Brigadistas in Gigante

For the next two weeks the Gigante Community Health Centre will host a second International Paediatric Medical Brigade. Volunteers from the United States and Canada will provide care to local children.

A brigade is a military formation typically comprised of three to six divisions and of up to 5000 soldiers, under the command a Brigadier General.

Volunteers in a medical brigade are know as brigadistas.

The first time I recollect hearing of the use of this military metaphor for a humanitarian cause was during the Spanish Civil War when numerous international volunteer organizations supported the cause of independence. Norman Bethune, a Canadian surgeon, and one of my early heroes, served as a medic in this war. He is credited as the first individual to bring blood transfusions to the front line of a military conflict. His efforts saved many lives.

The second time I heard of this term was in the aftermath of the Sandinista revolution, when young men and women arrived from abroad to help war-torn Nicaragua with literacy, health, and agriculture campaigns.

Brigadistas continue to serve in Nicaragua, and our efforts over the next few weeks definitely qualify as a brigade. I am proud to serve as a brigadista in this worthy cause.