Need for Clean Water

     As we traveled to various villages in Honduras to proceed with the medical brigades, we were taken back by the lack of access to clean water. We saw boys and girls drinking right out of streams that are less than sanitary. Yes, people have systems set up to get themselves water from the rivers, but other people up stream may be washing their clothes or dumping trash into the river. This causes all types of contamination issues in the water. And if people do not have clean water to drink, it is hard for them to stay hydrated and healthy in their lives. Therefore, the cycle continues. The people need teams to come to bring medicine because they are sick from the water (among other things).

    Since it is hard to clean up an entire water system of lakes, rivers, and streams, it would be easier to fix these problems with sanitation possibilities in the homes of the people. If they are more educated on the effects of contaminated water, that would be a good start. Giving them knowledge is helpful. Giving them an actual filtration system is even better. Teaming up with established organizations to do this is an excellent way to get involved in ended the crisis of contaminated water in Honduras. These organizations include World Vision, Water.org, and Water For People. You can check out their websites to get involved today!

Pictures coming...

Please stay tuned for pictures once we return...technical difficulties.

Friday 5/24 visit to maternity hospital/market

Today we drove into San Pedro Sula to visit the maternity hospital. They were very gracious to let us visit. We took 60 baby kits to hand out to the mothers and new babies. We first visited the young mothers section where we handed out around 15 kits to mothers 18 years or younger. The babies were beautiful. The mothers were in one large room which they shared, they had no pillows, blankets or privacy. The fathers were not allowed in and the room was not air conditioned. We saw a lot of courage in these young girls faces. The older mothers section was setup exactly the same. They were so grateful to receive the kits for the babies, and as we left the hospital one mother who was also leaving for home had her new baby blanket draped over her shoulder and her baby. The mothers stay in the hospital anywhere from 8 hours and no longer than 24. We also visited the nursery and the NICU. It was an unforgettable experience to see the strength these beautiful people have even when faced with adverse conditions.

We were also able to visit the market today and experience some truly, unique Honduran culture. We had a good time finding treasures of all kinds for "good prices." The determination of the Honduran people is not only displayed in their work ethic in serving and helping others, it also is shown in their selling and any job in which they work.

 

 

 

 

 

Thursday 5/23 San Lucia

Today we went to Santa Lucia, this community had  one of the most beautiful views we had seen so far.  We set up our brigade in the town's school, close to the mountain's edge. The kids were so excited to see us! We spent a lot of time with them coloring, playing games and painting nails after we had finished with our work. The day was a sucess, we completed 2 concrete floors for families in need. This helped 4 adults and 12 children. We were sad to say goodbye to the staff that had helped us so much this week. But many of us made promise to come back next year and  see all of our old friends again!

Wednesday 5/22 visit to Nueve Esperanza taulabe

We had another successful visit to the small village of Nueve Esperanza Taulabe. After a pretty bumpy and steep climb up a dirt road we reached the town. The beautiful views made it worth the ride however. It was another hot day and we were sure to drink plenty of water. This town was one of the smaller ones but we still saw many patients. Again we did all the stations and patients were able to see the dentist or doctor as needed. We were also able to give two families concrete floors. This simple but important job makes a big difference in the family's lives. Everyone enjoyed playing with the children and games such as tag and coloring. We are looking forward to another busy day tomorrow!

 

 

 

Tuesday 5/21 San Juan, Victoria, Yoro

Today we had our longest drive of the week. We went about 2 1/2 hours away from our hacienda to the village of  San Juan. San Juan was a village that MAMA had never visited to before. So we were interested to find out the needs of this community. We drove up windy, rocky, narrow, steep mountainsides and forged through rivers before we reached the top. It was a beautiful drive and we were happy to arrive safely, in one piece and to less humidity. The villagers were happy to greet us and were very organized as well as helpful. Today we were able to watch the MAMA staff teach the community how to properly administer micronutrients to family members. They used a hard boil egg to mix the micronutrients with because eggs are an easy protein source and easily acceptable to all people. Overall this was a pretty healthy community. We did find 3 children with malnourishment that we were able to educate. The dentist pulled teeth from 23 children and adults. It was a successful day!

        Throughout the week, in addition to the medical brigade team, a construction team worked at two different houses on each day to put in cement floors. Without these cement floors, families are more susceptible to parasites and diseases from walking and living on dirt floors.  Families are chosen based upon need in the community in which the medical brigade is working that day. The MAMA Construction Team of Felix, Eddie, Wilson, and Josh, have the process down so well that they could do it in their sleep. Their patience was truly remarkable as they taught us the process of shoveling dirt, carrying water, mixing cement, and pouring the floor. This strenuous work was difficult, yes, but the men make it an enjoyable time with lots of smiles, laughter, and, of course, sweat. The work ethic of this team is inspiring as they work in less than ideal conditions. No complaints have been spoken by them, and it is a blessing to work with all of them.

Hard at work putting in a floor

 

Preparing the concrete

4 of the 9 children in the home receiving a floor

 

Beautiful drive...even though quite bumpy!

Monday 5/20 visit to

Today we drove to the village of San Antonio for the first day of treatments. When we arrived at the village there were school children there waiting for us. We set each up the stations they would be going to. They started with getting weighed, measured and giving us some general information. The vitamin a and deworming station came next where everyone received the deworming pill and children under the age of five received vitamin a. We then check everyone's hemoglobin for anemia. Vitals signs are taken next and then we give each family a bag of micronutrient pills to put in their food each day. This is very important because most families do not have access to a wide variety of foods. The next stop for the villagers is to the doctor, dentist and the pharmacy stations for their meds.

We saw a lot of patients today and they were all very grateful. We enjoyed playing with the children and practicing our spanish. The weather was around 95 degrees with humidity.

 

 

Coloring / Painting Nails with the children

 

 

Hemoglobin Station / Height and Weight

 

Vitamin A / Deworming / BP stations