La Campos

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

Overview

La Campos is a community located in the municipality of Danlí within the department of El Paraíso, Honduras. The majority of the community members work in agriculture or day labor. Children in the community have access to education up to sixth grade. A well and pump were installed by World Vision but do not currently meet the needs of the entire community due to a lack of additional infrastructure and insufficient water supply. The primary needs expressed by the community during their initial communications with Global Brigades involved expanding access to water.

Municipality: Danlí
Department: El Paraíso

Homes : 180
Population : 637
Water System : Yes
Community Bank : Yes
Electricity : Yes
Health Center : No
Community Health Workers : Yes
Homes with Latrines : 61%
Education : Up to 6th grade
Distance from Lodging Facility : 88 km

Medical

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

HEALTH CARE ACCESS

The Honduran government provides two types of health centres 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 unavailable in these health centers. The physician density in Honduras remains around 1,220 people for every 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 centre in the community of La Campos. Community members must travel seven kilometres to the nearest CESAMO in Jutiapa if they wish to receive medical attention. The nearest specialists, however, are located in the municipality of Danlí. Community members report the most common illnesses to be asthma, coughing, the flu, arterial hypertension, and diabetes.

39

Volunteers

486

Patients Attended

126

Vision Screening Provided

38

Health Education Workshops

COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKERS

La Campos’ inhabitants do not currently have access to Community Health Workers (CHWs). However, the program was recently socialized in the community and the Medical Program is actively working to recruit volunteers and provide the necessary training and certifications.

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 centres, Global Brigades can 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 La Campos attend Medical and Dental Brigade clinics hosted in Los Guasimos de Apalí’s school building. The various stations of the clinic are held in the school’s classrooms. Doctors are able to spend an average of ten minutes with each patient. On average, each brigade facilitates 22 educational charlas with the clinic’s patients.

AVERAGE PATIENTS ATTENDED: 837
NEARBY COMMUNITIES: SAN FRANCISCO, APALÍ, LA CAMPO, LAS CRUCITAS

MEDICAL/DENTAL VOLUNTEERS IN EL TABLÓN

Chapter Date # Of Volunteers Chapter Date # Of Volunteers
Case Western Reserve Medical Brigade May 2023 19 University of Georgia Dental August 2023 20

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.

*These statistics reflect data from Medical/Dental Brigades in the community of Los Guasimos de Apalí, where community members from La Campos attend the mobile clinics.

159

Patient Consultations

105

Number of Extractions

19

Dental Education Workshops

BRIGADE INFORMATION

Community members in La Campos attend Medical and Dental Brigade clinics hosted in Los Guasimos de Apalí’s school building. The various stations of the clinic are held in the school’s classrooms. Doctors are able to spend an average of ten minutes with each patient. On average, each brigade facilitates 22 educational charlas with the clinic’s patients.

AVERAGE PATIENTS ATTENDED: 837
NEARBY COMMUNITIES: SAN FRANCISCO, APALÍ, LA CAMPO, LAS CRUCITAS

MEDICAL/DENTAL VOLUNTEERS IN EL TABLÓN

Chapter Date # Of Volunteers Chapter Date # Of Volunteers
Case Western Reserve Medical Brigade May 2023 17

Engineering

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

LA CAMPOS’ ENGINEERING CHALLENGE

The water used currently by community members is obtained from a neighbouring community, Las Crucitas, which is located about 4 kilometres away. Currently, the water they use is unsanitary and also often retrieved from the local river, which is slow-moving, chalky brown, and tests positive for bacteria. The water is hauled back from the several-minute walk to whichever source they choose to use. Currently, only 30 to 40 of the 151 houses can retrieve water from the current system in Las Crucitas, and it especially becomes a problem in the dry season when there are low water levels. The water used from the neighbouring community is treated with chlorine or boiled. There is currently an existing tank built in Las Crucitas with a capacity of 25,000 gallons, which serves both communities and does not fulfil the needs of La Campos.

14

Volunteers

611

Beneficiaries

9.8

Kilometers of Pipeline Designed

32

Average Community Volunteers

LA CAMPOS’ ENGINEERING SOLUTION

The design for the community is already established and in the process of implementation. The rock, sand, and other materials needed to build the system are available and ready in the community. The site is approved and ready for drilling, and there is established electricity for the system. The new system will be a 270-foot deep well using an electricity and pump system of 5 horsepower. The system will have a capacity of 25,000 gallons, which allows for the use of up to 60 gallons per minute. The community alone only requires roughly 25 gallons per minute, so this capacity will be more than sufficient. The new site will be built at an elevation of 587 meters, which is within sufficient distance from the old system. A new piping distribution network will be constructed. The entire system will take around three months to fully implement. World Vision is interested in partnering with Global Brigades to realize the improvements to La Campos’ water infrastructure.

ENGINEERING VOLUNTEERS IN LA CAMPOS

Chapter Date # Of Volunteers
University of Calgary Engineering Brigade May 2017 14

Water

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

LA CAMPOS’ WATER CHALLENGE

The water used currently by community members is obtained from a neighbouring community, Las Crucitas, which is located about 4 kilometres away. Currently, the water they use is unsanitary and also often retrieved from the local river, which is slow-moving, chalky brown, and tests positive for bacteria. The water is hauled back from the several-minute walk to whichever source they choose to use. Currently, only 30 to 40 of the 151 houses can retrieve water from the current system in Las Crucitas, and it especially becomes a problem in the dry season when there are low water levels. The water used from the neighbouring community is treated with chlorine or boiled. There is currently an existing tank built in Las Crucitas with a capacity of 25,000 gallons, which serves both communities and does not fulfil the needs of La Campos.

109

Volunteers

612

Beneficiaries

10

Kilometers of Pipeline Installed

25,000

Storage Tank Volume (gallons)

LA CAMPOS’ WATER SOLUTION

The design for the community is already established and in the process of implementation. The rock, sand, and other materials needed to build the system are available and ready in the community. The site is approved and ready for drilling, and there is established electricity for the system. The new system will be a 270 foot deep well using an electricity and pump system of 5 horsepower. The system will have a capacity of 25,000 gallons, which allows for the use of up to 60 gallons per minute. The community alone only requires roughly 25 gallons per minute, so this capacity will be more than sufficient. The new site will be built at an elevation of 587 meters, which is within sufficient distance from the old system. A new piping distribution network will be constructed. The entire system will take around three months to fully implement. World Vision is interested in partnering with Global Brigades to realize the improvements to La Campos’ water infrastructure.

WATER VOLUNTEERS IN LA CAMPOS

Chapter Date # Of Volunteers Chapter Date # Of Volunteers
University of Toronto Medical Brigade August 2017 28 Memorial University of Newfoundland Water Brigade & University of California Riverside Water Brigade August 2017 12
Imperial College London Water Brigade September 2017 18 Virginia Tech University Medical Brigade January 2018 35
Mount Allison University Water Brigade & University of Puerto Rico Engineering Brigade & Brandeis University Medical Brigade February 2018 16

Business

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

LA CAMPOS’ ECONOMIC CHALLENGE:

The majority of community members in La Campos work in agriculture. 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.

10

Volunteers

146

Loans Disbursed

14

Savings Accounts Opened

$585

Capital Invested

LA CAMPOS’ MICRO-FINANCE SOLUTION:

In 2015, Global Brigades worked alongside La Campos to establish a community bank. The bank has 4 female and 10 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.

BUSINESS VOLUNTEERS IN LA CAMPOS

Chapter Date # Of Volunteers
Wayne State University Water Brigade & Wayne State University Business Brigade

Public Health

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

EL ESPINITO’S PUBLIC HEALTH CHALLENGE:

Many community members in Espinito 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 before the arrival of Global Brigades. These living conditions resulted in disease. The lack of hygiene stations led to high rates of diarrhoea 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.

195

Volunteers

15

Sanitation Units Installed

85

People Benefited with Public Health Infrastructure

8

Hours of Public Health Education

PUBLIC HEALTH VOLUNTEERS IN LA CAMPOS

Chapter Date # Of Volunteers Chapter Date # Of Volunteers
Cleveland State University Medical Brigade & Smith College Medical Brigade & University of Maryland Baltimore Medical Brigade & American University of Antigua Medical Brigade January 2018 40 Mount Allison University Public Health Brigade February 2018 10
Milwaukee School of Engineering Public Health Brigade February 2018 17 University of north Carolina Charlotte Medical Brigade March 2018 41
Mississippi State University Medical Brigade March 2018 13 NYVT Nurses Unite Medical Brigade March 2018 22
University of Alabama at Birmingham Medical Brigade & University of Michigan Medical Brigade April 2018 40 Acadia University Public Health Brigade & Saint Thomas University Public Health Brigade April 2019 12

Local Reference Points

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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.

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