Altos del Estiquirín

  • Overview
  • Medical
  • Dental
  • Engineering
  • Water
  • Business
  • Public Health

Overview

Altos de Estiquirín is located within the municipality of Nacaome in the department of Valle in southern Honduras. The typical house is made of adobe. Children in the community have access to education up to sixth grade. There is no water system within the community. Most of the community members work in agriculture, especially in corn production. The top needs expressed by Alto de Estiquirín’s inhabitants during their initial communications with Global Brigades include a potable water system and in-home public health infrastructure.

Municipality: Nacaome
Department: Valle

Homes : 87
Population : 400
Water System : Yes
Community Bank : Yes
Electricity : No
Health Center : No
Community Health Workers : Yes
Homes with Latrines : 25%
Education : Up to 6th Grade
Distance from Lodging Facility : 45 min

Medical

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

HEALTH CARE ACCESS

The Honduran government provides two different types of health centers throughout rural Honduras: Centros de Salud Médico Odontológico (CESAMOs) and Centros de Salud Rural (CESARs). CESAMOs are the larger of the two, often found in municipalities, and typically have at least one physician on staff at all times with nurses and potentially a dentist. CESARs are found sporadically in rural communities and generally have a single nurse available. Even with this coverage, it is important to note that medications, supplies, and materials are often not available in these health centers and the physician density in Honduras remains around 1,220 people for every one doctor. According to the World Health Organization, there should be a maximum of 435 people per physician to qualify a country as having adequate access to medical attention.

There is no health center in the community of Altos de Estiquirín. If community members need to seek medical attention, they must walk six kilometers to the nearest CESAR in El Tular. The most common illnesses reported by community members in Altos de Estiquirín include arterial hypertension, a chronic cough, and the common cold.

165

Volunteers

1,468

Patient Consulations

31

Vision Screenings Provided

44

Health Education Workshops

COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKERS

Altos de Estiquirín currently has access to eight Community Health Workers (CHWs). However, these CHWs were not trained by Global Brigades. Our Medical Program is actively working to assess the current CHWs’ knowledge, recruit additional volunteers, and provide supplemental training and certification.

BRIGADE INFORMATION

Community members in Altos de Estiquirín attend Medical and Dental Brigade clinics hosted in the community’s school building. The various stations of the clinic are held in the school’s four classrooms. Doctors are able to spend an average of ten minutes with each patient.

AVERAGE PATIENTS ATTENDED: 367
NEARBY COMMUNITIES: CHILCAL, El SAUCITO, LA CUESTA

MEDICAL/DENTAL VOLUNTEERS IN ALTOS DE ESTIQUIRÍN

Chapter Date # Of Volunteers Chapter Date # Of Volunteers
Rice University Medical Brigade May 2014 33 Owings Mills Medical Brigade & University of California Berkeley Medical Brigade June 2015 N/A
Penn State University Medical Brigade January 2016 35 Case Western Reserve University & Maryville University Medical Brigade & Wake Forest Medical School Medical Brigade May 2018 32
Cornell University Medical Brigade & Johns Hopkins University Medical Brigade May 2019 24

Dental

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

DENTAL CARE ACCESS

Working closely with the Medical Program, the Dental Program provides fillings, extractions, and fluoride treatments as a standard part of medical brigades. Most community members do not have regular access to dental care due to the lack of a dentist within a reasonable distance.

46

Patient Consultations

49

Number of Extractions

49

Fillings Performed

6

Dental Education Workshop

BRIGADE INFORMATION

Community members in Altos de Estiquirín attend Medical and Dental Brigade clinics hosted in the community’s school building. The various stations of the clinic are held in the school’s four classrooms. Doctors are able to spend an average of ten minutes with each patient.

AVERAGE PATIENTS ATTENDED: 367
NEARBY COMMUNITIES: CHILCAL, El SAUCITO, LA CUESTA

MEDICAL/DENTAL VOLUNTEERS IN ALTOS DE ESTIQUIRÍN

Chapter Date # Of Volunteers Chapter Date # Of Volunteers
Rice University Medical Brigade May 2014 33 Owings Mills Medical Brigade & University of California Berkeley Medical Brigade June 2015 N/A
Penn State University Medical Brigade January 2016 35 Case Western Reserve University & Maryville University Medical Brigade & Wake Forest Medical School Medical Brigade May 2018 32
Cornell University Medical Brigade & Johns Hopkins University Medical Brigade May 2019 24

Engineering

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

ALTOS DE ESTIQUIRÍN’S ENGINEERING CHALLENGE:

When Global Brigades arrived in Altos de Estiquirín, community members did not have sufficient water to meet their current or future needs. Many of our community members when faced with this issue are forced to load jugs of water on the backs of donkeys and walk to and from a nearby well in order to gather enough water for their family each day. The time and energy that was necessary in order to retrieve water caused families to sacrifice important hygiene and sanitation practices that would require more water.

18

Volunteers

400

Beneficiaries

5.5

Kilometer of pipeline designed

12

Average community volunteers

ALTOS DE ESTIQUIRÍN’S ENGINEERING SOLUTION:

A strong partnership between Global Brigades, community leaders, and Fundación Agrolíbano allowed for the completion of a new water system in Altos de Estiquirín in 2019. Through the community leaders organized community participation and support, Global Brigades constructed a well water system that connected to a new 15,000-gallon storage tank with a chlorinator, trained the water council, and trained a community member to maintain the system. Community members and Global Brigades celebrated Altos de Estiquirín’s completed water system in December of 2019. 

ENGINEERING VOLUNTEERS IN ALTOS DE ESTIQUIRÍN

Chapter Date # Of Volunteers
University of California Irvine Engineering Brigade & University of Warwick Engineering Brigade September 2017 18

Water

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

ALTOS DE ESTIQUIRÍN WATER CHALLENGE

Global Brigades hopes to foster a partnership with the organization Agrolibano to create a water system in the community of Altos de Estiquirín. The community does not currently have a water system and because of this is limited to using water from a nearby well and river. Regardless of family size community members are limited to 15 gallons of water. 15 gallons is far from enough for a family’s daily drinking, cleaning, cooking and other needs. Water from the well and river tends to be parasitic and has contributed to many issues such as chronic kidney diseases. In addition to the lack of water, hygiene and sanitation conditions in Altos de Estiquirin are dire. 

48

Volunteers

408

Project Beneficiaries

7

Kilometers of Pipeline Installed

15,000

Storage Tank Volume (gallons)

ALTOS DE ESTIQUIRÍN WATER SOLUTION

A strong partnership between Global Brigades, community leaders, and Fundación Agrolíbano allowed for the completion of a new water system in Altos de Estiquirín in 2019. Through the community leaders organized community participation and support, Global Brigades constructed a well water system that connected to a new 15,000-gallon storage tank with a chlorinator, trained the water council, and trained a community member to maintain the system. Community members and Global Brigades celebrated Altos de Estiquirín’s completed water system in December of 2019. 

WATER VOLUNTEERS IN ALTOS DE ESTIQUIRÍN

Chapter Date # Of Volunteers
Niagara Bottling Water Brigade September 2019 48

Business

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

ALTOS DEL ESTIQUIRIN’S ECONOMIC CHALLENGE

When Global Brigades first met Altos del Estiquirin they learned about their reliance on agricultural seasons in order to sustain themselves financially. In the past few years, drought has caused low profits on harvest, and farmers have to pay high costs for extra fertilizer in order to help growth. Some community members also move to more mountainous communities during coffee season in order to harvest coffee.

N/A

Volunteers

32

Loan Disbursed

44

Savings Accounts Opened

N/A

Capital Invested

ALTOS DEL ESTIQUIRIN’S MICROFINANCE SOLUTION

Global Brigades first partnered with the existing community bank in Altos del Estiquirin to expand their impact. Altos del Estiquirin’s rural bank started offering more loans for agriculture so that farmers could grow enough of their own crops to sell. Not only was Global Brigades working to strengthen the bank to help with agriculture, but also to help prepare them to offer public health loans to support public health infrastructure. 

Public Health

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

Altos del Estiquirin’s Public Health Challenge

Many community members in Altos del Estiquirin lack the resources to make improvements to their household infrastructure. The majority of homes in Altos del Estiquirin are made of adobe, cement blocks, and wood. There are approximately 87 homes in El Jiote, with an average of 5 people living in each. Hygiene stations, which include showers and water storage units, are necessary to facilitate handwashing, allow water storage for hygienic processes, and offer privacy while bathing. Additionally, eco-stoves evacuate smoke from the living space and decrease the risk of respiratory illnesses, and latrines improve hygiene practices and prevent contamination of natural water sources caused by open defecation. By partnering with Global Brigades’ Public Health Program, Altos del Estiquirin’s inhabitants are hoping to avoid preventable diseases and adopt proper hygiene and sanitation practices.

51

Volunteers

N/A

Sanitation Units Installed

N/A

People Benefitted with Public Health infrastructure

N/A

Hours of Public Health Education

ALTOS DEL ESTIQUIRIN’S PUBLIC HEALTH SOLUTION:

Public Health Brigaders from several different universities and the Public Health Brigades in-country team worked in Altos del Estiquirin since January 2020. Volunteers and staff members will work with alongside the community to identify community leaders and train them to form the Basic Sanitation Committee, increase cultural sensitivity and awareness by working side-by-side with qualified masons and project beneficiaries, conduct educational workshops emphasizing the importance of sanitation and hygiene in the local primary school, install water filters, and build eco-stoves, latrines, and water storage unit. Community members utilize Altos del Estiquirin newly established community bank to save for their contribution for the projects construction. The community bank provided access for families to take out loans for future home infrastructure projects, allowing community members to invest in the health of their own family without Global Brigades’ involvement. To ensure the sustainability of the projects constructed, the Public Health Program will conduct follow-up in the community.

PUBLIC HEALTH VOLUNTEERS IN ALTOS DEL ESTIQUIRIN

Chapter Date # Of Volunteers Chapter Date # Of Volunteers
Smith College Medical Brigade January 2020 19 University of Missouri Medical Brigade January 2020 32

Local Reference Points

View the map to see the closest volunteer lodging facilities, hospitals, and other relevant points of reference.

  • Feature

The Largest Movement for Global Health and Holistic Development

“Global Brigades” refers to one or more Global Brigades entities, each of which is a separate and independent legal entity; “Global Brigades, Inc.,” “Global Brigades Health and Development,” “Global Brigades UK,” “GBO Ghana,” “Asociacion Global Brigadas de Honduras,” and “Fundacion Brigadas Globales de Panama”. Global Brigades Health and Development (“Global Brigades Canada”) is a federally registered Canadian charity independent from Global Brigades Inc.

Guidestar 2021