Empowered Community

Congratulations El Ojochal, Amapala!

1,377

Volunteers

1,748

Medical Patient Consultations

82

Dental Patient Consultations

244

People with Access to Clean Water

77

Loans Disbursed

48

Eco-Stoves Constructed

49

Latrines Constructed

27

Trained Community Leaders

El Ojochal, Amapala

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

Overview

El Ojochal is a community with a population of about 250 people living in roughly 65 homes. It is an extremely rocky community, belonging to the municipality of Amapala in the department of Valle. El Ojochal is primarily an agricultural community, mainly harvesting corn and melons. A large percentage of the community works on nearby shrimp farms, although this work is generally seasonal; it is not steady employment. There is a primary school offering classes from kindergarten to sixth grade, and there is a Water Council, Basic Sanitation Committee, and community bank.

Municipality: Amapala
Department: Valle

Homes : 65
Population : 252
Water System : Yes
Community Bank : Yes
Electricity : Yes
Health Center : Coyolito, 2 km away
Community Health Workers : Yes
% of Homes with Latrines : 100%
Education : Up to 6th Grade
Distance from Lodging Facility : 30 minutes

Medical

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

HEALTH CARE ACCESS:

The Honduran government provides two 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 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 with adequate access to medical attention.

The nearest health centre from El Ojochal is about 2 kilometers away in a community called El Coyolito. For many health needs, community members must travel about an hour away to a hospital in San Lorenzo. Since most people do not have vehicles, they must travel by bus that comes to the community.  Given the distance from the nearest health facilities, El Ojochal is a community that can especially benefit from the Community Health Workers Program.

276

Volunteers

1,868

Patients Attended

28

Vision Screenings Provided

36

Health Education Workshops

COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKERS:

The CHW program in El Ojochal began in 2014, after the water, public health, microfinance, and architecture programs had already completed their projects in the community. There are a total of 25 CHWs currently working in El Ojochal. El Ojochal is part of a larger area that includes 16 smaller communities, with El Ojochal
being the centralized location. Therefore, 25 Community Health Workers were trained in El Ojochal, reaching 16 different communities, and over 2,500 people.

The Community Health Workers help to provide basic medical attention in the absence of a health center.  Additionally, medical supplies that we can give to the Community Health Workers can help fill the need for medical supplies that the government is not able to provide. The most common health problems in El Ojochal are intestinal parasites, respiratory infections, and malnutrition.  Community Health Workers in El Ojochal help to treat and prevent these illnesses, and address other health topics such as first aid, caring for pregnancies, and first response in emergencies.

BRIGADE INFORMATION:

Medical and Dental brigades use the local school as their brigade site. The school has 2 rooms and one for the kindergarten, where the various medical stations are conducted. Doctors spend an average of 10 minutes with each patient and we can provide 4-5 educational charlas a day. Each brigade sees an average of 532 patients per brigade.

  • AVERAGE PATIENTS ATTENDED: 532
  • NEARBY COMMUNITIES: PINTADILLERA, PLAYA BLANCA, LA GUAYABA, GAVIOTA, EL SOPE, LOS LANGUES, COYOLITO, EL OCOTE

MEDICAL/DENTAL VOLUNTEERS IN EL OJOCHAL:

Chapter Date # Of Volunteers Chapter Date # Of Volunteers
University of Missouri Medical Brigade May 2012 34 Loyola University Medical Brigade January 2013 29
Imperial College of London Medical Brigade September 2013 48 Maryville University Medical Brigade May 2014 22
Crean Lutheran High School Health Squad September 2020 58 University of Texas Dallas Medical TeleBrigade December 2020 32
University of Maryland Dental TeleBrigade January 2021 34 University of Victoria Medical TeleBrigade February 2021 17

Dental

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

DENTAL CARE ACCESS

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.

157

Patient Consultations

185

Number of Extractions

52

Fillings Performed

4

Dental Education Workshops

BRIGADE INFORMATION:

Medical and Dental brigades use the local school as their brigade site. The school has 2 rooms and one for the kindergarten, where the various medical stations are conducted. Doctors spend an average of 10 minutes with each patient and we are able to provide 4-5 educational charlas a day.  Each brigade sees an average of 532 patients per brigade.

  • AVERAGE PATIENTS ATTENDED: 532
  • NEARBY COMMUNITIES: PINTADILLERA, PLAYA BLANCA, LA GUAYABA, GAVIOTA, EL SOPE, LOS LANGUES, COYOLITO, EL OCOTE

MEDICAL/DENTAL VOLUNTEERS IN EL OJOCHAL:

Chapter Date # Of Volunteers Chapter Date # Of Volunteers
University of Missouri Medical Brigade May 2012 34 Loyola University Medical Brigade January 2013 29
Imperial College of London Medical Brigade September 2013 48 Maryville University Medical Brigade May 2014 22
Crean Lutheran High School Health Squad September 2020 58 University of Texas Dallas Medical TeleBrigade December 2020 32
University of Maryland Dental TeleBrigade January 2021 34 University of Victoria Medical TeleBrigade February 2021 17

Engineering

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

EL OJOCHAL’S ENGINEERING CHALLENGE:

El Ojochal never had a centralized water system providing an adequate supply of clean water to all members of the community. Before Global Brigades’ arrival, there was a water system, however, just twelve houses were connected to the system and it only functioned sporadically. Community members had also attempted to build a well to increase the supply of water in the community, however, they could not find water despite digging approximately 40 meters below the surface.

Therefore, community members had to walk for upwards of one hour on a rocky path to arrive at the nearest water source and then carry the water home in containers. Given that each person can only carry a certain quantity of water, most reported walking to the water source several times per day. During the dry season, the trip was often even longer as the closest sources would dry up. Regardless of how where they found water, there was no central treatment and few families treated the drinking water within their homes, increasing the risk of waterborne disease.

N/A

Volunteers

244

Beneficiaries

3.1

Kilometers of PIpeline Designed

N/A

Average Community Volunteers

EL OJOCHAL’S ENGINEERING SOLUTION:

Water Brigaders from eleven different universities worked in El Ojochal between December 2013 and February 2014. During that time, student volunteers worked with community members to:
• Drill an 85-foot deep well, providing access to 200 gallons of water per minute
• Install a pump to send water from the source to the storage and chlorination tanks
• Install roughly 2,500 meters of pipeline forming the distribution network
• Build a 10,000 gallon storage tank
• Install water connections to all houses
• Provide educational workshops to children in the community’s primary school on water and health-related topics.

In addition to conducting workshops in El Ojochal’s primary school, we work to ensure project sustainability by educating the community about water conservation and good hygiene practices. Student volunteers on Water Brigades have also collaborated with students on Public Health Brigades to host a Health and Hygiene fair in January 2014. During the extremely successful event, community members and their children visited a variety of booths designed to teach them about hygiene and sanitation. To ensure the sustainability of the project, a Water Council was established and trained by Water Brigades in addition to a Basic Sanitation Committee also trained by Water Brigades.

Water

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

EL OJOCHAL’S WATER CHALLENGE:

El Ojochal never had a centralized water system providing an adequate supply of clean water to all members of the community. Prior to Global Brigades’ arrival, there was a water system, however, just twelve houses were connected to the system and it only functioned sporadically. Community members had also attempted to build a well to increase the supply of water in the community, however, they could not find water despite digging approximately 40 meters below the surface.

Therefore, community members had to walk for upwards of one hour on a rocky path to arrive at the nearest water source and then carry the water home in containers. Given that each person can only carry a certain quantity of water, most reported walking to the water source several times per day. During the dry season, the trip was often even longer as the closest sources would dry up. Regardless of how where they found water, there was no central treatment and few families treated the drinking water within their homes, increasing the risk of waterborne disease.

124

Volunteers

244

Project Beneficiaries

3

Kilometers of Pipeline Installed

10,000

Storage Tank Volume (gallons)

EL OJOCHAL’S WATER SOLUTION:

Water Brigaders from eleven different universities worked in El Ojochal between December 2013 and February 2014. During that time, student volunteers worked with community members to:
• Drill an 85-foot deep well providing access to 200 gallons of water per per minute
• Install a pump to send water from the source to the storage and chlorination tanks
• Install roughly 2,500 meters of pipeline forming the distribution network
• Build a 10,000 gallon storage tank
• Install water connections to all houses
• Provide educational workshops to children in the community’s primary school on water and health related topics.

In addition to conducting workshops in El Ojochal’s primary school in order to ensure project sustainability by education the community about water usage and basic hygiene, student volunteers on Water Brigades also worked with students on Public Health Brigades to host a Health and Hygiene fair in January 2014. During the extremely successful event, community members and their children visited a variety of booths designed to teach them about hygiene and sanitation. To ensure the sustainability of the project, a Water Council was established and trained by Water Brigades in addition to a Basic Sanitation Committee also trained by Water Brigades.

WATER VOLUNTEERS IN THE COMMUNITY:

Chapter Date # Of Volunteers Chapter Date # Of Volunteers
DePaul University Water Brigade December 2013 18 University of Virginia Water Brigade January 2014 12
Johns Hopkins University Water Brigade January 2014 3 Global Brigades of Sherman Water Brigade January 2014 9
St. Louis University Water Brigade January 2014 21 University of Rochester Water Brigade January 2014 8
University of California Berkley Water Brigade January 2014 5 Boston University Water Brigade January 2014 7
Rutgers University Water Brigade January 2014 11 University of Victoria Water Brigade February 2014 12
Mount Allison University Water Brigade February 2014 19

Business

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

El OJOCHAL’S ECONOMIC CHALLENGE

The people of El Ojochal are hard-working and engaged in a variety of economic activities to be able to maintain their families. Most households have a small plot of land where they grow corn and beans, which they keep for their households as their main source of nourishment. Many community members work by the day for the standard pay of HNL 100 (around USD 4.25) as masons or workers on others’ land, but this is far from representing a stable and predictable source of income.

A small minority of community members can obtain seasonal jobs in the neighbouring shrimp processing factories or work as cooks or waiters in the restaurants located on the nearby beaches. Nevertheless, most households struggle to make a living.

51

Volunteers

77

Loans Disbursed

N/A

Savings Accounts Opened

$7,017

Capital Investment

EL OJOCHAL’S MICROFINANCE SOLUTION

El Ojochal was the eighth community the Microfinance Program in Honduras expanded to in June 2013. The Microfinance Brigades in-country team and brigaders from many universities have worked in this community since then. During this time, staff and volunteers have worked with community members to:

  • Train and establish a Community Rural Bank (Caja Rural)
  • Provide educational seminars to adults and children in the community on the importance of savings
  • Promote voluntary savings in the community to reach a level of sustainable capital for the Caja
  • Door-to-door community visits to further encourage community members to trust the community bank and open accounts to actively save
  • Provide community-wide workshops to sensitize community members about the importance of creditworthiness and reliability in repaying loans
  • Door-to-door community visits to teach the basics of household budgeting and accounting to families and women
  • Concede loans to all Public Health beneficiaries to finance the completion of the projects
  • Concede loans to the beneficiaries of home renovations through what was the Architecture Program, to finance the completion of the projects

EL OJOCHAL’S BUSINESS  SOLUTION

Through the leadership and structure of the community bank, El Ojochal has an agricultural store where framers can buy and sell basic grains and agricultural supplies. Because El Ojochal and surrounding communities are economically dependent upon agriculture, the store provides a sustainable method for them to buy and sell their seeds, fertilizers, supplies, and crops.

Producers benefit from this business because they often can not transport their crop to the nearest market, and have to sell it to middlemen at artificially low prices. Consumers benefit as well because they usually have to travel to the nearest town to buy fertilizers, pesticides, seeds, and other supplies.

BUSINESS VOLUNTEERS IN EL OJOCHAL:

Chapter Date # Of Volunteers Chapter Date # Of Volunteers
DePaul University Business Brigade December 2013 10 University of North Carolina Business Brigade & University of Virginia Business Brigade March 2014 15
DePaul University Business Brigade March 2014 10 University of Calgary Business Brigade April 2016 16

Public Health

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

EL OJOCHAL’S PUBLIC HEALTH CHALLENGE

Many community members in El Ojochal lacked the resources needed to improve their homes and prevent diseases caused by unsafe living environments.  Prior to the arrival of the Public Health Brigades in 2013, most homes lacked latrines and showers, forcing community members to relieve themselves and bathe outside. Similarly, most community members could not safely store their water, which increased the risk of waterborne disease.  Posing another risk for community members’ health, the majority of homes had dirt floors and traditional stoves, resulting in both parasitic infections such as Chagas Disease and respiratory problems.

439

Volunteers

48

Eco-Stoves Constructed

49

Latrines Constructed

75

Floors Constructed

EL OJOCHAL’S PUBLIC HEALTH SOLUTION

Public Health Brigaders from several different universities and the Public Health Brigades in-country team worked in El Ojochal from June 2013 – April 2014. 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 eco-stoves, latrines, hygiene stations, and hundreds of square meters of cement floor
  • Conduct educational workshops emphasizing the importance of sanitation and hygiene in local primary schools

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 is entitled to monitor the correct utilization and maintenance of the infrastructures. Clear responsibilities and powers are assigned to each member, making the beneficiaries themselves an even stronger stakeholder of the Public Health projects.

PUBLIC HEALTH VOLUNTEERS IN EL OJOCHAL:

Chapter Date # Of Volunteers Chapter Date # Of Volunteers
University of Washington Public Health Brigade June 2013 15 University of California San Diego Public Health Brigade June 2013 25
DePaul University Public Health Brigade June 2013 7 Wayne State Public Health Brigade August 2013 13
Greater Piedmont Public Health Brigade & University of California Berkeley Post Baccs Public Health Brigade August 2013 12 Explore Honduras Public Health Brigade & University of Houston Public Health Brigade August 2013 12
Imperial College of London Medical Brigade September 2013 49 DePaul University Public Health Brigade December 2013 19
University of Illinois Chicago Medical Brigade December 2013 40 University of North Carolina Wilmington Public Health Brigade December 2014 4
St. Louis University Public Health Brigade January 2014 21 Brandeis University Public Health Brigade January 2014 13
Albion College Public Health Brigade January 2014 16 Harvard University Public Health Brigade January 2014 32
St. Olaf University Public Health Brigade February 2014 16 College of William & Mary Public Health Brigade March 2014 1
Indiana University Public Health Brigade March 2014 2 University of Arizona Public Health Brigade March 2014 1
Acadia University Public Health Brigade April 2014 3

Local Reference Points

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

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