El Portillo, Teupasenti

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

Overview

El Portillo is located within the municipality of Teupasenti in the department of El Paraiso in Eastern Honduras. The typical house is made of adobe, cement blocks/bricks, and zinc. Children in the community have access up to 9th grade. The community of El Portillo has a gravity water system that provides access to the whole community. Most of the community members work in agriculture, cattle raising, and trading. The top needs expressed by El Portillo‘s inhabitants during their initial communications with Global Brigades are public transportation and public health projects.

Municipality: Teupasenti
Department: El Paraiso

Homes : 73
Population : 390
Water System : Yes
Community Bank : Yes
Electricity : Yes
Health Center : N/A
Community Health Workers : Yes
Homes with Latrines : 72%
Education : Up to 9th grade

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 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 community of El Portillo has access to a health care center in the nearest community of Teupasenti located 10 kilometers away. It is not always adequately staffed nor does it always have adequate medications in stock. The most common illnesses children face are the common cold, intestinal infections, and respiratory issues. The most common illnesses seen in adults are hypertension and diabetes.

N/A

Brigade Volunteers

N/A

Patient Consulations

N/A

PAP Smears Performed

N/A

Health Education Workshops

COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKERS

El Portillo currently has access to 1 Community Health Worker (CHWs). However, this CHW was not trained by Global Brigades. Our Medical Program is actively working to assess the current CHWs’ knowledge, recruit additional volunteers, and provide supplemental training and certification.

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 centers, 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.

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.

N/A

Patient Consultations

N/A

Fluoride Treatments

N/A

Fillings Performed

N/A

Dental Education Workshop

Engineering

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

Global Brigades is working on the implementation of the Holistic Model in El Portillo but has not yet begun with the Engineering Program. Now in the planning phase, the evaluation of the community’s existing water system and design of any necessary improvements will start as soon as feasible.

Water System : Yes
Type of System : Gravity, source groundwater
% Homes with Access to Water : 100%
Water Council : Yes

Water

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

Global Brigades is working on the implementation of the Holistic Model in El Portillo but has not yet begun with the Water Program. Now in the planning phase, the implementation of any improvements to the community’s existing water system will follow the Engineering Program’s assessment and start as soon as feasible.

Water System : Yes
Type of System : Gravity, source groundwater
Homes with Access to Water : 100%
Water Council : Yes

Business

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

EL PORTILLO’S ECONOMIC CHALLENGE

Community members in El Portillo lack access to financial resources within the community. The majority of community members do not have bank accounts and there are only limited informal forms of credit available.  For example, a person could obtain ‘credit’ at a local store by buying something now and paying later, simply adding it to their ‘tab,’ but there would be no formalized credit transaction.

Larger financial institutions do not approve loans to community members without a fixed income, making it difficult for local micro-enterprises to grow and thrive. Most community members cite the distance to the nearest bank as the main discouragement to having a personal savings account. Even if individuals wish to travel the distance, not all community members can become members of these financial institutions–cooperatives require monthly membership fees, savings accounts often require a fixed income, and the cost of travel provides an additional barrier.

EL PORTILLO’S MICROFINANCE SOLUTION

The Global Brigades Business and Microfinance Team trained a new Community Bank in Sinai in January 2021. This will encourage the opening of savings accounts, and growth of seed capital, and upon the completion of six months of executive board training, the Community Bank will begin giving out loans to bank members to spur economic growth and home improvement projects.

Community Bank : Yes
Community Bank Members : 24
Economic Activities : agriculture and coffee growing
Existing Microenterprises : markets

Public Health

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

Global Brigades is working on the implementation of the Holistic Model in El Portillo but has not yet begun with the Public Health Program. Now in the planning phase, the financing, delivery, and installation of household health infrastructure products will start as soon as feasible.

% of Homes with Latrines : 99%
% of Homes with Eco-Stoves : 100%
Homes with Water FIlters : 0
Common House Materials : adobe, cement blocks/bricks

Local Reference Points

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

  • Feature