Dear NicaClinic Supporter,
We invite you to meet four more extraordinary fathers whose lives are intertwined with the Roberto Clemente Health Clinic in coastal Nicaragua.
Last week, you heard from our beloved late Operations Director and Pharmacist, Gustavo Ibarra Marin, who passed away, leaving three young children.
I mentioned in the letter that we were discussing how to support Gustavo’s children during this challenging time. We decided the most appropriate way is to include them in our Padrino program of sponsorship for health and education, especially for their schooling. If you would like to contribute specifically to this Padrino Program, click here.
From now until Father’s Day, we’ll feature more short videos of different fathers sharing their stories – some who work at our clinic, or who are part of our community in the Tola Province. Their stories reveal the profound impact your support has on our team and the children throughout our region.
Today, meet Enmanuel Jarquin:
Enmanuel Jarquin has spent seven years bringing joy and support to families throughout the Tola Province as our Program Director. But this Father’s Day holds special meaning – he’s celebrating his first as a new father himself! Enmanuel recently welcomed a beautiful baby girl. His perspective on our clinic’s mission has never been more personal.
“Now when I visit families in our clean water distribution program or check on children in our Padrino sponsorship program, I see my own daughter’s future,” Enmanuel shares. “Every child we serve through health and education programs could be her playmate, her classmate, her friend. The work we do isn’t just about helping other people’s families anymore – it’s about building the community where my daughter will grow up.”
Since joining us in 2017, Enmanuel has become the heart of our community outreach, connecting vulnerable families to life-changing resources. Now, as he holds his baby daughter, he understands more deeply than ever why our clinic must be equipped to provide 24/7 emergency care.
“What if a father in our community faces that terrifying moment at 2 a.m. when their baby needs urgent help? We need to be ready,” he says.
These fathers don’t just provide medical care or administer programs – they’re building a legacy of health and hope for the next generation. Enmanuel’s newborn daughter represents the future we’re all working toward: a generation that grows up with access to world-class emergency medical care, right here in coastal Nicaragua.
But the Clinic is not there yet. It needs new equipment and training. We have our team’s list of needed equipment below. And for this Father’s Day, these dads – many Clinic professionals – are imploring us donors to help make their dream of outfitting our Clinic to meet these emergencies.
So, this week, we want to raise $50,000 to upgrade our clinic’s life-saving equipment and hire a part-time lab technician.
After 21 years of serving our community, our clinic is ready to become a more modern 24/7 urgent care facility that this impoverished region desperately needs. But we need critical equipment to save more lives:
Equipment Needed for Enmanuel’s Daughter & Every Child:
- Digital X-Ray Machine: $45,000 (for pediatric emergencies and injuries)
- Sonoscape Ultrasound Machine: $18,500 (for comprehensive child health monitoring)
- Automated External Defibrillator: $3,000 (life-saving cardiac emergency response)
- Patient Monitor: $1,200 (continuous vital sign monitoring for critical cases)
- Part-time Lab Technician (training & salary): $4,000 (professional operation of all equipment)
Donor Fundraising 2025 Goal*: $50,000. We need your help to make this happen – whatever you can give.
HERE’S AN IDEA! You can make your donation in your dad’s honor, or to honor another dad you love. We will send them a note card acknowledging your donation in his name.
*(The Clinic has Board financial support and matching funds to get the rest of the needed funds for this equipment).
To donate, go to our donation page, here.
Tomorrow, you’ll meet our next Nicaraguan Dad, whose story will show you another way our clinic touches lives.
With gratitude,
Julia Guth
Chair, Roberto Clemente Health Clinic
[email protected]
P.S. Follow our stories this week on Instagram and Facebook for photos and updates from our community.
P.P.S. We accept donated coins, stocks, bitcoin, as well as credit card donations.