April 13, 2001

Students part of relief mission in El Salvador

Over the Mardi Gras holiday, two Loyola students and members of the Medical Mission Aid society traveled to El Salvador to help bring relief to the victims of the recent earthquakes. Rachel Delatte, a biology/pre-med major, from Baton Rouge; and Betsy Mathews, a Slaughter, Louisiana, native, majoring in a sociology/pre-med were part of the 10 plus-member group.

The group was joined by Cheer-Up Mission, a troupe of clowns dedicated not only to collecting and distributing material aid but also to spreading laughter and cheer. So in addition to distributing the much-needed medical supplies, clothing, and food, Cheer-Up members performed comic skits and provided requisite laughter to the El Salvadorians to lift their spirits during their exhausting rebuilding efforts.

Before leaving Loyola for San Salvador, Delatte and Mathews collected clothing, shoes, and money from the university community. Due to the generosity of Loyola members, the students were able to ship three containers to El Salvador, one more than earlier anticipated. The Student Government Association also pitched in to help with travel expenses.

In El Salvador, Delatte and Mathews joined with Cheer Up members to perform skits in little town squares, a nursing home, a schoolyard and an orphanage. On the first day the show was held in an area badly hit by the earthquakes. Homes were crumbled and walls and roofs were missing. People were sleeping in makeshift shelters. Despite this devastation, both Delatte and Mathews were amazed at how the people pulled together and did the necessary work to rebuild their communities.

"Before I left for El Salvador, I braced myself for dealing with constant devastation, which is all I thought I would experience," Mathews remembers. "But there was more. We met some wonderful individuals, wealthy and poor, who were working tirelessly for those who could not help themselves and who were still able to look forward with hope and thank God for all that had not been destroyed. I think approaching devastation with the attitude of a clown really helped me to support the hope people had."

Delatte and Mathews agree that they could not have spent their Mardi Gras doing anything more important. However, their recent efforts were only an addition to a growing list of volunteer efforts. As members of the Medical Missions Aid Society, they have traveled with Cheer-Up on other missions, helped raise funds, and packaged supplies at the International Hospital for Children.

Upon their return, Delatte and Mathews gave a presentation, sharing what they learned and experienced in El Salvador, with members of the Loyola community.