Testimonial

I have known Carrie McCracken for six or seven years.  I met her first when she was working for another international study center in Costa Rica and I took a group of University of New Mexico students to visit her center in San Jose.  Carrie conducted a class on economic development issues for my students and I was extremely impressed by her knowledge of Central America and the way she related to our students.   Soon after that Carrie contacted me and said that she was going to move to Nicaragua and set up an internship program based there.  I thought there was a great need for such a program in Nicaragua, and I encouraged her to do that.

Since then, we at Casa Xalteva have worked with Carrie on a number of projects, and I have the utmost respect for her work.  For example, two years ago the University of New Mexico organized a semester-long program for a group of undergraduate students based in Granada.  As a requirement for the course, we wanted each student to do an extended period of social service volunteer work in various part of Nicaragua.  We asked Carrie to help us find appropriate sites, set up the terms and conditions of the internships, and supervise and evaluate the students.  Our students all had outstanding internship experiences and we were very appreciative of Carrie's assistance with the program. 

In the coming year, we are planning two other programs working closely with Carrie.  The Dental Hygiene program at the University of New Mexico is planning to take a group of their students to Nicaragua this summer to work with Nicaraguan dentists and do dental cleanings and exams in some rural clinics.  Carrie has met with the UNM faculty leaders and will be helping them set up sites for the project.  Also, the University of Colorado Medical School is sending a group of physical therapists to Nicaragua in 2011, and I have referred them to Carrie to see if she can do the same for that group.

...I have always found Carrie to be very professional, knowledgeable, and totally committed to her students.  She has developed a comprehensive and very impressive network of contacts with organizations and agencies in Nicaragua, and is able to find excellent placements for her students.  She is very careful to place the health and safety of her students at the top of her priorities, and she provides them with great support and supervision.   She is also very involved in the social and cultural life of Nicaraguans and makes sure that her students get to know people in Nicaragua and are fully immersed in the communities where they work.

Ken Carpenter, Ph.D.,

Associate Director

International Programs & Studies

University of New Mexico

Testimonial: University of Colorado Physical Therapy Group

In January 2011, a group from the University of Colorado Physical Therapy Program, including 3 faculty and 5 Doctor of Physical Therapy students, visited Granada, Nicaragua. The primary purpose for the visit was to teach a course in pediatric physical therapy as part of an educational collaboration with the Physical Therapy program at the University of Managua. Carrie provided the translation services for all 4 days of the course, and she was exceptional! She prepared by reviewing the handout materials we sent prior to our visit, and she was incredibly flexible in translating back and forth between English and Spanish as needed during our teaching and hands-on lab activities.

In addition to the teaching, Carrie made arrangements for us to visit Children’s Wellness (NGO), a local public health clinic in Granada, and Clinica de Hijos in San Blas. We conducted developmental screenings of children in San Blas and provided consultation to parents of children with disabilities during the visit at Children’s Wellness. We observed public health activities in all settings and had opportunities to talk to, and learn from, various physicians, physical therapists, and healthcare providers. We traveled on local buses and microbuses into rural areas, and we were able to experience the distances and time required to travel and access care.

We learned a lot about the health care system in Nicaragua and gained an appreciation of the levels of care, access to care, and the delivery of care in urban and rural communities. We also gained a greater appreciation for the impact of poverty and current economic environment on the care and services available to children with disabilities in Nicaragua. Carrie helped us to understand the challenges faced by families who live in urban and more rural communities with regards to their children’s health and education. Carrie was incredibly organized and responsive in all the stages of planning and executing the experiences she set up on our behalf. Her knowledge and connections really made our experience in Nicaragua much more worthwhile!

Mary Jane Rapport, PT, DPT, PhD
University of Colorado Physical Therapy Program