Falvio Alfaro is a small village of dirt roads, open-fronted shops, bicycle traffic jams, occasional jeeps and, of course, the obligatory and ceaseless noise of life.
Amid all this is the local church presided over by the indomitable but hilarious Fr Paul O'Connor. One of three Augustinian priests in the region, it was thanks to him that I ever set foot on Ecuadorian soil. I had never met him, or indeed anyone in Ecuador, before I went and this was where I was to spend my first night before heading off to Chone.
The Augustinian priests run a mission in Ecuador and also act as local parish priests. I cannot comment on their religious work, as I had no involvement with it, but I commend the service these three men - Fr Paul O'Connor, Fr Michael Fitzgerald and Fr Ted McCarthy - provide to their communities. Fr Paul has raised funds and overseen the building of a hospital in Flavio Alfaro, and has gained assurances from the government that it will provide permanent staffing. In Chone, Fr Mike has overseen the building of houses. He has set up and runs the clinic (where I worked) and has a fabulous programme for street children.
My first morning in Flavio was an eye-opener. The first child I met was Maria, with her mum. She sat quietly while her mum explained that Maria had leukaemia and had relapsed following initial treatment. The next line of treatment involved a bone marrow transplant but the hospital had told her she had to pay $2,000 to test her compatibility for this treatment.
A family who probably subsisted on about $10 a week could never afford this. Herein lies the problem with healthcare in Ecuador: the treatment is available, but at a price. Without treatment she will die whereas there may be up to a 35 per cent cure rate with further treatment. The purpose of her visit to the priest was to ask for money that simply was not there.
Donations can be made to The Augustinian Mission, John's Lane, Thomas St, Dublin 8. Tel: 01 6770393.