Camalotal, Talanga

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

Overview

Camalotal is located within the municipality of Talanga in the department of Francisco Morazan in central Honduras. The typical house is made of adobe, cement blocks, or wood. Children in the community have access to Primary School. Most of the community members work in agriculture, cattle raising, and day labor. The top needs expressed by Camalotal’s inhabitants during their initial communications with Global Brigades include water system renovation and access to medical care.

Municipality: Talanga
Department: Francisco Morazan

Homes : 36
Population : 145
Water System : Yes
Community Bank : Yes
Electricity : Yes
Health Center : CESAMO Talanga
Community Health Workers : Yes
Homes with Latrines : 90%
Education : Primary School
Distance from Lodging Facility : 62 km

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.

Camalotal has access to a CESAMO in Talanga that is 9 km away as well as a private clinic. In the health center, medications are sometimes available. The most common illnesses in Talanga are common cold, cough, skin allergies, hypertension, diabetes, and asthma.

23

Volunteers

49

Patient consultations

COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKERS

Camalotal has access to a total of 5 Community Health Workers (CHWs). These CHWs were trained in the community of Casillas.

Community Health Workers, or Guardianes de Salud, work on a volunteer basis as advocates for health care within their communities. While this is an existing program in Honduras and Guardianes de Salud is identified by other organizations and some health centres, Global Brigades is able to bridge gaps in access to training and provide more comprehensive technical skills. Our CHWs are some of the very few Guardianes de Salud to receive certification from the Honduran government. Our CHWs are tasked with treating and preventing common illnesses, and some of their responsibilities include first aid, supporting and caring for pregnancies and newborns, and responding to emergency situations. They are also responsible for following up with chronic patients to ensure proper administration of medications and treatments to avoid further complications. Additionally, CHWs provide support for brigades that are hosted in their area. At the completion of their training, CHWs are equipped with basic medical supplies and equipment provided by Global Brigades and its partners. The presence of these volunteers and their advocacy for health within their community contributes to the sustainability of health care supported by Global Brigades’ Medical Program and is one of the most impactful disease prevention strategies in rural communities across the globe.

BRIGADE INFORMATION 

Global Brigades is working on the implementation of the Holistic Model in Camalotal but has not yet begun with the Medical Brigades.

MEDICAL/DENTAL VOLUNTEERS IN EL CAMALOTAL:

Chapter Date # Of Volunteers Chapter Date # Of Volunteers
Saint Ambrose Medical TeleBrigade August 2022 23

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.

34

Dental consultations

22

Number of extractions

9

Fillings performed

BRIGADE INFORMATION 

Global Brigades is working on the implementation of the Hollistic Model in Camalotal, but has not yet begun with the Medical Progam. Now in the planning phase, the community will soon be evaluated for Medical/Dental Brigades.

MEDICAL/DENTAL VOLUNTEERS IN EL CAMALOTAL:

Chapter Date # Of Volunteers Chapter Date # Of Volunteers
Saint Ambrose Medical TeleBrigade August 2022 23

Engineering

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

Global Brigades is working on the implementation of the Holistic Model in Camalotal but has not yet begun with the Engineering Program. Now in the planning phase, a reliable source of clean water will be identified as soon as feasible, followed by the design of a water solution sufficient to meet the community’s needs for the next 20 years with projected population growth.

 

Water System : Yes
Type of System : Gravity
Homes with Access to Water : 0%
Water Council : Yes

Water

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

Global Brigades is working on the implementation of the Holistic Model in Camalotal but has not yet begun with the Water Program. Now in the planning phase, the Water Program will begin implementing a new water system or any necessary repairs to existing infrastructure following the Engineering Program’s evaluation and recommendations.

Water System : Yes
Type of System : Gravity
Homes with Access to Water : 0%
Water Council : Yes

Business

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

Global Brigades is working on the implementation of the Holistic Model in Camalotal but has not yet begun with the Business Program. Now in the planning phase, a community bank will be established as soon as feasible, followed by market studies and investment in an anchor business to provide additional capital.

 

Community Bank : No
Community Bank Members : 0
Economic Activities : Agriculture, Cattle Raising, Day Laborer
Existing Microenterprises : Corner Stores, Eateries

Public Health

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

CAMALOTAL’S PUBLIC HEALTH CHALLENGE

Many community members in Camalotal lack the resources to make improvements to their household infrastructure. The majority of homes in Camalotal are made of adobe, cement blocks, or wood. There are approximately 32 homes in Camalotal, 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, Camalotal‘s inhabitants will be able minimize the likelihood of a contracting a preventable disease through the creation of Public Health infrastructure and by adopting proper hygiene and sanitation practices.

168

Volunteers

10

Sanitation Units Installed

77

People Benefited with Public Health Infrastructure

7

Hours of Public Health Education

CAMALOTAL’S PUBLIC HEALTH SOLUTION

Public Health Brigaders from different universities and the Public Health Brigades in-country team worked in Camalotal from January 2018 to May 2018. During this time, volunteers and staff members worked 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. The latrine and water filter projects were funded entirely by the community, while Global Brigades partnered with the community to subsidize the remainder of the projects with Camalotal’s newly established community bank.

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 provides continuous follow-up in the community.

PUBLIC HEALTH VOLUNTEERS IN EL CAMALOTAL:

Chapter Date # Of Volunteers Chapter Date # Of Volunteers
Virginia Commonwealth University Public Health Brigade January 2018 10 Cleveland State University Medical Brigade & Smith College Medical Brigade & University of Maryland Baltimore Medical Brigade & American University of Antigua Medical Brigade January 2018 40
Acadia University Public Health Brigade & University of New Brunswick Public Health Brigade April 2018 23 University of Pennsylvania Public Health Brigade & University of Pittsburgh Public Health Brigade May 2018 19

Local Reference Points

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

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