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Note from the Executive Director
Women's Health --Dr. John Weeman and Dr. Roy Miller both worked in OB/GYN, defining areas of need. The last morning in Honduras Dr. Weeman shared with trembling in his voice,"We lost four babies this week." I am taken back to December 25, 1980. I was the only professional nurse in the Hospital in Honduras, and as I entered the Hospital at 6:30 AM I was summoned to the delivery room where a beautiful baby boy had been born. He had taken fluid into his little lungs, and we did not have a single suction machine. With my mouth I tried desperately to aspirate, then with a tube and suction bulbs. We revived him. All day I checked on him. I watched him closely, marveling at how perfect he was and what a blessing it was, on Christmas day, to be able to save this little one. All day a sense of joy was with me. Then, at 6PM, this baby boy suddenly died. With him, a part of my faith died. It has taken me many years to understand the effect of this unnamed child on my life. But this year we can trace medical services and treatment due to CAMOis programs to more than 60,000 people. The neonatal unit equipped by CAMO and nurses educated by CAMO have a census of 15-30 babies. This year alone they have saved more than 80 newborn lives. We cannot dwell on the lives lost. We must look at the lives saved and how many more lives we can save. I have a renewed faith and great hope for what is yet to be.
Here is an insert
from the report of Dr. John Weeman: "In a service area of 600,000 people
with high rates of cervical cancer, this lack of available colposcopies
service needs to be addressed. With appropriate equipment, one physician
and one nurse should be able to do a minimum of 15 colposcopies per morning.
CAMO may be able to help this problem by purchasing more equipment. This
equipment will be difficult to obtain through donations because physician
practices typically use these expensive biopsy devices for 20- 40 years."
Organizational Groups 
Twenty-two individuals represented eight different areas of service. CAMO
is in its eleventh year, and the last two years have seen rapid growth.
For this reason we needed to take the time for organizational chores. Nanette
Sprunger and Wava Kornhaus, Registered Nurses who volunteer weekly in the
State side warehouse, joined us in Honduras to learn about the appropriate
type of medical supplies and packing of them. They visited the public health
clinics and the public Hospital and also went with the Honduras medical
teams to a poor village area to witness and experience the needs of this
population. Titus Yoder of Wooster joined us with his knowledge as a Respiratory
Therapist and a business owner of home medical supplies. Titus's
knowledge and network will be of great help for CAMO to acquire the appropriate
supplies needed to save lives. Orthopedic physician Dr. Dona Alvarez joined
us with her assistant, Cindy Harsh. The amount of plates, pins and screws
that are needed to fix our bones is overwhelming. Thanks to the efforts
of
Dr. Alvarez, Cindy and their many contacts of orthopedic supplies, we have a stable program that can meet the basic needs of the population we serve.
Audiometry
Mary Nodar, Richardiswife, always joins us, helping with the Bilingual School and giving us reports on the needs of the school. Mary has been able to build a great rapport with the teachers and the founder of this school. Computer System
Electrical Evaluation
Last year the
government only allowed us $1,000 for these repairs. Due to the overwhelming
needs, the politicians made the decision to apply the money to a smaller
clinic that could be repaired with this small sum of money." To improve
the basic structure, i.e. stop leaks in the roof and rewire, this forty-room
clinic will require a grant or donation of $115,317.00. This facility is
vital to the health care of the public. It offers dental care, laboratory,
pharmacy, x-ray, and prenatal ultrasound and houses their vaccination registry.
We are seeking large, one-time donations for this project. Please contact
us if you know of a group, foundation, or if you yourself would be interested
it funding this project.
Board of Directors Visit We welcome Jack Wright back to CAMO's Board of Directors after a two-year leave. All of our board members are expected to visit our programs in Honduras. Jack stayed with us for 3 days and in his words, "The change in two years has been remarkable; the programs are working well, the staff is well organized, needs are being met. When you are watching something everyday you cannot see the growth, but leaving for two years and coming back I have seen developments that are serving thousands." Jack's niece Nichole Van Alstine joined her uncle as his translator. Contract Signed with Secretary of Health The wall comes tumbling down. With this fall's visit, the signing of the contract between CAMO and the public health system came to fruition. We are now able to have patients served by social workers, and if they cannot afford care it is still provided to them. However, if they are wealthly and driving 2003 vehicles, they will be assessed on their ability to pay, thus preventing exploitation of the services and the taking of limited resources from those in true need. The funds that are recuperated will be placed back into the programs to purchase supplies and repair or replace equipment. This is a very exciting development, because it allows us to look at sustainability and will give us a way to make each program stronger to serve more of the population in need.
Day Care Center Thanks to the generous donation of the Jack DeLoss Talyor Charitable Trust, we have renovated the feeding area of the day care center in Santa Rosa de Copan. This day care is for children of poor, single, working parents. There are presently 68 children in this day care, ranging from 1 month old to 7 years old. With the donation a kitchen was built, bathroom improved, early stimulation area painted, floor replaced, leaking roof replaced and developmental toys and tools donated. This project was started in June and completed by the end of October.
Municipal Gym Remember the newsletter of August 20037 We shared with you the need for an enclosed gym and the completion of this facility. In the last newsletter we stated that in Santa Rosa we have approximately 17,000 young people who need this facility. It is estimated that there are 500 street children! All the schools would utilize this facility! The problem is, the need is so great that the demand on the building will be overwhelming. Many of the schools and other volunteers are using the gym and developing programs that can be implemented in the gym. We can provide many activities that will build character and team-working concepts that will be vital in the lives of these children and young adults. Well, someone was listening, and thanks to the Noble Foundation of Wboster, Ohio, we have about 50 percent of the funds needed to complete this facility. During our visit, the team enjoyed a fun evening of volleyball with our Honduran counterparts. There is still much more that needs to be done. We believe another $35,000 could complete this facility. Please consider how useful this facility will be. It is the only enclosed gym for a population of 1 million people, and it will be a powerful ministry to the many children on the streets of Santa Rosa.
Crayons bringing the Imagination to life Were you wondering where all those crayons and used school supplies were going? Your children in several schools in Wayne and Holmes counties have done Bible school and year-end collections of school supplies, and we are excited to share with you several of the things that we have been able to do with these donations. More than eighty schools participated in the drawing contest, with 849 contestants. The children all placed the donated crayons to an empty page and worked hard at winning the contest. All 849 contestants won a bag of school supplies. All the children were from very poor schools and families so the top three won financial prizes for their family. First prize ($50.00) was given to Nahun Sibian, second ($35.00) was given to Brigithe Garda and third prize ($25.00) was given to Heydi Carvajal. The drawing illustrated is by Nahun Sibian, the first-prize winner. He is eight years old and lives in Aldea Siora, Florida Copan. We will continue this project every year. Each child that is seen by the dental program receives a package of school goodies. A gift table is created and they are able to choose what gift they would like after receiving dental care.
February-March Teams More than 25 specialties will be represented in the upcoming year. There are 80 individuals from around the world who will be joining this diverse team as we train and integrate medical equipment and continuing education in the public health care iystem. The teams will be in Honduras from February 21, 2004 till March 14, 2004. The teams are a small part of what we do; the incredible tools of equipment, supplies, and most of all, education, stay long after the teams have gone. We have been able to serve more than 50,000 people this year. The concept is sound, and the results are simply amazing. Education vith the appropriate medical equipment and supplies will save lives and serve thousands. This is in a place were 70 percent of the population is under or unemployed. If you do not have money, a simple antibiotic is out of reach. It is a place vhere death is at your door daily. There is so nuch more to do. CAMO operates programs that are fiscally responsible, and we are able to show you the results. We still turn every $1 donated nto $6 of service. We are so very worthy of your support; please remember us in your annual giving. In Summary We have many programs that have not been mentioned. The Gastric Cancer Research program is making a great deal of progress due o the efforts of Dr. Douglas Morgan and Dr. Richardo Dominquez. The Mobile Medical Equipment Repair Vehicle (MMERV) is in its first year of operation and has repaired medical equipment that is valued ten times more than the cost of the program. All the surgical programs and educational programs are productive. The prosthetic lab is becoming recognized as one of the best in Honduras. The partnerships with the vheelchair programs are successful with many people being served. Last but not least, the Honduran medical doctors continue to visit their poor communities on a monthly basis. They have alien in love with service and bringing hope to their own people. It has been a very good year, and I want to thank each one of you for making it possible. Together, we are making a difference.
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 1 -- Special Accomplishment Award Presented to Kathy Tscheigg
by the Stark County Medical Association
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We can look at the world in one of two ways. The first perspective is that
the world is hopeless, with death and corruption everywhere we look. The
second is through the eyes of those who live a different standard: one
of hope, action and involvement. My observation is one who sits and complains
on a daily basis, only looking for fault and blame, will live among the
hopeless. The second will live with great hope and many uplifting experiences
of the human spirit to share. CAMO is so blessed to be surrounded by individuals
who thrive on action and involvement. Every year we grow to know
more and more good people: the volunteers here in the States who
work weekly at the warehouse, the daily Honduran volunteers who are determined
to support us in their own country. The expertise that is being offered
is not just short-term, it is a commitment to aid in lasting development
of the specialty areas. There is so much hope, the human heart has so very
much to give, and it is our attitude that can prevent us from our full
potential of experiencing hope.
