Projects | Community Health Partnership-HONDURAS

Surgery Success!

by jennifer | Mar 6, 2020 | Healthcare, News and Notes, Projects

Above: Dr. Jorge Carrasco – our Honduran medical director and a hard-working physician at One World Surgery, Jennifer Smith CHPH executive director, and Dr. Fernando Amadour – one of our most dedicated doctors from Tegucigalpa.

I was thrilled to see how beautifully both our girls are doing in their recovery from recent surgery! Both Carolina* and Alejandra* live at Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos where they are able to attend school and receive physical therapy. They are well nourished and surrounded by countless friends and caring “Tias”.

Carolina had critical spinal surgery in N. Carolina in December. She was very fortunate to be sponsored by Levine Children’s Hospital and Atrium Health Services. Her surgery was performed by Dr. Scott Wait, an associate of Dr. Jody Stern who is one of the visiting physicians volunteering with One World Surgery. Alejandra had surgery for a severely malformed foot at One World Surgery in October. She after received very careful medical supervision through the NPH clinic, in order to qualify for her operation it was necessary for a recurring ulcer on her foot to be fully healed.

Alejandra recently got a new cast to help correct a tendency for her foot to revert to its pre-op position, but she’s mastered her wheelchair!

Carolina is quickly making her way back to walking competently with her brand-new custom braces and hand crutches!

We are so grateful to so many who have given our girls life-saving surgeries and we are thrilled to watch them grow and learn among their NPH family. Without intervention, these smart young girls would not have had an opportunity to attend school.

CHPH identifies special needs children and adults through our work with the village “voluntarios” who know the families in their villages the best. We work in a closed communication loop with the health promoters, rural nurses, and our volunteering doctors from Tegucigalpa to bring our patients for definitive care. Working together with our partners in Honduras we have been able to obtain surgeries, cancer treatment for children, and even mental health assessments.

Carolina* and Alejandra* visit with Jennifer while enjoying all the pictures from Carolina’s recent 5 week stay in North Carolina.

Alejandra*

by hola | Feb 10, 2020 | Healthcare, Projects

More than anything, 6-year-old Alejandra* wanted to go to school near her home in Honduras. But an infection on her foot made walking impossible. Even worse, the infection threatened her life.

Alejandra* was born with clubfoot, a congenital birth defect that caused her foot to be twisted severely. As a result, Alejandra always walked on the tender outside of her foot. Eventually, the skin near her ankle wore away, leading to a life-threatening infection.

Alejandra’s family was not sure she’d survive—until we intervened with the help of Americares.

In partnership with a local health center, our team from Community Health Partnership-Honduras was making home visits to patients unable travel. A local health advocate told the team about Alejandra, an orphan who lives with her grandmother and great-grandmother.

The medical team traveled to Alejandra’s home and treated her infection, using the medicine and medical supplies—including antibiotics—provided by Americares, at no cost to the family. Alejandra began recovering immediately.

Even better, the visiting doctors told Alejandra and her family that when her foot healed, she could have corrective surgery.

“Americares’ generous donations are so critical to our success,” says Community Health Partnership-Honduras Founder and Director Jennifer Smith. “Together, we truly make a difference.”

Americares provided Community Health Partnership-Honduras with critical medicine and medical supplies— like the antibiotics used to treat Alejandra’s foot.

Just a few months after we treated her infection, Alejandra received corrective surgery. Now, learning to walk again, she can look forward to a healthy future.

*Alijandra’s name has been changed in this story for privacy.

Volunteer doctors told Alejandra and her family that she could have corrective surgery on her clubfoot.

Casa Benito Project

by hola | Feb 10, 2020 | Facilities, Projects

Proposed new building

Help us help rural hondurans realize their potential through the construction of a community center and volunteer housing complex in rural Opatoro

The Casa Benito Project is our response to the need for safe, reliable housing for our volunteers, as well as for other NGOs working in the region. In imagining the potential of Casa Benito, we discovered that the building could be so much more than a place to sleep.

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