The Roberto Clemente Health Clinic provides affordable access to high-quality health care and wellness programs in the Tola coastal communities of Nicaragua.
As the second poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, Nicaragua suffers immensely from a deficiency in available medical care. Many rural communities do not have local health care facilities and cannot afford the treatment offered in the cities.
The Oxford Club has fallen in love with this wonderful region. The Club has provided job opportunities, health services, better education and improved wellbeing for the people of this area. But we could not do it without the generous support of our Members…
Donating only takes a minute, but it makes a dramatic, long-term difference in the lives of the wonderful people in this region of Nicaragua.
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– Nicole Labra, Senior Managing Editor
Good morning,
I’m Gustavo Adolfo Ibarra Marín, General Manager of our Roberto Clemente Clinic. I’ve been here since 2005 – the longest out of our current team.
It’s about time we met! Julia and the Board suggested Father’s Day as a good time for me to introduce myself. And most importantly, to share a bit about my background as a Clinic senior director and my vision for what would make us more successful for the community.
Julia also wanted me to share what it’s like to be a professional, single Dad in Nicaragua.
That is why I’m writing to you today. Father’s Day in Nicaragua is this Sunday, June 23rd – and I have lots to celebrate!
I came to the Clinic as our first pharmacist and opened the pharmacy there. I continue to manage the procurement, distribution and storage of medications. I also manage the building and grounds maintenance teams.
Most importantly, I am the father to two beautiful children, Lucina Larisa (13 years old) and Gustavo Adolfo (8 years old). Both of my children live with me full time. I’m fortunate to have a support person to help take care of them, in addition to my mother who helps us when needed.
Throughout my parenting adventure, I’ve learned to play the role of the mother and the father. Candidly, I have found this to be easier than expected so far… maybe because I simply love them, and they love me. We have a very close relationship. I try to pay attention to everything they need and be present in each of their moments of happiness and sadness. I hope that God gives me good health and allows me to continue to watch them grow and become good people.
When I’m at work they are studying, but I try to be aware of their movements and needs. When they were little, I had to perfect my skills in time management. Apart from my work with the Clinic, I own a gym as a family business in Rivas. Every afternoon after work, I go with my children to check up on the gym, and we train together.
I teach them to see the positive side of our situation and optimize our time together.
As the long-time Operations Director of the Roberto Clemente Clinic, I bring the same perspective of resilience and optimism to the team. I always try to be positive in my work, even when handling adversities. We have developed a great senior management team – having worked through many major challenges together over the years – especially dealing with lack of funds, periodic flooding and COVID-19. Each person here realizes how much the community depends on us. We strive to be accountable to the community in the best way we can, with the resources we have.
But there is so much more we could do for patients and our programs if we had more funds.
We are making plans with the Board of Directors to upgrade our rundown facility, eventually build a new one, and finally upgrade our equipment and systems. It’s all critically needed, and your support is also critical and much appreciated. (Please visit our donation page here.)
The rainy season is here, and we are already seeing flooding and roof leaks. I am plannings now to get the roof fixed, thanks to a repair grant from Walter V. – along with your donations and matching funds from The Oxford Club. But our electric system is woefully outdated, and the cost of water from the municipality has skyrocketed along with all other supplies. So, we are feeling the urgency and restrictions.
My goal for the Clinic is to get this facility in much better shape for our patients and our team. After being in operation for over 20 years, we need to make serious upgrades in the infrastructure, vehicles, and our electronic and purified water systems so that we can provide the community much-needed, local quality care for years to come.
In the spirit of Nicaragua’s Father’s Day and, in honor of the challenges fathers face in these poor communities, if you would please consider a donation to help us upgrade our operations and facility.
The timing is urgent. Recently, our U.S. doctors came for a visit and thought it was in the worst shape they’ve seen. It’s simply the result of too little funds supporting a 24/7 clinic during inflationary times.
Please consider donating today and help us improve our resources so we can support the Nicaraguan communities here with urgent and preventative healthcare – at a level they deserve.
Thank you for meeting me today and taking time to hear my greatest wishes for my children, and for my Nica Clinic family.
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