I received a cell phone call this morning from Gordon. They were on their way to buy refreshments for the day's soccer tournament. (During every trip there is a soccer tournament between 4 villages)
The trip has been a successful one so far. About three quarters of the Clinic roof has been replaced. They are working on the security fence surrounding the Clinic building. A number of trees have been planted on the Clinic grounds. There was a mobile clinic held in the nearby village of Calichal and Gordon reported treating a 99 year old woman who would not have been able to walk to the La Laguna Clinic.
He reported that every one is well and things are going well. They will be in La Laguna until Wednesday. After they leave the mountains they will spend Thursday & Friday as recreational days, some going to the beach and some to the ruins of Copan.
Your continued support and prayers are welcomed.
Paz y salud,
Ginger Comstock
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
NY/HELP Group in La Laguna
This evening I received a phone call from Gordon Comstock giving an update.
The group visited the boarding house while in Yoro. They then drove up to La Laguna. The road was not the best as it had rained.
All is well with everyone. They were starting to work on putting a fence around the clinic.
Ginger
The group visited the boarding house while in Yoro. They then drove up to La Laguna. The road was not the best as it had rained.
All is well with everyone. They were starting to work on putting a fence around the clinic.
Ginger
NY/HELP Group Arrives Safely
I received a cell phone call from David Makepeace in Honduras Monday afternoon (July 26) to let everyone know that the group has arrived safely in Honduras. They were leaving the airport and traveling to Yoro. There they will buy groceries and any other needed supplies and spend the night. Then tomorrow, Tues July 27, they will be headed up the mountain to La Laguna to begin their mission work.
Ginger
Ginger
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
David Makepeace & his wife travel a week early.
We arrived safe and had a good trip to mountain with Yovany. Did some great preplanning. We need to send a coordinator early from now on.
I will see Dr. Gordon at the airport. Everyone is waiting with open arms and multiple problems.
Love,
David
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
July Trip leaves soon
There is a 9-person group traveling to Honduras for two weeks beginning Monday, July 26.
They will be working on several projects, among them, re-roofing the clinic building, installing a fence around the clinic property and building more efficient stoves for several families.
As always, your prayers are important as we continue this important work.
They will be working on several projects, among them, re-roofing the clinic building, installing a fence around the clinic property and building more efficient stoves for several families.
As always, your prayers are important as we continue this important work.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
First Hurricane of the Season hits Honduras
The torrential downpour began around 5.45 pm on May 19th and quickly flooded the main streets and avenues of downtown and other heavily trafficked arteries vehicles.
Agatha is the first named hurricane of the season.
Rain in San Pedro Sula
Chaos and destruction in San Pedro Sula after storm
Agatha is the first named hurricane of the season.
Rain in San Pedro Sula
Floods in El Progreso
Chaos and destruction in San Pedro Sula after storm
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
NY/HELP -- A Peace Corps Analog?
The following article was published in the March 2010 newsletter of "Amigos de Honduras", an organization of Returned Peace Corps Volunteers that served in Honduras.
A few years ago, I was up in the mountains in Honduras, talking with one of the young people participating in a NY/HELP project there. He was interested in international affairs and refugee problems, and I was encouraging him to join the Peace Corps when he finished college. He was a little doubtful, though, saying "I hear the Peace Corps signs you up for life."
Well, I think he was right – at least for some of us! I taught high school in Ghana while in the Peace Corps in 1966-68, and talked for years afterwards about doing some type of international service. My chance came in 1989, when our church gave me the opportunity to participate in an ecumenical project, working with people in an indigenous community up in the mountains near Yoro. I had become a family physician after my PC days, and so I had the chance to be in a mobile clinic brigade in La Laguna, about 30 km from Yoro, Yoro. I went back two years later, and have been hooked by this experience ever since.
NY/HELP is a ecumenical project of the New York Conference of the United Church of Christ, and is supported by donations from people and churches in New York state. Although we are church-based, we avoid preaching, but do try to "show our faith by our acts". One of our first projects was to build a clinic – but then discovered that we needed local nurses to provide care when no NY/HELP doctors were there. We have sponsored several young women in nursing school, and one, Mirtila Garcia, is currently our full-time nurse there, working in cooperation with the government health system.
Working with the community is much more than just health care, though. We have sponsored educational projects for many years, and recently worked with local communities to build a middle school (grades 7-9) nearby, so local children could continue their education beyond sixth grade. `(The government education department is providing teachers for this school.) The school was built using donations from people and churches in New York state, and labor from the community (and volunteers from NY).
Nutrition has been a continuing problem, and we have worked to improve local farming practices by helping families plant gardens, and for the past ten years, working with another NGO, Sustainable Harvest International (founded by a RPCV from Panama, Flo Reed).
Water systems and sanitation (meaning latrines!) are other important projects; these have become a "felt need" for communities in recent years. During our NY/HELP trip in August 2009, we were fortunate to have four current Peace Corps Volunteers work along with us. Three are involved in "Wat-San", Peace Corps/Honduras' water and sanitation program; they spent a week surveying the local community water systems. Two systems were in good shape, but the others needed a lot of attention. One of the PCVs will be returning to the village in January 2010 to give a 3-day educational program for the "Juntas de Agua" (Water Boards).
I was personally really pleased to spend some time with these current PCVs. I saw that 40 years after I was in the Peace Corps, we still have great people volunteering for this job!
One more thing: like the Peace Corps, one goal of our NY/HELP program is to teach us gringos about Honduras, and how people in other cultures and societies exist. From talking with other New Yorkers, I think this second goal has been a success as well.
More information about our NY/HELP program can be found at www.ny-helphonduras.org/
Gordon F. Comstock, MD
Medical Adviser, NY/HELP
Peace Corps/Ghana, 1966-68
November 27, 2009
NY/HELP -- An Amigo de Honduras
A few years ago, I was up in the mountains in Honduras, talking with one of the young people participating in a NY/HELP project there. He was interested in international affairs and refugee problems, and I was encouraging him to join the Peace Corps when he finished college. He was a little doubtful, though, saying "I hear the Peace Corps signs you up for life."
Well, I think he was right – at least for some of us! I taught high school in Ghana while in the Peace Corps in 1966-68, and talked for years afterwards about doing some type of international service. My chance came in 1989, when our church gave me the opportunity to participate in an ecumenical project, working with people in an indigenous community up in the mountains near Yoro. I had become a family physician after my PC days, and so I had the chance to be in a mobile clinic brigade in La Laguna, about 30 km from Yoro, Yoro. I went back two years later, and have been hooked by this experience ever since.
NY/HELP is a ecumenical project of the New York Conference of the United Church of Christ, and is supported by donations from people and churches in New York state. Although we are church-based, we avoid preaching, but do try to "show our faith by our acts". One of our first projects was to build a clinic – but then discovered that we needed local nurses to provide care when no NY/HELP doctors were there. We have sponsored several young women in nursing school, and one, Mirtila Garcia, is currently our full-time nurse there, working in cooperation with the government health system.
Working with the community is much more than just health care, though. We have sponsored educational projects for many years, and recently worked with local communities to build a middle school (grades 7-9) nearby, so local children could continue their education beyond sixth grade. `(The government education department is providing teachers for this school.) The school was built using donations from people and churches in New York state, and labor from the community (and volunteers from NY).
Nutrition has been a continuing problem, and we have worked to improve local farming practices by helping families plant gardens, and for the past ten years, working with another NGO, Sustainable Harvest International (founded by a RPCV from Panama, Flo Reed).
Water systems and sanitation (meaning latrines!) are other important projects; these have become a "felt need" for communities in recent years. During our NY/HELP trip in August 2009, we were fortunate to have four current Peace Corps Volunteers work along with us. Three are involved in "Wat-San", Peace Corps/Honduras' water and sanitation program; they spent a week surveying the local community water systems. Two systems were in good shape, but the others needed a lot of attention. One of the PCVs will be returning to the village in January 2010 to give a 3-day educational program for the "Juntas de Agua" (Water Boards).
I was personally really pleased to spend some time with these current PCVs. I saw that 40 years after I was in the Peace Corps, we still have great people volunteering for this job!
One more thing: like the Peace Corps, one goal of our NY/HELP program is to teach us gringos about Honduras, and how people in other cultures and societies exist. From talking with other New Yorkers, I think this second goal has been a success as well.
More information about our NY/HELP program can be found at www.ny-helphonduras.org/
Gordon F. Comstock, MD
Medical Adviser, NY/HELP
Peace Corps/Ghana, 1966-68
November 27, 2009
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