Cuscateca is located in the municipality of Danlí, El Paraíso, Honduras. Most community members work in agriculture, farming corn, beans, tomatoes, and peppers. Regardless of occupation, most families earn 100 lempiras a work day, or $4.44. It is common to work 6 days a week in order to earn enough money for the household. About 70% of the houses don’t have a working latrine in their household, and about half of the houses have dirt floors. The community does not have their own school, but the children are quite dedicated in their schooling. Many of them travel by bus to local primary schools, and even the older children travel to the nearest municipality to continue their education in high school.
Municipality: Danlí
Department: El Paraíso
Cuscateca has no health professionals or health center within the community. There is a health center in Linaca, about 2 km away. Cuscateca members attend medical and dental brigades in a nearby community, El Chaguite de Linaca.
*These statistics represent brigades in the community of El Chaguite de Linaca, where community members from Cuscateca attend Medical Brigades
Volunteers*
Patient Consultations*
Vision Screenings Provided*
Health Education Workshops*
COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKERS:The Community Health Worker Program was necessary in a community such as Cuscateca because it is located far from the nearest main road, making the community very remote from health resources. The closest hospital is 2 to 3 hours away by car, depending on how heavy the rains are. Since most people do not have vehicles, they must travel by bus that comes to the community about once a week.
Cuscateca, currently has 3 CHW’s. During their trainings, CHWs learned how to treat these illnesses and about other health topics such as first aid, caring for pregnancies, and first response in emergency situations. The CHWs help relieve some of the patient load for the nurse in the health center. Additionally, the medical supplies that Global Brigades is able to give to the Community Health Workers help fill the need for medical supplies that the government is not able to supply.
BRIGADE INFORMATION:Cuscateca members attend Medical and Dental brigades in a nearby community, El Chaguite de Linaca. Medical and Dental Brigades are held in the local school. The school has grades 1-9 as well as a separate Kindergarten, so there are a total of 9 classrooms, where the various medical stations are held.
In 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.
*These statistics represent brigades in the community of El Chaguite de Linaca, where community members from Cuscateca attend Dental Brigades
Patients Consultations*
Number of Extractions*
Fillings Performed*
Dental Education Workshops*
Cuscateca members attend Medical and Dental brigades in a nearby community, El Chaguite de Linaca. Medical and Dental Brigades are held in the local school. The school has grades 1-9 as well as a separate Kindergarten, so there are a total of 9 classrooms, where the various medical stations are held.
A small portion of the homes in Cuscateca were part of a neighboring community’s water system. However, even these homes only got water every 12 to 15 days. The rest of the community relied on water from a creek that runs through the river. The women washed clothes in the river and carried water to and from the creek on a daily basis for cooking, cleaning, and drinking in the house. However, because it was untreated water, it increased the risk of gastrointestinal infections, diarrhea, and parasites. There are also many other poor hygienic and sanitary conditions in Cuscateca such as a lack of latrines, water storage units, and showers.
Brigade Volunteers
Project Beneficiaries
Kilometers of Pipeline Designed
Average Community Volunteers
In 2016, Global Brigades partnered with the Water Council of Cuscateca and World Vision to complete a water project for the 226 residents of Cuscateca. World Vision installed a well with access to a consistent source of water as well as an electric pump to be able to pump enough water for the entire community. In April of 2016, University of Calgary and Toronto University designed a complete system to support the water needs of Cuscateca. The system is a well and pump system which includes a 10,000-gallon storage tank and 1500 meters of piping. Global Brigades constructed the water storage tank, pumping line, and distribution network to bring a consistent water supply to all 48 homes and the local church.
| Chapter | Date | # Of Volunteers |
|---|---|---|
| University of Calgary Engineering Brigade and Toronto University Engineering Brigade | April 2016 | 9 |
A small portion of the homes in Cuscateca were part of a neighboring community’s water system. However, even these homes only got water every 12 to 15 days. The rest of the community relied on water from a creek that runs through the river. The women washed clothes in the river and carried water to and from the creek on a daily basis for cooking, cleaning, and drinking in the house. However, because it was untreated water, it increased the risk of gastrointestinal infections, diarrhea, and parasites. There are also many other poor hygienic and sanitary conditions in Cuscateca such as a lack of latrines, water storage units, and showers.
Volunteers
Project Beneficiaries
Kilometers of Pipeline Installed
Storage Tank Volume (gallons)
In 2016, Global Brigades partnered with the Water Council of Cuscateca and World Vision to complete a water project for the 226 residents of Cuscateca. World Vision installed a well with access to a consistent source of water as well as an electric pump to be able to pump enough water for the entire community. In April of 2016, University of Calgary and Toronto University designed a complete system to support the water needs of Cuscateca on an Engineering Brigade. The system is a well and pump system which includes a 10,000-gallon storage tank and 1500 meters of piping. Community members, Global Brigades staff, and Memorial University’s Water Brigade constructed the water storage tank, pumping line, and distribution network to bring a consistent water supply to all 48 homes and the local church.
| Chapter | Date | # Of Volunteers |
|---|---|---|
| Memorial University of Newfoundland Water Brigade | July 2016 | 12 |
The primary occupation and source of income in the community is agriculture. Not only do community members grow their own crops, but many men and women work as day laborers on nearby farms. Weather is never guaranteed, the agricultural success of Cuscateca’s community members is ever more dependent on the changing climate.
Volunteers
Loans Disbursed
Savings Accounts Opened
Capital Invested
In 2017, Global Brigades helped Cuscateca to establish their community bank. The bank currently has 12 female and 2 male shareholder, and that meet in the bank 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, so that they are able to take out loans before planting season, and pay them back after the harvest. Loans allow many subsistence farmers to now sell crops and not just use them for consumption.
Cuscateca is in the process of establishing a new micro-enterprise in their community. Various Business Brigades have partnered with Cuscateca to identify and develop a chicken business. This business would be able to raise chicken that would allow them to sell quality fresh eggs and fresh poultry to community.
| Chapter | Date | # Of Volunteers |
|---|---|---|
| University of Missouri Business Brigade | January 2018 | 17 |
| Brandeis University Business Brigade | February 2018 | 10 |
Many community members in Cuscateca lack the resources to make improvements to their household infrastructure. The majority of homes in Cuscateca are made of adobe, mud, and straw. There are approximately 48 homes in Cuscateca, with an average of four people living in each. Prior to their partnership with Global Brigades, very few of the homes had access to hygiene stations, eco-stoves or water filters. Hygiene stations are necessary to facilitate handwashing, allow water storage for hygienic processes, and offer privacy while bathing. Additionally, concrete floors reduce the incidence of parasitic infections and Chagas disease, 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, Cuscateca’s inhabitants were hoping to avoid preventable diseases and adopt proper hygiene and sanitation practices.
Volunteers
Sanitation Units Installed
People Benefited with Public Health Infrastructure
Hours of Public Health Education
CUSCATECA’S PUBLIC HEALTH SOLUTIONBeginning in August 2017, the Public Health Program started working with all interested families to finance and install household infrastructure projects, including hygiene stations for hand washing and showering, latrines, water filters, and water storage units. These projects allow community members to avoid preventable disease and foster improved hygiene and sanitation practices. During their time in Cuscateca, Public Health volunteers conducted educational workshops, or charlas, with community members on project maintenance and various public health topics. Additionally, Global Brigades trained a Basic Sanitation Committee, which advocates for proper hygiene and sanitation practices in addition to providing support for completed projects.
To promote the sustainability of the Public Health Program’s projects, families are required to contribute a portion of the project cost. This instills a sense of ownership and encourages proper maintenance of the projects. Therefore, before the Public Health Program started its projects, the Business Program worked with the community to train an existing community bank that would allow families to finance these contributions through microcredit. Although the Public Health Program has completed all planned projects in Cuscateca, loans remain available through the community bank and local masons who were contracted to complete the projects now hold the skills to perform any necessary repairs or construct new units.
| Chapter | Date | # Of Volunteers | Chapter | Date | # Of Volunteers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Toronto Medical Brigade | August 2017 | 35 | DePaul University Public Health Brigade | November 2017 | 27 |
| Johns Hopkins University Medical Brigade | January 2018 | 24 | Central Michigan University Medical Brigade | March 2018 | 60 |
| New York Michigan University Medical Brigade | April 2018 | 13 |