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Ordinary Tuesday
CAMO Board To Meet for 5-Year Planning Session Central American Medical Outreach's dedicated Board of Directors will be meeting to formulate the new CAMO 5-Year Plan. The CAMO 5-Year Plan is the essential handbook that will work to guide the development of future programs, infrastructure improvements and activities. CAMO's previous 5-Year Plan, compiled in 1995, seemed overly ambitious to many. But three years later most of the projects were completed and the next two years, 1999 and 2000 served to show how rapidly CAMO could grow. Many of CAMO's present goals and commitments weren't even conceived of as a possibility five years ago. Next month CAMO's Board members will test their coordination and planning skills to set new goals and plans of action. Additionally, Fundacion CAMO-Honduras Board president Juan Carlos Elvir and Hospital de Occidente physician Dr. Ricardo Dominguez will attend to present plans and requests from their institutions. Many thanks to the continued dedication of the CAMO Board members: Cari DeSantis, Bruce Robeson, Marian Manns, Anabis Vera, Mary Boylan, Ted Crawford, Dona Alvarez, Harvey Oppmann, Barbara Frustaci. You can find out more about our Board on CAMO's Web site at www.camo.org. Team Feb/Mar 2001: Another Successful Year!
by Thomas E. Doyle of Oakland, MD As a Christian very involved in missions, both at home and abroad, I have often considered the question: is it better to go personally or simply send money. Unfortunately, if you send money, you can't be sure how much actually is used for the purpose you intended. In my own experience of several decades of missions interest and participation, I've seen well-meaning organizations seek donations for mission work, but ultimately use less than 10% of the donations received for meeting the mission need. That means that nearly 90% of their donations were actually spent for administrative costs, fund raisers, fees, and the like. On the other hand, if you make a personal trip to the mission field, how much can you really achieve? Of course, a great deal depends on the type of mission — whether building, medical, agricultural, evangelistic, and so forth. What could you hope to accomplish on a medical mission if you don't have medical training, on a building mission if you don't have at least a few rudimentary skills, on an agricultural mission if you know nothing about farming, or on an evangelistic mission if you can't teach the Word? So, which is better? Well, let's look at missions abroad, with which I have firsthand knowledge. On a recent trip to Honduras [where I'm currently working on a village home-building project], upon boarding the plane in Houston, I sat and talked with a lady who was traveling with a group of 50 other Christians, who were hoping to build several houses in Honduras. During the course of our conversation, I learned that they each paid $500.00 for their tickets and, therefore, for travel alone, they had invested $25,000.00! During their stay, another $25,000 would be used for supplies. Basically, for two, possibly three, houses they would spend approximately $16,000.00 per house. They were expecting to perform all of the construction work (and, of course, do a little sightseeing). Basically, the Hondurans receiving the houses were simply getting a free handout. I believe there is a better method, which costs less, gives the recipient self-esteem and motivation, and, looking at the cost-effectiveness, produces substantially more results. We discovered a village in Honduras in need of housing. We further discovered that if we showed them how to build houses, paid for the materials, and monitored their progress, they were more than willing to perform the actual construction themselves. We began by having a block machine manufactured and delivered to the village. One-block-at-a-time, the villagers began making blocks, using sand from a nearby river. When we began actual construction, we (myself and one other instructor) showed them how to lay out a house on the ground, including squaring it, how to dig the footers, level, set grade stakes with a level and straight board, lay blocks, and all other necessary steps of construction, including pouring floors, making windows, doors, and roof trusses on-site. There are now many men in that village who have mastered a trade and are excited about owning a home they themselves constructed. In the not-too-distant future, there will be an entirely new village of cement-block homes, where only a year or so ago, the villagers were living in "stick" huts, with mud floors, and leaky roofs. The cost of each house has been approximately $1,500.00 per house, but consider how much more has  been
accomplished than just the erection of a house. The thrust of my argument
is: with motivation, instruction, and supplies, the recipients can do the
work themselves, and, probably more importantly, they can say "I did it!".
They will then have a new home, new skills, and new self-esteem.
The group who made the trip to Honduras from the United States to perform the work themselves spent $50,000.00. They built three houses and kept the recipients on welfare. For that same $50,000, we were able to erect nearly 35 houses, and at the same time give the villagers a skill and a wonderful feeling of accomplishment and pride of ownership (the concept of teaching how to fish rather than giving a fish - the former provides for a lifetime, whereas the latter provides only one meal). It may be possible to merge the two plans by sending small teams of building instructors to these underdeveloped countries, and supplying them with materials. In either instance, a great deal more can be accomplished by allowing the nationals to perform the work themselves. Get Started! by Andrew Tonn Before I left, people said the trip to Honduras would change my life. I half scoffed and half hoped they would be right. I'd been around before and rather prided myself in leaping blithely from epiphany to epiphany, collecting them for future reference like trading cards. It is my nature to be a reporter, a medium to find and record images and experience and filter them so that others might see and understand. By nature, then, one must be a step removed, always viewing experience as word counts and column inches, pixels and squares, rectangles and light-sensitive crystals of silver halide. After a time this becomes a numbing and curiously ugly way to live. You get to see it all, hear the stories and secrets, be present for success and disaster, report on people's lives at their best and worst. But you are never a part. You are always other. Not a participant. Life is reduced to black and white and half-tone dots and what was tragedy or triumph yesterday is, today, no more than yesterday's news. Before I went to Honduras I had been coming to realize this about my chosen profession. And it had begun to scare me. I was seeing the same fear in people around me, the sneaking terror that what you are doing makes absolutely no difference and that one job is, at its core, no different than any other job except in title and pay-scale. Then we landed in San Pedro Sula on February 18, 2001 and boarded an old Bluebird bus that took us into the mountains of the western highlands. I was surrounded by people with purpose. No one was there to punch a clock and take home a pay-check. No one was there because they had to be or because they would receive any praise or adulation. For the most part the work everyone would do would go unnoticed back home. The work would go unnoticed for any number of reasons — because it happens thousands of miles away in a country most people can only vaguely place and have never thought of; because people don't really want to hear what it is like in a Third World hospital, want to hear only the successes and see pictures of smiling children and ancient women with Mayan faces — not their tumors and their still-born babies, or the dirty needles and the vultures eating discarded human flesh. It goes unnoticed because the men and women who go don't go for praise, don't go to fulfill any particular agenda except deeply personal ones and the overriding one of giving help to the sick and malnourished, crippled, blind, and poor. There are not many Americans in Honduras. There are the Peace Corps and travelers and hippies, a few odd business people, and the missionaries, most of whom seem to roam in insular packs, wearing identical T-shirts emblazoned with church names, spending dollars and expending energy on projects that will, for the most part, begin to crumble the minute their buses pull away. 
I distrust most missionaries because I distrust their agendas and their
motivations, not because I don't believe in God. People have enough religion,
they have enough churches, they have enough God. God is everywhere. What
the Hondurans don't have enough of is doctors and health care workers and
the equipment to support them.
These aren't easy problems to solve and they can't be solved in a top-down fashion. Before you can provide an x-ray machine you have to have electricity and maintenance and film and a developing lab. The infrastructure of the country is so lacking that a lot of unglamorous work has to be done before more high-profile projects can begin. Expensive modern equipment is important and saves lives but not, in the end, as many lives as a laundry that keeps hospital linens clean. American surgeons performing a heroic week of surgery after grueling surgery saves lives. But not as many lives as the Honduran surgeons they train save, day in and day out. CAMO is something different, something unique. The people involved are of no particular faith, of no common background. They are not there to convert unbelievers or promote any manifesto. They are there to apply their individual skills to solving specific problems. I found myself believing in CAMO's mission and trusting its leaders. I found that I could report and write and photograph and still believe. And when I got back home I found that, if you tell the truth, people will read it and will listen, even when the truth is ugly and full of infectious blood. But they won't listen for long because nothing is as old as yesterday's news, as a story already told. So there is no time to stop, no time to let up, no money to waste, too many stories left untold and too many people without medical care. You already know what you need to do. Get started. Points of Development
CAMO Receives Assistance From Local Honduran Organizations It is especially important in international development work to receive support from local organizations, businesses and government agencies. CAMO has been blessed this year with assistance from a wide range of organizations with a commitment to better their communities. CAMO has a long history of work with Honduras's Ministry of Public Health, specifically in western Honduras, San Pedro Sula and Tegucigalpa. The counterparting relationships that CAMO volunteers have formed with public health professionals has been instrumental in CAMO's continued success in the development of sustainable health programs. One of the key developments that has aided CAMO's growth and expansion has been the formation of the Fundacion CAMO-Honduras, an independent non-profit Honduran organization that supports CAMO's work in Honduras year-round. The Fundacion CAMO-Honduras plays an active role in the development and maintenance of CAMO programs and has taken initiative on many different activities. Additionally local government and businesses have become active participants in the successes of CAMO's programs in Honduras. The Santa Rosa mayor's office has donated the assistance of a full-time city employee for the next year. Anabel has already been a lifesaver and we thank her for her help during CAMO's Spring teams. Local businesses hosted receptions for the teams' arrivals and departures, donating the meals and gift baskets for the CAMO volunteers. Several international organizations have taken on active roles in the support and development of CAMO programs. Handicap International, a Belgian non-profit organization dedicated to assisting the physically handicapped, has given technical support to help develop CAMO's prosthetics program. The United States Peace Corps in Honduras has been extremely helpful with the selection and preparation of Peace Corps Volunteers to serve as translators for CAMO's medical teams. Wheels of Hope and Wheels for the World have been instrumental in the development of the Wheelchair Workshop program in Santa Rosa. The Starkey Foundation provided advanced technical training to the CAMO/Teleton audiometry program staff, making possible the local production of high-quality hearing aid ear molds. The Santa Rosa Rotary Club, in cooperation with several U.S. Rotary Clubs, and Lion's Club have been extremely supportive of CAMO programs, lending help with medical team activities, construction projects and funding for projects. Santa Rosa's Women of Saint Paul volunteer organization have consistently managed CAMO construction projects with excellent results.
Staff Changes As CAMO grows, people come and go. We have been blessed with Rachel Oller's talents and commitment to serving the poor through CAMO. Rachel will be attending graduate school and will no longer be with CAMO in her present position. I am sure I speak for everyone who knows Rachel -- she will be missed both here and in Honduras. With this change, the satellite office in Colorado will be closed and all operations are moving to the Corporate Headquarters in Orrville, Ohio. The person who will be taking over Rachel's position is Julia Hout, a doctor from Peru. She presently resides in Massillon. We look forward to having Dr. Hout on our part-time staff. Note From Executive Director A SIMPLE CHOICE It is in the most unexpected place and time that God steps up to the plate and answers a prayer. No one can know when or where; all we can do is be diligent in the calling and to our purpose. Each one of us is given a different calling and talents, all of us having a purpose. It is in this most unexpected place that God is there for us. It is just when we think we can go on no further, and that we have no more to give in knowledge, time or energy, that faith in One much greater than anything we can imagine comes into play. 
I have struggled long hours and tearful nights in doing what I truly believe
is God's purpose for me. Not without criticism or skepticism, but nonetheless,
I continue. Why? Because it is real, it is pure, I have nothing to lose
and everything to gain. Maybe not in the terms that a person would view
the stocks, or a business person, or an average family struggling for their
daily needs. God has given me a very special place in time - I am single,
with the education and talents to do what is needed. The only question
that has ever existed is "What decision will I make?" There have been many
days where it would be much easier just to give in and say, "It is too
hard," "There are too many obstacles," "It will never get better," "Why
am a spending my life in such a futile struggle?" Then it happens: every
time I start questioning and struggling, it happens - The Answer. An unexplainable
acquaintance, someone who has been praying and looking for a purpose, the
place to serve, the mission to give to. It always happens, and no matter
how much faith I confess to have, it always catches me by surprise. I sit
and wonder, I contemplate, and am in awe at how it all transpires.
Tonight an answer came. For the last year I knew that soon we would be in crisis with an office and a warehousing facility for CAMO in Honduras; I had looked for land and everyone seemed to know that I was a Gringa (and therefore must be very wealthy), and the price of land went up as they saw the color of my eyes. So I accepted that it was not time, and at the same moment knew that soon it would become a very pressing problem. Tonight the air was warm, the ocean sounds were in the background, and there were at least four conversations going on around me. When one man sat down beside me, we started talking about the work of CAMO and my life dream. I learned that twenty-two years ago, I had met his son, a doctor who died shortly after starting his practice, whom I remembered because he was such a kind person. Twenty-two years later I was sitting beside his father talking about the work and CAMO. He listened, not like some (with distant interest and slightly impatient kindness); instead he listened with his heart and had been in prayer about matters of importance to him. He ask me if he could help CAMO in any way, and he suggested a monument in honor of me. I simply stated this would dishonor everything I believed in. Then out of nowhere he offered the exact need. Land, and not just any land. Land beside the Hospital, land that is valued commercially at $80,000. How did he know this? What brought his heart to offer this? Why, at the moment my heart is the heaviest in the responsibility of CAMO, do these things happen? The truth of all this is that I have no idea how many more times I will be tearful and wonder if I can go on. I cannot even say that in spite of the many miracles God has shown me, I will not be caught off guard by such profound, unexpected answers at the precise time, in the greatest moment of need. I sit here and I wonder what more can be done, as tears roll down my face, knowing that many people suffer every day. Some of us are placed here to raise families, to feed the economy, to exist day to day. These functions are important. I also know that people with great faith are sitting somewhere tonight with tears rolling down their faces, in great need. Those of us who have been given the liberty of life to serve and dry those tears with loving clothes of kindness need to do so. To be given this liberty and not to use it is unbearable. Tonight, I find myself with a handkerchief to dry the tears of those who are suffering, and the choice that lies ahead is so simple. Do I place the handkerchief in my back pocket or do I offer it to those in need? Nothing to gain by keeping it, but everything to gain by offering it.
April 11, 2001: Capital Projects Completed • Laundry is up and running special thanks to everyone who has donated financial to this project. • Library roof is on date of completion is July 1, 2001. The Rotary Club of Fort Collins, Colorado is providing funds for library equipment and furniture. • Site visit to Clinic in Sensenti facility looks great. • Nursing office and conference room being used daily • Warehouse/Office Space in Honduras being used to the maximum. Fundacion CAMO Honduras is looking to expand office space and distribution space. Our needs are growing in Honduras
Upcoming Capital Projects CAMO'S Financial Needs Growing - Please Help! As many of you have seen, over the last months and years CAMO's programs and overall impact have grown by leaps and bounds. In terms of the value of donated services and materials, CAMO's fiscal year totals have grown from $668,000 in 1995 to $2.7 million just five short years later. In terms of the value of quality of life of the countless people who have benefited from CAMO programs, the impact is immeasurable. Thanks to the support of dedicated donors and volunteers like you, CAMO has had great success in improving the standards of care of hundreds of thousands of needy Honduran men, women and children. With CAMO's growth and expansion, however, comes the growing need for funding to support these worthy programs. Currently CAMO's yearly budget is $130,000, which includes program costs, salaries for three U.S. employees, four Honduran employees, three warehouses, organizational overhead costs and CAMO vehicles. CAMO's responsible approach to fiscal management has maximized the generous donations received, but we need your help to succeed! Please help us to continue in our mission to improve health and healthcare for the poor in Honduras.
Calendar of Events May 2 -- Fundacion CAMO Honduras President Juan Carlos Elivir arrives to the United States May 4, 5, 6 -- USA CAMO Board meets for the 5 year planning sessions with Counterparts from Honduras Juan Carlos Elivir and Dr. Ricardo Dominguez June 30th -- Shipment to Honduras July 22 - August 4 -- Team for start-up of Ultrasound program
in Public Health clinic for Prenatal High Risk
August 8 -- Kidron Folk Festival (Proceeds to go to CAMO) August 4-18 -- State-side training for Dr. Herman Barcenas & Dr. Lourdes Barcenas in OB/ultrasound. Sept 8-13 -- Wayne County Fair CAMO Booth Sept 30th -- Shipment to Honduras Oct 6-Nov 10 -- Teams to Honduras If you are interested in speaking for CAMO please let us know! We have slide presentations and CAMO materials available. If you need a program for your group or club please call the office at 330-683-5956.
Mobile Medical Equipment Repair Vehicle Design Complete 
CAMO has been fortunate to have the opportunity to work with the Mechanical
Engineering Design Projects Program at The University of Texas at Austin.
Despite CAMO's efforts to provide the Honduran public health system with equipment, the donated machinery has a working life of only about two years due to the lack of maintenance. The Honduran National Maintenance Organization (CENAMA) has 16 biomedical engineers that service all of the medical equipment for the Public Health System in Honduras. Currently, the engineers must travel via public transportation (buses) with only the equipment they can carry. The current system inhibits their ability to maintain medical equipment (especially in emergency situations) by restricting the amount of tools and testing equipment they can carry and by extending their travel time. The University of Texas at Austin research team was able to design a vehicle that gives the engineers a mobile workspace and storage area for different diagnostic and repair equipment. This will allow the engineers to be able to better diagnose, repair and maintain medical equipment. This vehicle is capable of traveling across the mountainous Honduran terrain and provides adequate space for the engineers, diagnostic and repair equipment, and medical equipment. This project will mean the difference of working equipment in the time of greatest need. It literally will make the difference of life or death. Cost is $55,000.00 for the tools and vehicle. We have already started this fund-raising effort. We would like to thank the University of Texas at Austin, Dr. Kenneth Diller for his supervision of this project and the research team members Dianne Gault, Mike Trimbom and Anders Venold. Thanks to engineer Patricia Funez of CENAMA for her time and attention to this project. Also, thanks to the different Rotary Clubs throughout the country who have shown interest in this project.
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The team talked about the day with our counterparts and with each other,
trying to make sense of it all. As we struggled to understand, a woman
who lived in the mountains in a mud hut, with no electricity, telephone,
or television, also struggled. Her 9 month baby girl was bound to equipment
that was so foreign to her. Doris had tubes and equipment hooked up to
every part of her. This remarkable, poor farm women gradually worked with
her daughter and grew comfortable with the tubes that were saving her daughter's
life. She cared for Doris, bathing her, stretching stiff muscles. One week
later Doris regained strength and coughed her tube out. Doris left the
hospital days later to return home. Why did three children die that Tuesday
and why did Doris live? These question are not for us to ever understand.
