On July 13, 2018, the Medical/Dental/Chiropractic Team of the Friends of Honduras departed from the San Pedro Sula International Airport for the Honduran State of Intibucá. We were a group of 24—14 from Missouri and 10 Honduran partners. This was our 8th clinical trip to Guanacaste; our 3rd to Aguacate.

The health transformation of the remote community of Guanacaste is tremendous. Our annual fluoride varnish treatments of the children’s teeth, as well as the provision of toothbrushes and toothpaste, has meant fewer caries and extractions in the pediatric population. Although food insecurity is still the norm, the poultry project and community garden have reduced the number of swollen bellies in the children—there are none! Every member of the community receives 6-12 months of vitamins. Because all of the reproductive age women receive adequate folic acid, we’ve seen a huge improvement in the health of the newborns.

We provide enough medication to manage chronic illnesses for a full year—until our return. Denia, age 8, has not had a seizure in 2 years; Seily, age 6, has had her thyroid medicine without interruption.

All day long, as we worked to care for chronic muscle pain (thank goodness for Dr. Alex Gafford, our chiropractor), joint pain (Drs. Treena Sturgeon and Michael Donovan performed numerous knee injections), and stomach upset (everyone was treated for parasites); as we treated acute illnesses like pneumonia and injuries needing sutures; as our dentist, Fabiola Zeron, provided excellent anesthetic for extractions (no screaming!), we listened to the children swinging, swinging, swinging on their new playground equipment.

Our care for the community of Aguacate is structured the same as that for Guanacaste. After three years, we do see improvement in the health of the community—but the dental health is poorer, the food vulnerability is greater, and the birth rate is higher than in Guanacaste. We still have our work to do.

In Aguacate, there have been important successes. Maria S. is having fewer seizures—this year, we increased the dose of her medication. Dr. Sturgeon made her second annual home visit to see Maria C. H., age 79, who has had a stroke. Maria is taking her aspirin and her Metoprolol and her blood pressure is better; she was sitting in the sun and smiling.

Last year, we partnered with Smile Train to help Reynaldo—a six year old resident of Aguacate who had a double cleft lip and palate. He’s doing well, and should have his final surgical repair in October.

During the course of our five days of clinical care, we had the privilege of serving about 1000 unique individuals — the word gets out about our presence, and families walk for hours (literally) to seek our services.

Caring for the poorest of the poor, in the middle of nowhere, is an extraordinary experience. Every member of our Team feels grateful for the opportunity.

Our trip was delayed until May this year due to political turmoil after the presidential election in Honduras. Even though we were pushed into the rainy season, we consider this trip to be one our most successful.

The Water Purification Project

We are pleased to report that after many years of effort, we signed an agreement with Guanacaste to build a Living Waters for the World purification facility in the village. This will finally allow the distribution of clean bottled water to every household. The projected completion date of this project is July, 2019.

 

STEM/Robotics

Friends of Honduras delivered the first of six LEGO Mindstorms Robotics kits and laptop computers to Guanacaste for STEM/robotics education. This is a cooperative effort with Christian Brothers College High School in St. Louis and the Greater St. Louis Eagle Scouts. This endeavor is surely a first for such a remote region of Honduras.

The Swing Set

It took us a year, the help of a drilling team in Houston, and a Dole banana boat to stage all of the parts of the swing set. Together with the villagers we worked in rain and mud for two days to complete a beautiful, red, yellow and blue swing set for the children. Mud didn’t stop the elation, pure joy and squeals of delight as the children tried out swinging for the first time. Parents, teachers and the swing set crew equally shared those feelings as everyone stood watching the children enjoy their new playground fun equipment.

The Food Storage Warehouse

As part of our trip, we were able to celebrate the completion of the food storage warehouse. This project came about as a request of the villagers. Previously rice and beans had been stored in one of the classrooms. Besides taking up classroom space, the food had to be stored adjacent to open windows leaving it exposed to excess moisture. Thanks to generous donors, we were able to fund the construction of the warehouse, which included space for future teachers’ office expansion. We are proud of the skilled village craftsman who once again displayed their expertise in construction of the warehouse.

The Village of Aguacate

We are just in the initial stages of extending community development to the village of Aguacate. While we were in Honduras, we were able to visit the village and meet the village leaders as well as the deacon of the church for a discussion of this endeavor. We hope to be able to raise enough funds to extend more help for this very deserving village.

The Medical and Dental Team

The Medical and Dental Team arrived in Honduras July 14th and are on their way to both Guanacaste and Aguacate for their medical and dental clinics. We will have their update on the clinics and their many adventures coming soon! We wish them a safe, happy and productive trip!