El Retiro

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

Overview

El Retiro is located in the municipality of Moroceli in the department of El Paraíso. Children of the community have access to attend school through 6th grade but must travel to other communities for more schooling. Most community members work seasonally in agriculture, cultivating corn, beans and coffee. This type of employment provides about 100 Lempiras (about US $4.25) a day during the rainy season. Regardless of occupation, most families earn approximately 4,000 Lempiras per month (approximately US $170). Almost all household income is used to purchase food for consumption.

Municipality: Moroceli

Department: El Paraíso

Homes : 87
Population : 349
Water System : Yes
Community Bank : Yes
Electricity : Yes
Health Post : Yes
Community Health Workers : Yes
Homes with Latrines : 100%
Education : Up to grade 6

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.

El Retiro is located within the Cocle province. The most common illnesses in El Retiro are the common cold and diarrhea. There is access to healthcare in the community in the form of a health post.

* Community members in El Retiro attend Medical/Dental Brigades in Buena Vista

260*

Volunteers

5,593*

Patient Consultations

N/A*

Vision Screenings Provided

136*

Health Education Workshops

COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKERS

The community of El Retiro has 4 trained Community Health Workers. Global Brigades Honduras’ Medical Program is working diligently to train volunteers as CHWs in its partner communities as part of the Holistic Model. 

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 are identified by other organizations and some health centers, 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

Community members in El Retiro attend Medical and Dental Brigade clinics hosted in Buena Vista The various stations of the clinic are held in the school’s five classrooms. Doctors are able to spend an average of ten minutes with each patient. Each day of the brigade, an average of five to ten educational charlas are facilitated with the clinic’s patients. More more information visit Buena Vista’s community profile. 

AVERAGE PATIENTS ATTENDED: 782
NEARBY COMMUNITIES: LIQUIDAMBOS, EL RETIRO, LAS UVAS

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 dentist within a reasonable distance.

* Community members in El Retiro attend Medical/Dental Brigades in Buena Vista

480

Dental Patient Consultations

444

Number of Extractions

314

Fillings Performed

85

Dental Education Workshops

BRIGADE INFORMATION

Community members in El Retiro attend Medical and Dental Brigade clinics hosted in Buena Vista The various stations of the clinic are held in the school’s five classrooms. Doctors are able to spend an average of ten minutes with each patient. Each day of the brigade, an average of five to ten educational charlas are facilitated with the clinic’s patients. More more information visit Buena Vista’s community profile. 

AVERAGE PATIENTS ATTENDED: 782
NEARBY COMMUNITIES: LIQUIDAMBOS, EL RETIRO, LAS UVAS

Engineering

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

EL RETIRO’S ENGINEERING CHALLENGE

When Global Brigades arrived in El Retiro, community members would load jugs of water on the backs of donkeys and walk to and from the well in order to gather enough water for their family each day. The water source was not able to provide sufficient water for the community members daily needs. 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.

N/A

Volunteers

356

Beneficiaries

N/A

Kilometers of Pipeline Designed

N/A

Average community volunteers

EL RETIRO’S ENGINEERING SOLUTION:

A strong partnership between Global Brigades, community leaders and local government allowed for the completion of a new water system in El Retiro in 2012. Community Leaders organized community participation and payments, and Global Brigades constructed the new 10,000-gallon storage tank with chlorinator, trained the water council, and trained a community member to maintain the system. Community Members and Global Brigades celebrated El Retiro’s completed water system in February of 2013. Water now reaches each individual home and is able to meet the current and future needs of the community.

Water

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

EL RETIRO’S WATER CHALLENGE

When Global Brigades arrived in El Retiro, community members would load jugs of water on the backs of donkeys and walk to and from the well in order to gather enough water for their family each day. The water source was not able to provide sufficient water for the community members daily needs. 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.

746

Volunteers

356

Project Beneficiaries

10

Kilometers of Pipeline Installed

10,000

Storage Tank Volume (gallons)

EL RETIRO’S WATER SOLUTION:

A strong partnership between Global Brigades, community leaders and local government allowed for the completion of a new water system in El Retiro in 2012. Community Leaders organized community participation and payments, and Global Brigades constructed the new 10,000-gallon storage tank with chlorinator, trained the water council, and trained a community member to maintain the system. Community Members and Global Brigades celebrated El Retiro’s completed water system in February of 2013. Water now reaches each individual home and is able to meet the current and future needs of the community.

WATER VOLUNTEERS IN EL RETIRO

Chapter Date # Of Volunteers Chapter Date # Of Volunteers
DePaul University Water Brigade December 2012 13 University of Virginia Water Brigade & University of Rochester Water Brigade January 2013 14
Boston University Water Brigade January 2013 12 Saint Louis University Water Brigade January 2013 19
Wellesley College Medical Brigade January 2013 34 University of California Berkeley Water Brigade January 2013 13
University of Victoria Water Brigade February 2013 7 Mount Allison University Water Brigade February 2013 13
Wayne State University Water Brigade March 2013 5 Central Michigan University Medical Brigade March 2013 36
Washington University in St.Louis Water Brigade March 2013 17 Indiana University Water Brigade March 2013 10
Purdue University Water Brigade March 2013 7 University of Southern California Water Brigade March 2013 23
University of New York Stoney Brook Water Brigade March 2013 10 University of Southern California Water Brigade March 2013 6
University of California Davis Water Brigade March 2013 13 Tulane University Medical Brigade March 2013 24
University of North Carolina Wilmington Medical Brigade December 2013 49 Oakland University Medical Brigade December 2013 34

Business

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

EL ESPINITO’S ECONOMIC CHALLENGE:

The majority of community members in El Retiro work in agriculture and cattle raising. This primarily consists of subsistence farming, although excess crops are sometimes sold. Most agricultural workers make about 100 lempiras (approximately US $4.25) a day during the rainy season. Regardless of occupation, most families earn around 4,000 lempiras per month (approximately US $170). Almost all household income is used to purchase food for consumption.

21

Volunteers

216

Loans Disbursed

19

Savings Accounts Opened

$2,199

Capital Invested

EL ESPINITO’S MICRO-FINANCE SOLUTION:

In 2014, Global Brigades worked alongside El Retiro to establish a community bank. The bank has 7 female and 21 male shareholders, and the members meet in the bank’s own structure every month. They are able to offer loans and savings accounts to community members so that families can plan and stabilize their finances. This is especially beneficial for farmers, who can take out loans to invest in their agricultural production and pay them back after the harvest. Loans allow many subsistence farmers to not only consume the crops they harvest but also earn an income from selling their excess.

EL RETIRO’S BUSINESS SOLUTION:

When Global Brigades first started working in El Retiro there were and still are growing quality coffee. Cafe Holistico, a Global Brigade initiative works with partner communities in Central America to build the capacity of local coffee farmers. Some farmers in El Retiro are involved with the project and in 2018 built 12 solar dryers for the coffee in order to fetch a better price in the market. Global Brigades hopes to continue working with El Retiro and encourage economic growth in the community by strengthening this business and possibly establishing a second.

BUSINESS VOLUNTEERS IN EL RETIRO

Chapter Date # Of Volunteers
Rutgers University New Brunswick Business Brigade January 2016 21

Public Health

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

EL RETIRO’S PUBLIC HEALTH CHALLENGE:

Many community members in El Retiro lacked the necessary resources to improve their homes and prevent diseases caused by unsafe living conditions. The majority of homes were made of adobe, straw, and mud, and few homes had hygiene stations, cement floors, or eco-stoves prior to the arrival of Global Brigades. These living conditions resulted in disease. The lack of hygiene stations led to high rates of diarrhea and water-borne disease, the absence of cement floors caused parasitic infection and Chagas Disease, and the lack of eco-stoves resulted in respiratory problems in many community members.

Although community members recognized the problems inherent to their living environments, they did not have the economic resources nor the technical knowledge needed to address them. It also was necessary to increase the level of awareness concerning sanitation and the importance of health in the community.

453

Volunteers

55

Sanitation Units Installed

220

People Benefited with Public Health Infrastructure

34

Hours of Public Health Education

EL RETIRO’S PUBLIC HEALTH SOLUTION:

Public Health Brigaders from several different universities and the Public Health Brigades in-country team worked in El Retiro from January 2015 to January 2016. During this time, volunteers and staff members worked 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. 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 El Retiro’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 RETIRO

Chapter Date # Of Volunteers Chapter Date # Of Volunteers
Brown University Public Health Brigade & Washington University in St. Louis Public Health Brigade January 2015 17 University of Connecticut Public Health Brigade January 2015 24
Stetson University Public Health Brigade & Vanderbilt University Public Health Brigade March 2015 26 College of William and Mary Public Health Brigade & Michigan State University Public Health Brigade March 2015 20
Vikings University Public Health Brigade March 2015 19 University of New Brunswick Fredericton Public Health Brigade May 2015 28
Carnegie Mellon University Public Health Brigade May 2015 12 Oglethorpe University Medical Brigade & University of Texas Dallas Medical Brigade May 2015 26
Oregon State University Public Health Brigade & University of California Los Angeles Public Health Brigade & University of California Riverside Public Health Brigade & University of California Santa Barbara Public Health Brigade June 2015 26 Loyola University Medical Brigade & Foothill College Medical Brigade August 2015 45
Imperial College London Public Health Brigade & London School of Economics Public Health Brigade September 2015 25 Brandeis University Public Health Brigade January 2016 18
Washington University in St. Louis Public Health Brigade January 2016 14 North Park University Public Health Brigade January 2016 26
Johns Hopkins University Medical Brigade & University of Virginia Medical Brigade January 2016 25 Brown University Public Health Brigade & Columbia University Public Health Brigade January 2016 13

Local Reference Points

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

  • Feature