Travel for a Cause
CAO employee and nurse provides medical care to South Americans
Jensen and Carl, a translator, in the school yard in Niew-Nickerie.
Christine Jensen recently took a break from her job to travel to an exotic country near the equator, but her destination didn’t promise any sand, surf or even relaxation.
Jensen, the assistant director of the CAO's Wounded Warrior Program, was one of 30 members of the military selected to go on a humanitarian mission to Suriname, a Third World country in eastern South America.
“You have to take the opportunities you’ve been given,” she said. “It was wonderful; the people were great and so warm.”
The team provided $1 million in medical care, health, dental and eye exams to needy people in five different Suriname schools.
Jensen poses with Stephani, a Surinamese girl who spoke English.
Jensen, a corpsman and a 22 year veteran of the Navy reserves, helped examine hundreds of people and fit them with free glasses at the clinic’s optometry station.
“Helping people get healthier has huge potential to make monumental changes in their lives and I’m just happy that I could be a part of it,” Jensen said of her first humanitarian mission.
Being a part of it also required some personal sacrifice. After traveling for 26 hours to their base camp in Nieuw-Nickerie, they got to work loading the supply truck. At 4 a.m. the next day they revved up the truck and drove several hours away to the first site.
The 12-14 hour days were broken up by a mix of military issue MRE’s and local fare.
The medical team brought soccer balls and other toys to each school that was visited.
All the sacrifices were well worth it, Jensen said.
“Some of the most rewarding days I’ve ever had in my life have been the longest,” she said.
Many of the Surinamese people spoke some English, but Jensen said she always found a way to communicate, even without the help of the group’s translators. “Even if they couldn’t speak English they were friendly, they could touch you and look you in the eye and communicate with you.”
The team also brought gifts for the schoolchildren, such as balls, playing cards and jacks. “They don’t get this stuff. They’re going to get a lot of joy out of them,” she said.
A military truck loaded with medical supplies.
Although it was her first humanitarian mission, Jensen has had many more memorable experiences traveling with the Navy.
In 1998, she received a last minute assignment to accompany President Jimmy Carter to a submarine dedication at the Pentagon. She’s even gone to Spain as a navy corpsman.
Now back from her mission, Jensen will continue to help the people of Suriname by sending care packages to the children she visited. “I’ve kind of adopted them, so I’m going to send them school supplies and things that they can play with,” she said. “They gave so much to me; I’d like to give to them.”
