El Jiote, Choluteca

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

Overview

El Jiote is located within the municipality of Namasigüe in the department of Choluteca in Southern Honduras. The typical house is made of adobe, cinder blocks, wood, and/or aluminum/zinc sheets. Children in the community have access to education through primary school, or up to sixth grade. Most of the community members work in agriculture, producing basic grains or fishing, or as day laborers. The top needs expressed by El Jiote’s inhabitants during their initial communications with Global Brigades include the construction of a potable water system, in-home public health infrastructure, and access to financial services.

Municipality: Namasigüe
Department: Choluteca

Homes : 89
Population : 375
Water System : Yes
Community Bank : Yes
Electricity : Yes
Health Center : No
Community Health Workers : Yes
Homes with Latrines : 89%
Education : Up to 6th Grade
Distance from Lodging Facility : 64 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 centres 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 El Jiote. If community members need to receive medical attention, they must walk two and a half kilometres to the nearest CESAMO in San Bernardo. However, this health center only sometimes has the medications that patients need. The health center does not have access to a laboratory, and there are no private clinics in the area. The most common illnesses reported by community members include diarrhea, fevers, the common cold, zika, and vomiting.

57

Volunteers*

31

Patient Consulations*

15

Vision Screenings Provided*

N/A

Health Education Workshops*

COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKERS

El Jiote currently has access to 3 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 El Jiote attend Medical and Dental Brigade clinics hosted in San Bernardo‘s school building. The various stations of the clinic are held in the school’s eight classrooms. Doctors can spend an average of ten minutes with each patient.  Each day of the brigade, an average of three to four educational charlas are facilitated with the clinic’s patients.

AVERAGE PATIENTS ATTENDED: 842
NEARBY COMMUNITIES: EL JIOTE, APASURU, EL COROZO, SANTA CRUZ

MEDICAL VOLUNTEERS IN EL JIOTE

Chapter Date # Of Volunteers Chapter Date # Of Volunteers
Jefferson University  Medical TeleBrigade November 2020 42 St. John’s University June 2021 15

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.

*Community members attend Medical/Dental Brigades in San Bernardo. Numbers reflect San Bernardo’s brigade information.

242

Patient Consultations*

246

Fluoride Treatments*

177

Fillings Performed*

35

Dental Education Workshop*

BRIGADE INFORMATION

Community members in El Jiote attend Medical and Dental Brigade clinics hosted in San Bernardo’s school building. The various stations of the clinic are held in the school’s eight classrooms. Doctors are able to spend an average of ten minutes with each patient. Each day of the brigade, an average of three to four educational charlas are facilitated with the clinic’s patients.

AVERAGE PATIENTS ATTENDED: 842
NEARBY COMMUNITIES: EL JIOTE, APASURU, EL COROZO, SANTA CRUZ
BRIGADE SITE: SCHOOL BUILDING

Engineering

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

EL JIOTE’S ENGINEERING CHALLENGE

Currently, El Jiote has an obsolete gravity water system that reaches seven households in the community. The water source for this system is a spring near the community, but the dam for the system is in poor condition. The system was constructed in 1998 and is very outdated and in bad condition. The system has a poor water flow rate of two gallons per minute because the distribution network is not pressurized.

Additionally, the water storage tank can only hold 3,500 gallons, which is not sufficient to serve the needs of the community. Community members who have access to this water use a filtration system within their homes as the water is currently not chlorinated by the existing Water Council. This water has tested positive for bacteria and coliforms, which are contributing to the presence of water-borne illnesses in the community.

23

Volunteers

425

Beneficiaries

7.7

Kilometers of Pipeline Designed

28

Average Community Volunteers

EL JIOTE’S ENGINEERING SOLUTION

Global Brigades conducted a study, presented community leaders with an engineering design for a water system, and is looking forward to breaking ground on a pump system in the community. Since the mayor of Namasigue already constructed a well for the community, Global Brigades plans to construct a new 15,000-gallon water storage tank with 3 independent pipelines for the distribution network in each sector of the community. The tank will be built at a higher location to improve the water pressure.

Global Brigades established a partnership with Fundesur in January 2017 in the community of El Jiote. Fundesur is ready to take on the task of building a water system. The community will soon receive Water Brigades, which will contribute to the system’s construction, and expects to finish the project in 3-4 months.

Upon completion of the system, Global Brigades will conduct training with the existing Water Council in the community. The Council will be responsible for monitoring and maintaining the wells and pump. Additionally, Global Brigades will train a Basic Sanitation Committee, which will work to share information with community members on the importance of clean water and proper sanitation and hygiene practices.

Together, the Water Council and the Basic Sanitation Committee will oversee all aspects of the construction of the water system in El Jiote. They will ensure that the system is used and maintained responsibly.

ENGINEERING VOLUNTEERS IN EL JIOTE

Chapter Date # Of Volunteers
Boston University Engineering Brigade May 2017 23

Water

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

EL JIOTE’S WATER CHALLENGE

Currently, El Jiote has an obsolete gravity water system that reaches seven households in the community. The water source for this system is a spring near the community, but the dam for the system is in poor condition. The system was constructed in 1998 and is very outdated and in bad condition. The system has a poor water flow rate of two gallons per minute because the distribution network is not pressurized.

Additionally, the water storage tank can only hold 3,500 gallons, which is not sufficient to serve the needs of the community. Community members who have access to this water use a filtration system within their homes as the water is currently not chlorinated by the existing Water Council. This water has tested positive for bacteria and coliforms, which are contributing to the presence of water-borne illnesses in the community.

131

Volunteers

425

Beneficiaries

8

Kilometers of Pipeline Installed

15,000

Storage Tank Volume (gallons)

EL JIOTE’S WATER SOLUTION

When GB entered El Jiote, they knew it would be essential that a new water system be constructed so that the community would have sufficient access to water in order to stay healthy. The ground well and pump water system that was eventually completed in March 2018 was a direct result of our partnership with Fundesur. This system consisted of a well already constructed by the Mayor of the municipality, a 15,000-gallon water storage tank with 3 independent pipelines for the distribution network for each sector of the community constructed by Global Brigades.

The tank was purposely built at a higher altitude to improve the water pressure to home connections. The flow rate in the new system is around 25 gallons per minute which is enough for everyone in the community and also leaves room for growth in the future. In the community of El Jiote, 94 houses have benefited from the new water system.

Once the system was complete, Global Brigades conducted training with the existing Water Council in the community. The Council is responsible for monitoring and maintaining the well and pump. Additionally, Global Brigades trained a Basic Sanitation Committee, which works to educate community members on the importance of clean water and proper sanitation and hygiene practices. Together, the Water Council and the Basic Sanitation Committee will drive change in El Jiote. They will ensure that the system is used and maintained responsibly.

WATER VOLUNTEERS IN EL JIOTE

Chapter Date # Of Volunteers Chapter Date # Of Volunteers
Niagara Bottling Water Brigade February 2018 46 Michigan State University Medical Brigade March 2018 30
Saint Louis University Medical Brigade & University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Medical Brigade January 2018 28 Central Michigan University Water Brigade & University of Virginia Water Brigade March 2018 12
Saint Louis University Public Health Brigade & University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Public Health Brigade January 2018 15

Business

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

Global Brigades is working on the implementation of the Holistic Model in El Jiote 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 : N/A
Economic Activities : Agriculture
Existing Microenterprises : N/A

Public Health

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

El JIOTE’S PUBLIC HEALTH CHALLENGE

Many community members in El Jiote lack the resources to make improvements to their household infrastructure. The majority of homes in El Jiote are made of adobe, cement blocks, and wood. There are approximately 94 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, El Jiote‘s inhabitants are hoping to avoid preventable diseases and adopt proper hygiene and sanitation practices.

260

Volunteers

29

Sanitation Units Installed

116

People Benefitted with PH Infrastructure

N/A

Hours of Public Health Education

PUBLIC HEALTH VOLUNTEERS IN EL JIOTE

Chapter Date # Of Volunteers Chapter Date # Of Volunteers
Dublin City University Water Brigade & University of Illinois at Chicago Water Brigade May 2018 22 North Carolina State University Medical Brigade & University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa Medical Brigade May 2018 30
Case Western Reserve University Medical Brigade & Maryville University Medical Brigade & Wake Forest University Medical Brigade May 2018 32 California State University Bakersfield Medical Brigade & Johns Hopkins University Medical Brigade May 2018 36
University of Houston Medical Brigade August 2018 24 University of Toronto Medical Brigade & University of Ontario Institute of Technology Medical Brigade August 2018 21
Columbia University Water Brigade & University of Missouri Water Brigade January 2019 7 Central Michigan University Medical Brigade March 2019 34
Louisiana State University Medical Brigade & Queens University Medical Brigade May 2019 54

Local Reference Points

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

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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