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Solvang resident makes a difference in the Peace Corps

By Raiza Canelon/Staff Writer

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Dorita and Cristobal Nima-Erazo are pictured with vegetables grown in their hometown of Noma, Peru where Jenna Sell, 25, of Solvang, has spent the last two years aiming to prevent illnesses and improve health practices. //Contributed

Valley resident Jenna Sell is ending her two-year commitment with Peace Corps this month in Peru, believing she has made a small difference in the world and found her path in life to become a nurse practitioner.

“When I was applying to the Peace Corps I remember telling family and friends that I simply just felt the need to serve. I felt as though everything in life had been handed to me and it was time to give back,” Sell wrote in an e-mail interview from her station in „oma, Peru.

With a $2,000 donation from the Solvang Rotary Club along with local contributions, funds from the municipal government, and a grant from the United Nations Development Program, 63 flush toilets and eight ecological bathrooms were built as part of the "Healthy Homes" project, created and run by Sell.

The 25-year-old from Solvang, has spent the last two years implementing the project to prevent illnesses and improve health practices.

“We promoted the construction of flush toilets with permeable septic pits and ecological bathrooms to reduce the incidence of acute diarrheal illnesses in children caused by poor hygiene practices,” Sell said.

She is working with a local nurse conducting monthly house visits to ensure adequate use and maintenance of the bathrooms, and to promote appropriate hand washing.

The project consisted of five training workshops on healthy hygiene practices, safe water management, trash management, environmental management, vegetable gardening, and how to design a small project and identify local economic resources.

“To me, the heightened motivation, self esteem and organization I have seen develop in „oma is the most important change we have made, because this signifies that we were successful in working sustainably and that the work will continue long after the Peace Corps finishes in „oma,” Sell said.

Sell is a 2002 graduate of Santa Ynez Valley Union High School and a 2007 graduate from Bastyr University in Kirkland, Wa., earning a Bachelor of Science in psychology. She signed on with the Peace Corps in 2007 and plans on going back to school to earn her master’s degree to become a nurse practitioner.

In the Peace Corps, Sell spent 11 weeks training near Lima, Peru. That training consisted of extensive Spanish language instruction; basic health training and practice; an overview of Peruvian culture, politics, economics, and the national health situation; and basic grassroots development principles and practices. After completing training Sell was assigned to work with the government-run health post in the rural community of „oma in the northern department of Piura.

“This experience has inspired me to work in the healthcare profession, and I have learned more in depth about health disparities and the need for culturally competent health care professionals,” Sell said.

To learn more about the Peace Corps or donate to specific projects log onto www.peacecorps.gov and donate through the Peace Corps Partnership Program. The Peace Corps Partnership Program applies 100 percent of the tax-deductible donation toward a specific pro-ject, special fund or country fund.