People living in poverty have to deal with enormous stress, trauma and grief. Children living in poverty also have to struggle extra hard when they have learning disabilities and developmental delays.
The Nueva Vida Clinic has a licensed therapist who treats mostly women and children. Domestic violence is one of the main issues that the therapist hears in the sessions.
With learning disabilities and developmental delays, public schools are not funded nor are teachers trained very well to help in this area, since Nicaragua is the second poorest country in the Americas. These issues are left up to psychologists and therapists. The clinic’s therapist helps parents and the children deal with these issues as well as holding in-school tutorials.
The clinic offers vision tests using an auto-refractor as well as an eye chart. Patients can choose from donated used glasses or pay a small fee for frames holding pre-ground lenses that meet their own prescriptions, IF the prescription is not complicated. Patients with more serious issues such as glaucoma, cataracts, etc. are referred to the local hospital that has eye surgery capabilities