Empowered Community

Congratulations El Jute!

1,697

Volunteers

5,524

Medical Patient Consultations

571

Dental Patient Consultations

316

People with Access to Clean Water

561

Loans Disbursed

67

Eco-Stoves Constructed

65

Latrines Constructed

34

Trained Community Leaders

El Jute

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

Overview

El Jute is a mountainous community of about 400 people located in the department of El Paraíso. Most community members are coffee growers. El Jute’s educational system includes Kinder and Primary schools (through 6th grade). El Jute was officially inaugurated as a holistic community in July of 2015. After working with Global Brigades staff and volunteers, the community has established strong leadership in continuing both health and economic development initiatives in their community.  El Jute has a newly constructed community center, a basic sanitation committee, a community bank, and a couple strong microenterprises.

Municipality: Teupasenti
Department: El Paraíso

Homes : 70
Population : 380
Water System : Yes
Community Bank : Yes
Electricity : Yes
Health Center : No
Community Health Workers : Yes
% of Homes with Latrines : 100%
Education : Up to 6th Grade
Distance from Lodging Facility : 1 hr 45 min

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 Jute is a community located in the department of El Paraiso. The community does not have access to a local health center, which means that community members must travel to the nearest one in Teupasenti. It takes about 1 hour 45 minutes to get to the health center on foot and around 30 minutes in a vehicle. The health center in Teupasenti is known as a CESAMO, which is the larger of the two different types of health centers provided by the government. It is usually staffed by at least one doctor and several nurses. Dental care is also available to community members. Should a visitor to the health center require more medical attention than can be given at the center, community members can travel to the hospitals in Tegucigalpa either by bus if they can afford the fare or on foot.

451

Brigade Volunteers

5767

Patients Attended

159

Vision Screenings Provided

209

Health Education Workshops

BRIGADE INFORMATION:

Medical and Dental Brigades are held at the local school. The school is relatively small, with about 3  rooms. Despite the smaller space, we always run a successful brigade.  Doctors spend an average of 10 minutes with each patient and we are able to provide 10 educational charlas a day.

  • AVERAGE PATIENTS ATTENDED: 541
  • NEARBY COMMUNITIES: LAS UVAS, EL CANTÓN, EL RETIRO

MEDICAL/DENTAL VOLUNTEERS IN EL JUTE:

Chapter Date # Of Volunteers Chapter Date # Of Volunteers
Brandeis University Medical Brigade February 2012 20 California State University San Bernardino Medical Brigade & Dublin City University Medical Brigade & Birmingham University Medical Brigade June 2012 29
Athletico Medical Brigade April 2013 26 Peterborough University Medical Brigade April 2014 19
University of Toronto Medical Brigade August 2014 35 Central Michigan University Medical Brigade March 2015 34
Columbia University Medical Brigade January 2016 30 Arizona State University Medical Brigade May 2017 30
University of Oklahoma Medical Brigade May 2018 44 Alumni Medical Brigade April 2019 4
Indiana Wesleyan University Medical TeleBrigade October 2020 18 Queen’s University Medical TeleBrigade February 2021 19
San Francisco State University Medical TeleBrigade March 2021 13 Memorial University of Newfoundland Medical TeleBrigade March 2021 17
North Park University Medical TeleBrigade March 2021 17 Essex High School Health April 2021 5
Central Michigan University & University of Ottawa Medical May 2021 21 Dublin High School December 2021 29
Dana Hills High School University of Ottawa Medical August 2022 48

 

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 dentists within a reasonable distance.

617

Patient Consultations

476

Number of Extractions

285

Fillings Performed

69

Dental Education Workshops

BRIGADE INFORMATION:

Medical and Dental Brigades are held at the local school.  The school is relatively small, with about 3 rooms. Despite the smaller space, we always run a successful brigade.  Dentists spend an average of 20 minutes with each patient and we are able to provide 10 educational charlas a day.

  • AVERAGE PATIENTS ATTENDED: 541
  • NEARBY COMMUNITIES: Las Uvas, El Cantón, El Retiro

MEDICAL/DENTAL VOLUNTEERS IN EL JUTE:

Chapter Date # Of Volunteers Chapter Date # Of Volunteers
Brandeis University Medical Brigade February 2012 20 California State University San Bernardino Medical Brigade & Dublin City University Medical Brigade & Birmingham University Medical Brigade June 2012 29
Athletico Medical Brigade April 2013 26 Peterborough University Medical Brigade April 2014 19
University of Toronto Medical Brigade August 2014 35 Central Michigan University Medical Brigade March 2015 34
Columbia University Medical Brigade January 2016 30 Arizona State University Medical Brigade May 2017 30
University of Oklahoma Medical Brigade May 2018 44 Alumni Medical Brigade April 2019 4

 

Engineering

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

EL JUTE’S ENGINEERING CHALLENGE:

Twenty years ago, the municipal government built a gravity-based water system connecting the communities of El Cantón, El Jute, and Veracruz Matazano to the same water source. The system did not function properly in the community of El Cantón, however, as the storage tank was constructed at a very low altitude. Thus, there was not enough pressure to bring water to all homes in all communities. In an attempt to remedy the problem, the storage tank was abandoned and water was distributed directly from the distribution pipeline. Unfortunately, the new system required the community to stop centrally-treating the water, leading to increased incidence of water-borne disease. These three communities were looking to be connected to a new system centralized in El Cantón.

41

Volunteers

316

Beneficiaries

14.9

Kilometers of Pipeline Designed

N/A

Average Community Volunteers

EL JUTE’S ENGINEERING SOLUTION:

Water Brigaders from four different universities worked in El Cantón, El Jute, and Veracruz Matasanos between March 2011 and February 2012. During that time, those volunteers worked with community members to:

  • Install a control valve at the dam and build a wall to divert stream water away from it
  • Repair and paint an 11,000-gallon chlorination tank
  • Construct a new distribution chamber to divide the water between the three communities.
  • Dig approximately 14,238 meters of trench
  • Install 14,238 meters of PVC piping and 654 meters of iron piping
  • Connect 87 houses, 2 schools, and 3 churches in El Cantón to the water system

El Cantón shares a water source, dam, and a part of the water system’s conduction line with the communities of El Jute and Veracruz Matasanos. During the El Cantón project, improvements were also made to the portions of the water system that serve these two neighboring communities.  Water brigades worked with all three communities to install 1.5 kilometers of new, larger diameter piping in the conduction line, as well as install cleaning, air, and control valves in the pipeline. In addition, a pressure break tank and aerial stream crossing in the pipeline were repaired and a new distribution chamber was constructed to properly distribute water to each of the three communities.

ENGINEERING VOLUNTEERS IN EL JUTE:

Chapter Date # Of Volunteers
University of California Berkley Engineering Brigade January 2014 41

Water

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

El JUTE’S WATER CHALLENGE:

Twenty years ago, the municipal government built a gravity-based water system connecting the communities of El Cantón, El Jute, and Veracruz Matazano to the same water source. The system did not function properly in the community of El Cantón, however, as the storage tank was constructed at a very low altitude. Thus, there was not enough pressure to bring water to all homes in all communities.

In an attempt to remedy the problem, the storage tank was abandoned and water was distributed directly from the distribution pipeline. Unfortunately, the new system required the community to stop centrally treating the water, leading to an increased incidence of water-borne disease. These three communities were looking to be connected to a new system centralized in El Cantón.

297

Brigade Volunteers

316

Beneficiaries

14.9

Kilometers of Pipeline Installed

10,000

Storage Tank Volume (gallons)

EL JUTE’S WATER SOLUTION:

Water Brigaders from four different universities worked in El Cantón, El Jute, and Veracruz Matasanos between March 2011 and February 2012. During that time, those volunteers worked with community members to:

  • Install a control valve at the dam and build a wall to divert stream water away from it
  • Repair and paint an 11,000-gallon chlorination tank
  • Construct a new distribution chamber to divide the water between the three communities.
  • Dig approximately 14,238 meters of trench
  • Install 14,238 meters of PVC piping and 654 meters of iron piping
    • Connect 87 houses, 2 schools, and 3 churches in El Cantón to the water system

El Cantón shares a water source, dam, and a part of the water system’s conduction line with the communities of El Jute and Veracruz Matasanos. During the El Cantón project, improvements were also made to the portions of the water system that serve these two neighboring communities.  Water brigades worked with all three communities to install 1.5 kilometers of new, larger diameter piping in the conduction line, as well as install cleaning, air, and control valves in the pipeline. In addition, a pressure break tank and aerial stream crossing in the pipeline were repaired and a new distribution chamber was constructed to properly distribute water to each of the three communities.

WATER VOLUNTEERS IN El JUTE:

Chapter Date # Of Volunteers Chapter Date # Of Volunteers
Oakland University Water Brigade December 2011 35 Stony Brook University Water Brigade January 2012 23
University of Southern California Water Brigade January 2012  23 University of Southern California Water Brigade January 2012  12
University of Virginia Water Brigade  January 2012  16 University of Rochester Water Brigade January 2012 17
Boston University Water Brigade January 2012 12 Saint Louis University Water Brigade January 2012 13
Columbia University Water Brigade January 2012 6 University of Connecticut Water Brigade January 2012 41
Washington University at St. Louis Water Brigade January 2012  35 Johns Hopkins University Water Brigade January 2012 11
St. Olaf University Water Brigade February 2012  22 University of Victoria Water Brigade February 2012  15
Mount Allison University Water Brigade  February 2012  18 Brandeis University Water Brigade  February 2012 21

Business

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

EL JUTE’S ECONOMIC CHALLENGE

The average family income per month is estimated to be 2,500 Lempiras a month (approximately US $106). About 10% of community members work in the community’s municipality, Teupasenti, as teachers, gas station attendants, market clerks, and assistants. Per the community’s location, the majority (95%) of the community members are coffee growers. Many grow coffee on their own land but also work during the harvest season on larger plantations. When the coffee harvest comes to an end, about 60% of the community members continue to grow corn and beans.

285

Volunteers

561

Loans Disbursed

N/A

Savings Accounts Opened

$17,977

Capital Investment

EL JUTE’S MICROFINANCE SOLUTION

El Jute established its community bank, Nuevo Progresistas, with the help of the GB Microfinance and Business team in 2013. Nuevo Progresistas became the 7th community bank created and trained by GB Honduras’s Microfinance program. The bank now includes 33 members who pay monthly shares, which allows them to pool their limited funds and provide capital for their financial services. Since the establishment of the community bank, every family in the community has benefited from a loan.

The majority of loans are used for agricultural production, such as buying fertilizer and pesticides for coffee. Loans are also provided for education and emergencies. In 2014 and 2015, over US $10,000 were given in loans. Through the community bank, every child in the community has the opportunity to open a savings account. There have been 73 savings accounts opened with only 100 Lempiras. Community members are encouraged to open savings accounts and are offered 1% interest per month.

El JUTE’S BUSINESS SOLUTION

In March 2016, El Jute’s tilapia farm microenterprise was established with the help of business/microfinance brigaders and the in-country team. Many community members had their first taste of fresh fish when UK brigaders prepared tilapia at their lodging facility and brought some samples to the community during their brigade. The opportunity to have access to fresh fish brought a lot of excitement to the leaders and community members.

A tilapia farm was chosen as a business because it promised to create employment, increase the intake of protein and vary the nutrients in the community’s diet, and fulfill a market demand. Brigaders worked to conduct market research and develop a business plan alongside leaders from the community.

Leadership roles within the tilapia farm include an Administrator, Production Manager, Sales Manager, and Auditing Committee. These business owners received administrative training from the GB Business team and additional training led by an expert on tilapia. Their training included presentations on the growth cycles of tilapia, feeding, marketing, sales, supply chain, and finances. The leaders of the microenterprise also hold leadership positions and membership in the community bank.

El Jute’s tilapia farm completed its first production of 2,000 pounds of tilapia at the end of 2016. They hope to produce 2,000 pounds of tilapia twice a year.

BUSINESS BRIGADES IN El JUTE:

Chapter Date # Of Volunteers Chapter Date # Of Volunteers
University of California Berkley Business Brigade January 2014 41 DePaul University Business Brigade January 2014 21
Richard Ivey School of Business Business Brigade February 2014 27 Arizona State University Business Brigade June 2014 N/A
University of St.Louis Business Brigade February 2015 19 College of Charleston Business Brigade February 2015 23
University College London Business Brigade & London School of Economics Business Brigade & Kings College Business Brigade August 2015 9 College of Charleston Business Brigade March 2016 22
University of Illinois at Urbana-Campaign Business Brigade January 2017 23 College of Charleston Business Brigade March 2017 20

Public Health

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

EL JUTE’S PUBLIC HEALTH CHALLENGE

Many community members in El Jute lacked the resources needed to improve their homes and prevent diseases caused by unsafe living environments. The majority of homes are made of adobe, straw, and mud, and very few homes had hygiene stations, cement floors, and eco-stoves before the arrival of Global Brigades.

Such 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.

Not only would additional home infrastructure improve the health of family members through improved sanitation and hygiene, but these facilities presented the prospect of their improving their overall quality of life. The new water storage units would reduce the time spent walking to water sources and the eco-stove could reduce firewood consumption by about 70%.

553

Volunteers

65

Sanitation Units Installed

277

People Benefited with Public Health Infrastructure

132

Hours of Public Health Education

EL JUTE’S PUBLIC HEALTH SOLUTION

Public Health Brigaders from several different universities and the Public Health Brigades in-country team worked in El Jute from February 2013 – June 2013. During this time, volunteers and staff members worked with community members 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
  • Build 66 eco-stoves, 61 latrines, 58 showers, 56 water storage units, and 140 cement floors
  • Conduct educational workshops emphasizing the importance of sanitation and hygiene in the loca primary school

To ensure the sustainability of the in-home infrastructure projects, the Public Health Program provides continuous follow-up in the community. It also forms and trains the Basic Sanitation Committee, a community body formed by local leaders which monitors the correct usage and maintenance of the new infrastructure. Clear responsibilities and powers are assigned to each member, making the beneficiaries themselves an even stronger stakeholder in the Public Health projects.

PUBLIC HEALTH VOLUNTEERS IN EL JUTE:

Chapter Date # Of Volunteers Chapter Date # Of Volunteers
Brandeis University Public Health Brigade February 2013 15 Queens University Public Health Brigade & University of Victoria Public Health Brigade February 2013 8
Mount Allison University Public Health Brigade February 2013 17 Carnegie Mellon Pittsburgh Public Health Brigade March 2013 12
University of New York Buffalo Public Health Brigade March 2013 13 Indiana University Public Health Brigade March 2013 13
University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Public Health Brigade & Yale University Public Health Brigade March 2013 26 University of Denver Public Health Brigade March 2013 31
Tulane University Public Health Brigade March 2013 12 West Virginia University Public Health Brigade March 2013 44
Athletico Public Health Brigade April 2013 22 Pittsburgh University Public Health Brigade May 2013 31
University of Michigan Public Health Brigade May 2013 23 Arizona State University Public Health Brigade May 2013 24
Acadia University Public Health Brigade May 2013 47 Loyola University Public Health Brigade May 2013 15
Midwestern University Public Health Brigade May 2013 16 University of Missouri Public Health Brigade May 2013 16
San Jose State University Public Health Brigade May 2013 23 University of New York Stoneybrook Public Health Brigade May 2013 23
University of Notthingham Public Health Brigade May 2013 17 Illinois Weslyan University Public Health Brigade June 2013 11
University of California Berkeley Public Health Brigade June 2013 8 University of California Santa Barbara Public Health Brigade June 2013 17
University of California Irvine Public Health Brigade June 2013 28 University of California Riverside Public Health Brigade June 2013 11
University of California Davis Public Health Brigade June 2013 23

Legal Empowerment

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

EL JUTE’S LEGAL EMPOWERMENT CHALLENGE

Legal services are difficult to access in rural Honduras for two primary
reasons: location and cost. Most often, there are no legal services set up
within rural communities and are instead concentrated in urban areas.
Therefore, rural Hondurans must travel multiple hours to access these
services. Not only does travelling to these urban areas cost money, but the
legal services themselves are frequently too expensive.

In addition, there is an attitude of mistrust amongst the rural clients.
Therefore, it is a challenge to gain the trust of the community members when it
comes to dealing with their legal empowerment issues and to prove not all lawyers will take advantage of them.

17

Volunteers

34

Family Cases Resolved

143

Participants of Educational Workshops

N/A

Attendees of Educational Workshops

Civic Engagement and Empowerment

By focusing on specific aspects of legal access and inclusion, Global Brigades’ Legal Empowerment Program aims to empower communities like El Jute to overcome the obstacles mentioned above. Starting in 2013, Brigaders have been able to tackle family law cases, execute pro-bono legal clinics, and perform educational workshops.

Family Law: The most common legal issues within the community include issues of alimony and childcare, land issues, domestic violence, and some violent crimes. Without a lawyer in the community, many legal issues go unresolved or unattended for many years, and seemingly simple legal troubles can go unanswered.

Legal Clinics: Global Brigade’s Legal Empowerment Program has been able to offer their pro-bono legal services to community members in El Jute with the help of Honduran lawyers as they are shadowed by volunteers. Both community members and volunteers work together to challenge the stigma of lawyers in the region by offering real, professional services for free.

Educational Workshops: Volunteers have performed workshops in the local school of El Jute. Capitalizing on the use of education as a tool for community empowerment, volunteers lead discussions and workshops with students and families about issues that have direct consequences and effects in their everyday lives, including: the right to education, child abuse, drug use, and child labor laws.

LEGAL EMPOWERMENT VOLUNTEERS IN EL JUTE:

Chapter Date # Of Volunteers
University of Exeter Legal Empowerment Brigade & University of Edinburgh Legal Empowerment Brigade June 2018 11
Boston University Legal Empowerment Brigade & Rutgers University New Brunswick Legal Empowerment Brigade May 2019 6

Local Reference Points

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

  • Feature