate the emergency medical capabilities and
evacuation process in the unlikely event of a demining injury. We spent time visiting
the worksites and medical facilities, interviewing deminers and medical personnel, and
gaining a full understanding of the situation. Overall it was a very productive mission
and I received much positive feedback. One unfortunate part was that I was unable to
visit the Galapagos Islands, but maybe next time.
Adios for now,
| Ecuador Trauma Training and Landmine Victim Assistance Organization of American States November 2006 |
