What is poverty?

“The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt

      Honduras is the second poorest country in Central America. Over half of the people who live here, live in poverty. But what is poverty? What does it look like? The people in Las Mercedes and San Francisco had clothes, they had basic shelter, they had water and food - they even smiled and looked happy. Is this the face of poverty? According the World Health Organization (2015), "Poverty is associated with the undermining of a range of key human attributes, including health. The poor are exposed to greater personal and environmental health risks, are less well nourished, have less information and are less able to access health care; they thus have a higher risk of illness and disability. Conversely, illness can reduce household savings, lower learning ability, reduce productivity, and lead to a diminished quality of life, thereby perpetuating or even increasing poverty".
     So how were these villages affected by poverty? For one, they lack access to healthcare. Hospitals and local clinics are short on supplies and medications. One patient we had seen couldn't even have a simple surgery done to fix his hand after a machete injury. He lost the use of three out of five fingers of his dominant hand after severing his tendons. The hospital sent him to a medical supply shop to buy medical equipment for his own surgery, which he could not afford. Luckily, we found a group of hand surgeons coming to the country who can do his surgery for free. However, if this were not the case, he would have to relearn to use his machete with his left hand so that he could continue to work to support his family. Health care issues like this affect their lives every day. Injuries and illnesses affect their ability to work, resulting in decreased productivity, lower income and poorer quality of life.
       A second problem is the quality of water. The water in these areas are not purified. They contain amoebas and parasites that can make people very ill if they do not boil it before drinking. The soil also harbors parasites that infect the children who play in it. These parasitic and ameobic infections cause multiple problems including dehydration, malnutrition, abdominal pain, diarrhea and multiple other problems. Everyone in the villages here have to be dewormed because parasitic infections are so prevalent.
      Malnutrition has long been an issue in these villages. They simply do not have access to a fully balanced diet. This results in short stature, bloated bellies, fatigue, impaired immune system, etc. We saw girls whose hair color was almost blonde as a result of malnutrition. All of the people in Las Mercedes are very short statured.
     Their homes are also extremely small. Families sleep on the same bed. Bedrooms are sectioned off by hanging pieces of tarp. Chicken feces and fog feces lay on the floor of their houses. They also have stoves in the house without chimneys to keep smoke from filling the room. This causes respiratory issues for those constantly inhaling smoke from cooking. Thankfully, because of financial support from those who have donated their money to our trip, these stoves have all been replaced and everyone in the village will now have chimneys.
     Transportation is also very difficult. Cars are not a common thing to see in these villages. Buses are loaded with people, some hanging off of the sides just to get a ride into town. Some kids will walk for hours just to be able to go to school. They often cannot afford school supplies or textbooks.
       Although access to the many things we take for granted in the United States are not available for these people, they are always smiling. They are very grateful for what is given to them. They are also grateful for what they have. They are a tight knit community. They work together, go to church together, play together, eat together. They are very shy people. Often when we would see them as patients, they had a difficult time making eye contact and kids would nervously giggle. Little ones often cried. They are very respectful people. They are conservative. They dress in their Sunday best to greet us and to come in to the clinic. They serve wholeheartedly.
      This trip made us question a lot about ourselves and our character. Do I have the determination like these kids to get up every morning to walk two hours to go to school? Would I walk for hours to go to church? Designer clothes, computers, air conditioners, heaters, cars, my own bed- all are luxuries we don't think twice about. We live comfortable lives and it is easy to become lazy. Seeing the way they live their lives makes you reevaluate what is important. I've been so grateful for this experience. We all came back with a new found gratitude for the blessings we have as Americans and for the lessons we learned from the people in Honduras.

WHO. (2015). Poverty. Retrieved from World Health Organization website: http://www.who.int/topics/ 

     poverty/en/ 

The Chorti village

Today, the group travelled the rocky road to San Francisco to see the Chorti. The Chorti are a Mayan tribe that live high in the mountains above Copan, about 2 miles from the border Guatemala. The drive up was memorable to say the least. We leave the paved roads of Copan and start the uphill journey. The road quickly transforms into the trinity of dirt, rock and potholes. The road begins to narrow and the jungle grows more dense. The road now hugs the mountain and cliffs fall from the other side of the road. To make matters worse, we are in a twenty person bus navigating tight turns, steep inclines and sudden dips in the road. This is when the Heifer International's bus driver skills really shine. Yes, the corners were tight, yes there were times we couldn't see land below us and yes, we were scraping the corners of the bus against the mountain as we made hairpin turns BUT we made it safely! After we shook out our white knuckled, sweaty hands and breathed a sigh of relief, we made our a way out of the bus and into the village. Kids came running to the bus as well as the village leader who were all so excited to have us as visitors. We unload our medications and supplies and tour the village. As we begin walking through, there is a procession of Chorti people honoring holy week. They hold up a statue of Christ carrying the cross and they sing songs as they walk through the village. We continue walking through narrow paths surrounded by thick vegetation and find beautiful and vibrantly colored flowers surrounding peoples homes. It is extremely hot outside, about 95 degrees and we all are glistening with sweat. Turkeys, chickens and hens run through peoples homes and along the narrow, dirt paths. Sarah gets excited when she sees chickens in trees, almost as excited as she was when she dewormed a dog with a Mebendazole stuffed doggy treat. The Chorti homes are very simple. Some are adobe with metal roofs. One of the community members shows us the animal skins he made when hunting. He also has Armadillo shells lining a wood beam on his patio. We go back down to the clinic, where over 80 people are now waiting to be seen. In a similar fashion to Las Mercedes, we see patients complaining of "tos" (cough), "acido" (stomach acid), "escabios" (scabies) and skin infections. After clinic ends, we perform vignettes we have prepared to teach the kids about parasites, body mechanics, toothbrushing and dehydration. Everyone was so grateful for the bags of hygienic supplies and medications. They gave us a closing ceremony with guitar players singing songs they wrote specifically for us while their kids showed off their dancing. The leader of the village also gave a closing speech which was really touching as she talked about how much Gloria (our host from Heifer International) has done for her people. It was a really great day. We made the adrenaline pumping drive back to Copan and enjoyed a cool dip in the pool. Tomorrow we will visit the Mayan ruins here in Copan and go ziplining. Also, since it is Semana Santa, we will be able to see the decorated streets in the town square....pictures to come!!!!

True Life: I've Been Quarantined

Two students came down with a touch of the rotavirus, myself (Lauren) included. Meg was the first casualty of the bug. She was hit with GI symptoms in a place where running water can be hit or miss- and this time it was a miss. We secluded her from the rest of us- she was quarantined. We made sure she had plenty of fluids, Zofran and quiet to recuperate from this viral invasion. A short six hours later at about 0300, I got up to go to take a trip to the bathroom. As I walked down the hallway, I realized this would be an extended trip and that I was also under viral attack. The next morning, Rosa came with ginger tea and orders for me to join Meg in quarantine. As I grab my sleeping bag and backpack, I settled onto an old metal framed cot with a plastic covered mattress. Dennis and Rey made their way to the door frame (no doors to any of the rooms here) and taped a sign that said "infirmary" in Spanish. They get a little chuckle out of it and move on to enjoy the Sunday festivities with the community. This room is very small. Within a couple feet, Meg lays on the ground next to me. We have several cups of seven up and ginger tea and toilet paper rolls surrounding us. The walls seemed to close in on us. There are no windows to look out and no one else to talk to or to see. The smell of the amazing foods the women have cooked for us only make our stomachs turn. Call us crazy but the smell of beans in the face of a GI illness only fuels the fire of the rotavirus. We were tempted to tally hours on the wall, just like days are tallied in prison. The room darkens before all the rest and the walk to the bathroom is like walking the Green Mile. How long did this bug last? Less than 24 hours! Thank goodness the next day we recovered and were back in clinic. We will never forget our day in quarantine, or as we like to call it- Honduran prison.

Las Mercedes Friday through Monday

(Dennis)

Friday was fairly busy - with 71 patients in the morning - but only 20 in the afternoon.  It gave us time to go over how to treat common diseases - so that they would understand our Spanish and they would understand ours.  Mostly it was headaches from dehydration, muscle aches and upper respiratory infections.  There were some skin problems - either from bites over over washing.  Dental caries or missing teeth were common.  The days at this altitude are fairly exhausting and so after another fabulous meal we all went to bed at 8 again.

The Saturday it started raining and in fact the rain kept coming right through Tuesday morning when we left early because of the muddy roads and the mountains.  The heavy bus might not get through if we waited longer.

Saturday was a fairly light day with a few people coming from Rio Colorado, Las Crucitas, El Cacao, San Nicholas and Belen.  Unfortunately 2 of our team members can down with the GI bug and slept so we rearranged teams and came through alright.  That evening the leader of the community Ruhino discussed the history of the community and its relationship with Heifer International. I have noticed considerable improvements over the 10 years Duke has been coming to the community.  There are now block houses with tin roofs instead of mud and wattle.  And we supplied 10 more eco-stoves for the community this year so that every family now has an eco-stove.

Sunday was a busy day and most everyone took an hour off to participate in the palm Sunday service.  Many of the visitors to attend the church service stayed to be seen in the clinic.  WE were busy right up til dinner.  And once again we had a fabulous meal for dinner but this evening several people stayed up to talk and discuss the trip and humorous escapades in their lives.

Monday - oh yes Monday - We started at 8 and finished at 12:30 and saw 135 patients in the morning - we had to create a fifth team just to be able to see all the patients.  The max we had seen all day before was 100 so 135 in the morning was quite a triumph.  In fact so many people came that we began to run out of some of our common supplies like toothbrushes and toothpaste.  The afternoon was busy also so we ended up seeing 180 patients for the day and 453 patients total in the 4 days.  Because the rain would not stop and we were out of supplies we decided to leave the next morning for Copan.  That would give us an extra day in Copan which we could use to spread out some of our planned activities.  We said good-bye to Ruhino who came to wish us well.  They had planned a farewell ceremony for us on Tuesday but we would miss it.

Tuesday am we packed up the bus had breakfast and left for Copan waving to all the local people who gathered to wish us well.  WE then spent and hour in Las Esperanza touring the city center with its beautiful church and ice cream bar.  Then off once again to Copan, travelling the Central American Highway for part of the time, stopping to purchase basket goods and hats at Santa Barbara and then on to Copan.  The traffic n the road from San Pedro Sula to La Entrada was crazy busy with traffic and we spent an extra hour on the road because of it - Semana Santa (holy week) the entire country seems to have as a holiday and everyone is travelling.  Finally at 5:30 pm we made it to the Hotel Buena Vista in Copan and Ricardo Agurcia, our good archeologist friend was there to meet us with a cooler of cold beverages.  A very long day.

La Esperanza hospital and arriving in Las Mercedes

March 26th (Lauren)

Penny has her alarm set for 0600. The alarm cries out and we start rubbing our eyes. It is so dark out! But…there are six girls to our room and one bathroom so Sarah decides to jump in the shower- the shower that has no heated water. As she fights off the effects of hypothermia, the rest of us realize that Penny did not change her clock to the Honduras time zone and it’s really 0400. Poor Sarah- all showered up and nowhere to go but back to bed! Once we all have woken up at the correct time, we pack up our bags and take the polar bear plunge into the shower. Breakfast is waiting for us- waffles, fruit and fresh Honduran coffee. The meals have been wonderful and the people here have been so warm, friendly and serving. We pack up our bags and head to Las Mercedes with a stop in La Esperanza on the way. Traffic on the road is terrible. However, it did offer us the opportunity to get a closer look at the many fruit stands that sold bunches of bananas, coconuts and watermelons. Gloria, one of our hosts that is riding with us up to Las Mercedes, is drive by bargaining with the different fruit stands to where we can get the best bananas for the best price.  Drive by bargaining is Gloria’s method of determining who really wants to sell. Step 1: Target fruit stand and evaluate the goods. Step 2: Reduce speed of vehicle to a crawl. Step 3: Watch for the owner to approach the bus. Step 4: If owner does not approach the bus- yell “You must not want to sell your goods” and drive away. This is a very efficient way of shopping. We finally ended up with a beautiful bunch of bananas. Next, we stopped at a shopping center in Siguatapeque. Lucky for us, there were clean bathrooms and also a small animal enclosure!  Yes, there was a monkey involved. He was alone and paced back and forth in his cage stealing lettuce from his neighboring turtles. Next, we went into a market where the smell of fresh made donuts filled the air. We stocked up on plantain chips and other snacks and headed back on the road. As we continue on, the elevation increases and the vegetation grows thicker and more green. We pass around different candies and other treats to try. Finally we make it to the hospital in La Esperanza. The hospital is surrounded by a chain linked fence and a guard stands by the gate. We meet our tour guide who takes us into the hospital. The hospital itself is in better condition than we had expected. It is one story and the hallways are lined with people waiting for tests, appointments and other various reasons. We have to single file through the crowd just to get through. The lab is a group of small rooms divided by the type of test that is run. The lab techs do not wear gloves when handling the vials of blood- as we do. Further down the hallway, we enter the mother baby unit. A new mother has delivered her baby by C section and is now being wheeled down the hall. A room off the side of the hallway is painted a rosy pink color with six beds lined up in three’s. There are a few women here that sit in their beds in their pink hospital gowns. The doctors and nurses talk to us about their most commonly seen problems.  COPD, Diabetes, appendicitis, many of them similar to the United States. One physician talks to us about the problems the more rural areas are seeing, including Las Mercedes. “Los parasitos”, or the parasites, are a big problem in Las Mercedes. They frequently see worm infections with children’s bellies bloated from malnutrition and the large number of worms living in their gut. They also are suffering from the rotavirus- in other words a GI bug with a lot of vomiting and diarrhea. Three children have already died from severe dehydration related to this virus. They advise us to refer badly dehydrated children and adults to the hospital.  It makes the poverty level much more real to know that the people here are unable to afford transportation or hospital visits and they die from preventable causes. Many of us are a little worried about coming face to face with such an infectious virus, particularly when there is not always running water and only two bathrooms to split between the twenty of us there. The tour guide takes us to a brand new facility for high-risk pregnancies, which include dorms, that women can stay in for 15-30 days at the end of their pregnancy to ensure safe delivery. This has improved mother and infant mortality rates in the area.  Overall, we are really impressed with the conditions of this hospital. Of course, they are in short supply of medications and linens, but they are a nicely operating system that has improved the health of their community.

            Now it is finally time to reach our destination: Las Mercedes. The road out of La Esperanza to Las Mercedes is now unpaved and pure dust, rock and potholes. This makes for a very long and bumpy ride. We continue to climb up in elevation, Las Mercedes is 6,000ft above sea level.  Small neighborhoods line the roads. Dust coats everything: plants, cars, houses, fences and cars. We start up a large hill and have a major road block: Two bulls dueling in the middle of a very narrow road. There is not much room to go around them but they manage to fight there way around us. Half of us were scared they were going to hit our bus and the others were taking pictures. Shortly after we start seeing kids in their school uniforms walking down the roads. As we pass they stop and stare. Some look at the huge pile of luggage strapped to the top of the bus, some wave at us and others chase the bus. It is this way for close to 30 minutes before we arrive to Las Mercedes.  When we do arrive, the people have been waiting outside of the clinic ready to help us unload and welcome us in. They are dressed in bright and vibrant colors. The women have bright orange, pink and blue dresses and the men dress in their slacks and button up shirts. They help us unload our bags and set up the clinic for the following day. By now it is late in the evening. Las Mercedes is very green. Located on top of a hill, there are rolling hills surrounding us. They are covered in green fields of green beans, palm trees and small gardens. Houses are nestled in on the hillside. Cows, chickens lay in the yards and fields. Malnourished dogs run through the village, all of them infected with parasitic worms. The sun goes a down and dinner is being prepared for us in the clinics kitchen. We gather sleeping bags and mats to sleep on and divide the group up so there are six people per room. The three boys get their own room. We get a few minutes together to enjoy a few short stories and head to dinner.  They have prepared beef with cheesy potatoes and tortillas for us. Many went back for seconds on the potatoes. The clinic has electricity and running water (sometimes). The toilets do flush if the water is running. Otherwise, you get a bucket of water from the previously filled cistern and manually flush the toilet. All toilet paper must be thrown in the trash or toilets will back up! We have an outdoor shower with cold mountain water and an outside toilet as well, which most of us try to avoid. It has been a long day and we have full bellies, we decide it’s time to go to bed…. at 8:00pm. There are no beds, just the mats to protect us from the tile and the floor. The rooms are about 9X11 feet and we sleep side by side like sardines in a tin can. If we weren’t close before…we are definitely close now!

Now in Copan so can post the beginning of our trip

March 25th (Lauren)

At 0330 this morning our bags were packed and our group leaders were on their way picking up group members at their homes to meet at the airport.  Many of us had only taken naps that night while some of us hadn’t slept at all. When we arrived to the airport, we labeled our bags with our names written on brightly colored duct tape . The 50 pound medication bags we packed last Saturday are lined up and checked in for our flight.  We grab a quick breakfast and board the airplane for our first flight to Atlanta. Already exhausted, many of us are falling asleep in the upright position with our heads bobbing like we’re at a rock concert.  Our second stretch from Atlanta to Honduras was much longer. For those of you who do not know, the airport we fly into in Honduras is Tegucigalpa- one of the most dangerous and difficult airports to land in. Pilots have to be specially trained to land here. Mountains surround Tegucigalpa and the pilot has to descend into the city just scraping by these mountains and homes built on them. Not only this, but the runway itself is very short. Our pilot lands perfectly and everyone applauds and breaths sighs of relief. We make our way through customs and discover that Maria has been taken back by immigration because she needs a visa. Rosa stays with her as the rest of us grab our bags and load up the Heifer bus. Maria and Rosa finally make it through and we are ready to go! Our drive is not very long. Our first stop is the outskirts of Tegucigalpa where Heifer International houses us. Along the way we get a glimpse of houses lining the roads- they look as if they are made of adobe. Some newer houses had been built on a hill, but the poor construction led to the houses toppling over down the hill where they lay in ruins. It’s a different world down here. We arrive to Heifer International’s camp where we are provided bedrooms with bunk beds, fresh linens and clean bathrooms.  The house is beautiful. It is one story and bright yellow with the pillars of the building painted with murals of the jungle with parrots, palms and flowers. It is about 90 degrees outside. We unpack and lay down for a short nap. We awake to Dennis telling us that a woodcarver has come to sell his works. He is right outside of our room laying beautifully carved jewelry boxes and wall décor. The jewelry boxes are cedar, with the tops carved into flowers with hummingbirds or a picture of a house surrounded by palm trees. He spends over fifteen hours on his pieces and charges only $28.00 (U.S. dollars). He was able to send one son through medical school with his craft and is now working to send his daughter to school who is only six years old. Next a silversmith comes to offer his goods. He lets us choose between black opal and the kind of setting we would like it put into-bracelets, necklaces, and rings. They take great pride in their work. The women who work as staff for Heifer International cool a beautiful meal for us. We have refried black beans, rice, mini sausages, fried plantains and fresh made tortillas. Most of us became addicted to the plantains. That night we have a man from Heifer International come and talk to us about Honduras and the work that has been done to make communities more sustainable.  This includes delivering cows and chickens to communities where they can live off of the milk and eggs. They are an organization that I would recommend you look into! That night we also organized pills into different quantities and packed them into mini ziplock bags to distribute from our pharmacy. We listen to music and have fun laughing and joking as we divided up pills. We start talking about putting our trip up on Instagram and began hashtagging everything…..I think delirium has set in after such a long day. We finish with the medications and all head to bed happy and with full bellies.