Guayacan

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

Overview

Guayacan is located within the municipality of San Matias in the department of El Paraiso in central Honduras.  The typical house is made of adobe. Children in the community have access to a centro basico, or up to 9th grade. Guayacan has two water systems, one is a gravity system and one is a well. Most of the community members work in agricutlure, cattle raising, and day labor. The top needs expressed by Guayacan’s inhabitants during their initial communications with Global Brigades include Public Health Infrastructure, Medical Brigades, and a Water Sytem renovation.

Municipality: San Matias
Department: El Paraiso

Homes : 87
Population : 317
Water System : Yes
Community Bank : Yes
Electricity : Yes
Health Center : No
Community Health Workers : Yes
Homes with Latrines : 82%
Education : Up to 9th Grade
Distance from Lodging Facility : 55 km

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.

Community members in Guayacan attend Medical Brigades in the nearby community of El Espinito.

170

Volunteers

593

Patient Consulations

150

Vision Screenings Provided

20

Health Education Workshops

COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKERS

Guayacan has access to 2 Community Health Worker’s (CHW). This CHW was trained in the community of El Espinito and works alongside CHWs in surrounding communities.

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 is able to 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.

BRIGADE INFORMATION:

Medical Brigades use the Primary School as their brigade site. The school has 4 rooms, 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. 

  • AVERAGE PATIENTS ATTENDED: 99
  • NEARBY COMMUNITIES: El Espinito

MEDICAL/DENTAL VOLUNTEERS IN GUAYACAN:

Chapter Date # Of Volunteers Chapter Date # Of Volunteers
New York Medical College Medical Brigade April 2019 9 Brown University Medical Brigade & Johns Hopkins University Medical Brigade January 2020 11
The University of Toronto Mississauga Medical TeleBrigade August 2020 18 Dana Hills High School Medical September 2020 52
Indiana Wesleyan University Medical TeleBrigade December 2021 22 University of Tennessee Medical Brigade January 2023 24
University of Oklahoma Medical Brigade June 2023 20 Brandeis University Medical February 2024 14

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.

92

Patient Consultations

61

Number of Extractions

N/A

Fillings Performed

10

Dental Education Workshop

BRIGADE INFORMATION:

Medical brigades use the Primary School as their brigade site. The school has 4 rooms, 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. 

  • AVERAGE PATIENTS ATTENDED: 99
  • NEARBY COMMUNITIES: N/A

MEDICAL/DENTAL VOLUNTEERS IN GUAYACAN:

Chapter Date # Of Volunteers Chapter Date # Of Volunteers
New York Medical College Medical Brigade April 2019 9 Brown University Medical Brigade & Johns Hopkins University Medical Brigade January 2020 11
University of Toronto Mississauga Medical TeleBrigade August 2020 18 Dana Hills High School Medical September 2020 52
Indiana Wesleyan University Medical TeleBrigade December 2021 22 University of Tennessee Medical Brigade January 2023 24
University of Oklahoma Medical Brigade June 2023 20 Brandeis University February 2024 14

Engineering

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

GUAYACAN’S ENGINEERING CHALLENGE

Global Brigades conducted an engineering assessment in 2018 and learned that only 60% of the homes in Guayacan had functioning water connections. The outdated system had a flow rate of 60 gallons per minute and a storage tank that held 10,000 gallons. This was not sufficient to meet the communities needs. Additionally, the storage tank needed various repairs and the distribution network needed to be reassessed since homes had been constructed about the level of the tank.

30

Volunteers

480

Beneficieraries

3

Kilometers of pipeline designed

24

Average community volunteers

GUAYACAN’S ENGINEERING SOLUTION

In January 2019, Guayacan received an Engineering Brigade that worked to map the community and design an engineering solution. The design consists of an extra 10,000-gallon tank and using the existing piping in the community where possible. An additional 2-3 kilometres of piping will be installed to add additional house connections. The existing pump is in good condition and will be utilized.

ENGINEERING VOLUNTEERS IN GUAYACAN

Chapter Date # Of Volunteers
Saint Louis University Engineering Brigade & New Hampshire Area Engineering Brigade January 2019 16

Water

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

GUAYACAN‘S WATER CHALLENGE:

Guayacan has a ground water well with pump water system that was constructed in 2005. Since the water system was created, major changes had not been made to the system. The water system’s conduction line and distribution network is not able to support population growth of the community. Additionally, the storage tank is in poor condition and is not able to provide enough pressure to distribute to the entire community.

420

Volunteers

492

Project Beneficiaries

3.24

Kilometers of Pipeline Installed

10,000

Storage Tank Volume (gallons)

GUAYACAN’S WATER SOLUTION:

The optimal solution to improve the system in this community is to construct a water storage tank of 10,000 gallons in a new site of the community to improve the distribution of water and have equal distribution of the water 24 hours a day, 7 days a week year round.

The distribution network was also improved with adequate pipe that achieve optimal pressure so that water reaches all households without the need to sectorize. These updates were completed April 2020 and will support the water system lasting at least another 15 years without additional major updates.

WATER VOLUNTEERS IN GUAYACAN

Chapter Date # Of Volunteers Chapter Date # Of Volunteers
DePaul University Medical Brigade December 2019 32 Michigan State University Medical Brigade December 2019 38
Purdue University Medical Brigade December 2019 31 Eastern Michigan University Medical Brigade & University of Tennessee Knoxville Medical Brigade December 2019 21
Northwestern University Medical Brigade & University of South Florida Medical Brigade & University of Mississippi Medical December 2019 31 University of Toledo Medical Brigade January 2020 39
University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Medical Brigade January 2020 15 California State Universiy Sacramento Medical Brigade January 2020 30
Boston University Medical Brigade January 2020 23 Brown University Medical Brigade & Johns Hopkins University Medical Brigade January 2020 11
University of Puerto Rico Water Brigade January 2020 15 University of Maryland Dental Brigade January 2020 25
Brandeis University Medical Brigade & Mount Allison University Medical Brigade February 2020 20 University of Victoria Medical Brigade February 2020 41
University of Victoria Engineering Brigade February 2020 9 Vanderbilt University Medical Brigade February 2020 20
University of Mississippi Medical Brigade March 2020 16 University of Detroit Mercy Medical Brigade March 2020 13
Texas A&M University Medical Brigade March 2020 29 Northeastern University Medical Brigade March 2020 36

Business

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

GUAYACAN’S ECONOMIC CHALLENGE:

The majority of community members in Guayacan work in agriculture and in cattle raising. This primarily consists of subsistence farming, although excess crops are sometimes sold. Most agricultural workers make about 100 lempiras (approximately US $4.25) a day during the rainy season. Regardless of occupation, most families earn around 4,000 lempiras per month (approximately US $170). Almost all household income is used to purchase food for consumption.

8

Volunteers

32

Loans Disbursed

GUAYACAN’S MICRO-FINANCE SOLUTION:

Global Brigades inaugurated the community bank in Guayacan in November 2018. 30 bank members completed the 90 hours of training. The bank has 14 female and 16 male shareholders, and the members meet 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, who can take out loans to invest in their agricultural production and pay them back after the harvest. Loans allow many subsistence farmers to not only consume the crops they harvest but also earn an income from selling their excess.

Public Health

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

Global Brigades is working on the implementation of the Holistic Model in Guayacan 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.

Homes with Latrines : 30
Homes with Eco-Stoves : 60
Homes with Water FIlters : 10
Common House Materials : Adobe

Local Reference Points

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

  • Feature