Honduras Project

Honduras Team:  Janice & Tom Kennedy, Plymouth Rotary (Team Leader); Dave Carpenter, Wayne Rotary; Mary & Pat Kehoe, Carleton Rotary; Pat Kush, Lincoln Park Rotary; Mary Degoey/Tina Simpson, Bob Clark, Leamington Rotary,  Russ Jones, Plymouth Rotary;  Lois and John VanStipdonk, Wayne Rotary; Mary and Mark Murray, Adrian Rotary.

The first night there, Thursday, Jan. 15th, we had dinner with the Valle De Sula Rotary Club and exchanged banners It rained almost every day we were there which is very unusual for this time of year because this is supposed to be their dry season.

Friday we went to the Naranjo Chino Farm.  This is a working e c o farm owned by Oscar Rubi who is an engineer trying to save the rain forest and protecting the water sources by planting trees, organic fertilizer, bio sand filters using plastic or cement for filters and saving the rain forest and providing clean drinking water.

On this farm we saw working examples of: 1.  Justa Stoves which are being used to cut fuel usage by 90%, and the stove vents outside 2.  Eco-oven – As part of the 3-H grant, 30 of these ovens will be constructed to help establish 30 micro businesses. 3.  “Worm farm” or compost unit – Part of the 3-H grant will be used to install 300 compost units to obtain organic waste for local farms, reduce the cost of fertilizer for the crops, increase the productivity of the land and lessens the use of chemicals which increases the market value of the products. 4.  Bio Digesters – The 50 bio digesters financed by the 3-H grant will promote efficient use of animal and vegetable waste including the coffee bean shells, help to solve environmental problems, and help to obtain combustible gas that can be used as a source of energy for cooking or providing light. 5.  Reforestation – Oscar Rubi is in the process of planting trees on hillsides that the ministry is providing.  He is talking with farmers about what kind of trees they want. There is over a half million dollars going into this project. 6.  Bio-Sand Filters – 600 Bio-Sand Filters that will be installed will be financed by the 3-H-grant.  26 Bio-Sand Filters will be installed in schools in 26 communities and 574 filters in the homes of Honduran families. 

The next group of pictures is the new high school and toilet facilities which our District helped build with the help of the Valle de Sula Rotary Club. The only problem was the sewer lines had not been put in to the toilet facilities, so Tom Kennedy took care of that with the Mayor and City Engineer of Santa Cruz.

Fifteen Medical Brigades (5 per year) are also part of the 3-H grant.  The next group of pictures is the District 6400 team along with the Hondurans sorting and identifying medical supplies that were donating for the medical brigade we were going on the next day. We had 9 vehicles with doctors, a dentist and 3 dental students, Honduran Rotarians and 14 District 6400 Rotarians.  That day we served 289 patients,.  There were 149 dental patients, with 41 extractions and a 108 fluoride treatments. 

The next group of pictures is the girls from the orphanage, the Casa de la Nina. We celebrated 4 girls’ birthdays and took 18 of the girls shopping for school clothes, i.e. 2 pair of shoes, one for school and one for gym, uniforms, since all school children in Honduras wear uniforms to school, underclothes and a back pack.

We also met with the Usula Rotary Club at the Copantl Hotel and the newly formed Choloma Rotary Club in Choloma, Honduras, approximately 30 minutes outside of San Pedro Sula. We did some sight seeing at the end of the trip to the Cathedral and Museum of Anthropology and history, the market place and Lake Yojoa. It was a great trip.  Rotary District 6400 should be very proud of the wonderful things we are doing in Honduras to help make life a little better for the Hondurans and make this a better world to live in.

Pat Kush, February 6, 2009
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