History

In December 2004, medical students Ravi Menghani, Grant Lee, Willie Siu, and undergraduate Daniel Choi travelled to Nicaragua, under the guidance of UCLA Pediatric Neurosurgeon Dr. Jorge Lazareff to investigate the high incidence of spina bifida in the region and barriers to healthcare.The initial team visited El Hospital Antonio Lenin Fonseca and observed a significant lack of medical tools, technology, and supplies. They found a need for intervention and presented their work at the 55th annual AMSA Convention in Washington, D.C. Since then Project Nicaragua was founded and has been making yearly visits to Lenin Fonseca, and more recently to La Mascota (children’s hospital), to supply the hospitals with important equipment, such as neurosurgical drills, medical textbooks, computers, gauze, gloves, and more. In 2005 and 2006, Project Nicaragua sent four teams during July 20–29 and August 19–27. Students surveyed patients affected by spina bifida to collect data.