PANGO Canada

Pango is the name used by the Kichwa-speaking people of the Napo River for the most common way to prepare food in their culture.

It consists of boiling fresh fish and plantains together in salted water.

Here, it symbolizes the effort through basic health care, including nutrition, to sustain and better the quality of life of the people living in the Napo region of the Peruvian Amazon.

Videos

Watch this 4 minute video about PANGO Overview of PANGO
(4 mins)
Watch this interview with Erin Parks Interview with Erin Parks, film editor
(2 mins)
The Spirit of Kerry was expressed in:

• her joy and search for meaning in life
• her compassion and service to others
• her committment to fight the world's inequalities
• her capacity to make a committment and carry through on it

PANGO Canada is the Canadian division of PANGO, which is a non-profit Civil Association, based in Peru. PANGO exists to support Centro de Salud Santa Clotilde (Santa Clotilde Health Centre) and its satellite clinics, which provide health care to people living in roughly 100 villages along a 400 km stretch of the Napo River in the Peruvian Amazon.

The clinic is run by Father John “Jack” MacCarthy, OPraem, MD from Wisconsin and Father Maurice Schroeder, OMI, MD from Saskatchewan, who for almost 30 years have provided medical care alongside some 30 local health professionals and technical personnel. Medical residents, nurses and laboratory technicians from Peru sometimes work in the Clinic as part of their training, as well as occasional medical volunteers from Canada and the US.

Based in Vancouver BC, Dr. Kerry Telford spent a large part of her time from 2001 to 2005 providing medical services at the Centro de Salud Santa Clotilde, while also working in Vancouver at the Peace Arch Obstetrical Clinic and the Bridge Community Clinic. Tragically, Dr Telford and her infant daughter passed away on November 29, 2009 when the seaplane in which they were travelling crashed shortly after take-off from Saturna Island, BC.

Over the years, others have volunteered their time in Santa Clotilde as well, including pharmacist Angela Lo, Dr Rich Currie, film editor Erin Parks and Dr Telford’s husband Patrick Morrissey, who is now the Director of PANGO Canada.

The Clinic is funded primarily by donations and contributions, as well as a lesser amount from the Peruvian government.

If you are interested in opportunities to travel to Santa Clotilde as a volunteer, please contact us.

Kerry and the Centro de Salud Santa Clotilde

Dr. Kerry Telford's relation to the Centro de Salud Santa Clotilde began at New Year's of 2001. She worked there as a volunteer from January to April of 2001, returning in 2002 for three months, accompanied by clinical pharmacist, Angela Lo of Vancouver. Again in 2003 she and Angela worked for two months in the Centro. In 2004 she returned, bringing editor Erin Parks, who did the first interviewing and documentary on the Centro de Salud and its work in Peru. In 2005 she came for two months, accompanied by her fiancé and soon-to-be husband, Patrick Morrissey.

Kerry did extensive public relations, fund-raising and support work for the Centro during all those years, continuing during her years as wife and mother of a family.

She felt a personal challenge and commitment to the continuation of the health center in Santa Clotilde "after the priest-doctors".