CARMEN QUIJANO

Carmen Quijano is a young doctor from Madrid who has been volunteering at the CHEER International Group (CHEERing) since January. Carmen provides invaluable support at CHEERing’s Grow Clinics and health screenings, practicing compassionate, patient-centered care and coordinating referrals to specialists when needed.

Over the past few months, Carmen has nourished CHEERing’s relationships with various medical providers in Athens who facilitate refugees’ access to quality healthcare. Notably, she has refined a collaboration model with Seeds of Humanity (Seeds), a Palestinian organization that offers various health services in the heart of the city. Once every month, CHEERing provides transportation from the isolated Thiva Refugee Camp to the Seeds Clinic, where our beneficiaries receive dental care and vaccines – sometimes both. Last week, we excelled in this logistical challenge: in one morning, the Seeds dentists treated 14 patients while their pediatrician vaccinated 14 children. We also distributed dental hygiene products to the families so that they can maintain their restored oral health.

“The combined dental and vaccination mornings exemplify the work I love doing at CHEERing, “ shares Carmen. “Through our weekly visits to the Thiva camp, we foster relationships of trust and identify our beneficiaries’ health needs. Then, with careful planning and combining our efforts with those of our collaborators, we provide a dignified setting in which this vulnerable population can receive the care they are too often denied. It has been immensely gratifying to work together with a capable and diverse team, and of course to enjoy the fruits of our labor every time our beneficiaries report an improvement in their quality of life.”

Thank you for your dedication and compassionate work, Carmen! We are thrilled to celebrate you as our CHAMPion of the Week.