Outside of Tegucigalpa, the capital of Honduras, over 1,000 adults and 300 children rummage through a mountain of garbage to earn their living. The conditions are toxic, the pay, meager, and the lifestyle is nothing a child should endure.
Hollie Mackenzak, tells of her experience in Honduras with members of Christian Church Buckhead [CCB] in Atlanta. On March 7-14, we partnered with others from across the Georgia, Alabama, and Massachusetts to form a team of 18 people [including seven nurses] to serve the people of Tegucigalpa, Honduras.
This is the second year that CCB has worked with Amor, Fe y Esperanza [AFE] to meet the healthcare needs of the poorest of the poor who live in and around the Tegucigalpa city trash dump. AFE is a school of 150 students that provides holistic education for children who would otherwise be working in the trash dump. With the help of supplies from MedShare, our team was able to provide basic healthcare and healthcare education for these children and their families.
The supplies we received from MedShare were absolutely necessary in making the clinics a success. Syringes, gauze, Ace wraps, hygiene items, wound care supplies, and gloves are just some of the items that we used daily. During our time in Tegucigalpa, we set up one mobile clinic in the trash dump itself as well as two others in the squatter-communities near the dump. We estimate treating 700 adults and children through providing general-population health assessments and exams for the pediatric and obstetric populations.
Our purpose was to show God’s love through meeting healthcare needs in seemingly hopeless conditions. Standing in the middle of a pile of garbage shooing away vultures and flies is outrageous for a nurse who desires proper hygiene, good health, and safety for patients. Nonetheless, by doing something as simple as cleansing and dressing an infected wound, we hope to have given some level of relief in the difficult lives these people endure.
