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It is Never Enough
The day after I wrote the last newsletter I had surgery. The two months off went fast and were needed. I could tell that my body had taken a beating during the last 10 years with CAMO. It was time to rest and so I did, and at the end of two months I was ready to return. With new ideas coming freely to my mind, refreshed, I came back to work. I want to thank everyone for their prayers, cards and visits. They renewed my spirit and helped me heal body, mind and soul. God is good. Kathy Tschiegg
Since August
Thanks to McClintock Electric of Wooster and to four great volunteers who work for McClintock Electric, the building has been wired for electric, network and phone system. The four volunteers were Scott Zacharias and his son Kyle, Tony D’Intino and Aaron Shields. All of them wanted to bring the Honduran worker back to the states. They could not believe how labor intensive but eager the men are to work. We also had two more "handy men" volunteers who helped everywhere. Carl Edwards and Paul Beegle helped with construction and maintenance issues. Many stateside companies have helped with the donation of electrical materials, and to those companies we would like to say thank you. The production in terms of humanitarian aid that will come from this structure will exceed $2 million per year. Dr. Richard Nodar of the Cleveland area gave the audiometry program a boost. CAMO has been developing this department since 1995. We will be moving this program from Teleton into our new facility. This will allow us to daily test the newborns for hearing loss and to also do more extensive testing in the primary education system. 
Dr. Nodar is working to certify Gloria Tabora who has been with our program
since 1995. Within the next year we are confident that Gloria will be the
first certified audiometric technician in Honduras. In the last year CAMO
has received designated funds for purchase of diagnostic tools for the
audiometry department. We now have new audiometer, tympanometer and
acoustic testing devices.
Our goal is to have screened all the children in Santa Rosa between the ages of 5 and 7 in the next year (Santa Rosa and surrounding area population is 45,000), and also all newborns before leaving the hospital. Our hope is to capture the hearing problems through the screening program so that we might respond before the child falls behind developmentally. In Honduras, if you cannot hear there are no special programs or devices; silence is part of life. Social service is not readily available, so this program is vital for the children who have hearing problems. This program has helped many children get treatment for ear infections that had been undiagnosed. Richard's wife Mary joined the team to look at the bilingual school and their needs. I am sure that we will be hearing from Mary as she has come home with many ideas.
National Committee of Resuscitation
(NCR)
Above the Knee Prosthetics CAMO employee Jorge, the prosthetic technician,  kept
Mark Gorman and Kim Shay, of Morgantown, WV, busy from November 3 to November 16. Mark and Kim were able to teach Jorge and
other technicians from San Pedro Sula on above-the-knee-amputation prosthetics.
They were able to teach while fabricating legs for 4 individuals. This
program is in its third year and Jorge has been successful in the fabrication
of below-the-knee prosthetics for the last two years. This year we will
help him become proficient in above-the-knee prosthetics and next year
we will add upper extremity. This program will also be moved to the new
facility for better follow-up on the patient and more collaboration with
the hospital orthopedic unit.
OB/GYN Visit Dr. John Weeman of Wooster, OH, visited the Regional Hospital de Occidente. They see over 50,000 women per year for health problems. Births per day are 18. Infant mortality is very high; maternal mortality is high. CAMO is interested in the investigation to why these numbers are so high and if within the hospital we can do something to decrease these statistics. We found some very basic practices that could be changed to decrease infant and maternal mortality. Many of their practices are based on the selected medications that are provided by the government. The medications for induction of the mother or for control of infection, in most cases are not the best medication and often times can cause harm. These are political issues that will need to be influenced at a very high level; the individual buying the medication for the government needs to be educated and alternative medications need to be made available. Dr. Weeman worked with Dr. Cruz and Dr. Tabora in surgery and found new counterparts. He gave them different ideas and techniques, and they shared with him their techniques. All of them finished the week with a new perspective. By the end of the week, it also became apparent that there are many pieces of equipment needed for fetal and maternal distress. The surgeons and their staff are eager for current educational materials. Project MMERV (Mobile Medical Equipment Repair
Vehicle)
Dental Update The dental program was going great guns, but then the 1984 ambulance just could not keep up with the program and in August she just refused to be repaired. So the mobile dental part of the program has been idle. Before my trip to  Honduras
I had been researching the different types of vehicles and the cost to
meet the dental needs. One of my dear friends in Honduras introduced me
to his cousin in April, he owns a Mazda dealership in Honduras. Nelson,
hearing about the work of CAMO in his country, offered to help. Remembering
his words I made a visit to the dealership. We had coffee, and he ended
up donating $8,000.00 to the purchase of a 4 door, 7 foot bed pickup truck
with camper and rack. With the help of the Alabama Team (they provided
us with financial reserve) we now have a great 4-wheel-drive mobile dental
unit. We also will be replacing the motor of the 1984 Ford ambulance with
a diesel engine. The cost of the vehicle and replacement of the Ford motor
has been taken from this reserve so that the program can proceed. Different
supporters of CAMO are making an effort to raise funds so that our reserve
may be replenished. By January of 2003 we hope to be seeing at least 500
children per month.
Observation From Carl Edwards Many thanks to all volunteers and staff members who make CAMO function both in the USA and in Honduras, but for me to be in a position to see the berth and height of professionalism that Kathy dedicates to CAMO makes me proud to be a part of this ministry. What a positive learning experience this has been to work with all of you these past months and now on a part time basis Mondays and Fridays. In His Service, Your Financial Support Is Meeting Needs January through October has seen our programs rendering service to many of the needy people of Honduras. The following chart is for those of you who like to see numbers:
Please note these are numbers that represent the daily work of our counterparts. With equipment and education, many people are being served. Our programs are successful and reaching many people. Please consider us for your year ending charity. More than 35,000 people receive services, plus more than $1.5 million in supplies is given every year. We do this on a budget of less than $150,000.00 per year. If you have any questions, please feel free to call us.
If you are interested in speaking for CAMO, please let
us know. We have a Power Point program computerized with music. The song
was composed and sung by local talent Becca Rossiter. If you need a program
for your group or club, call the office at 330-683-5956.
Calendar of events: December 16 - Loading of the 48 foot container for February-March teams December 24 - Closing doors of Container January 18 - CAMO USA Board Meeting February 3 - Unloading of Container in Honduras February 16 - Team I to Honduras February 21 - Inaururation of New Facility in Honduras February 23 - Team II to Honduras March 2 - Team III to Honduras March 9 - Staff and programs move to New Facility April 8 - Fundacion CAMO Honduras Board Meeting May 3 - CAMO USA Board Meeting
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of
CAMO, then in the very same moment I see lives lost because it just is
not enough. On November 21, 2002, while visiting the neonatal ward that
has received incubators, monitors and ventilators from CAMO, I was enjoying
a moment of satisfaction seeing nurses educated by CAMO volunteers and
two babies being saved by the two ventilators. As I watched, a deep joy
came over me because these two little ones would live. The day before Dr.
Romero was saying to me that they needed more equipment and they could
not meet the needs of the newborns with respiratory problems. My moment
of joy was scattered, as a resident came forcefully through the doors both
arms cradling very small bundles – premature twins. They worked on them.
You see, there was a decision to be made. They had only two ventilators,
and the babies on them would survive if left on them. The twins both needed
ventilators. Who do you let die? Two will live and two will die. The joy
of success of our programs is soon scattered by the overwhelming need for
more to be done.
instructors
in CPR and 16 individuals as instructors in ACLS. These instructors have
trained more than 400 people in their country in basic CPR and ACLS. Our
goal is to have every physician in Honduras who works in emergency medicine
or internal medicine be certified. We have gained support from the ministry
of health and from directors of Hospitals insisting that all their physicians
be certified. Jim Bowers of Orrville, OH and Fayle Beegle of Wooster joined
Jim Cress this year. They arrived in Honduras November 3 and worked 10-hour
days with other Honduran instructors. Their work was finished November
9th. The work they did is the very essence of CAMO – you train and supply
your Honduran counterpart so that they can do the work.
