At over 50%, Honduras has one of the highest malnutrition rates in Latin America.
Since 1989, CAMO has provided essential social and medical services to impoverished Hondurans in and around Santa Rosa de Copan. The CAMO Nutrition program was initiated to address grave nutritional needs of patients in the regional public hospital (Hospital Occidente), but has since expanded to address wider nutritional needs in the community.
The CAMO Nutrition Program strives to improve the nutritional status and quality of life of people living in Santa Rosa de Copan and surrounding communities in western Honduras.
At over 50%, Honduras has one of the highest malnutrition rates in Latin America. But addressing nutritional needs in Honduras has been a challenge. This is due to a host of complex factors including poverty, the lack of public health programs addressing nutritional needs, a shortage of adequate food options in small villages, and many other factors. We worry about the nutritional needs of the body for health, growth, and healing. But, we remind ourselves daily of an important lesson: that compassionate caring is every bit as nourishing to the soul as real food is to the body.
About Us
Mission
To provide nutrition services, education, and community outreach by integrating local and US based resources to develop essential skills, functional knowledge, nutrition assessment and
access to food resources.
Vision
Is to reduce malnutrition and improve health in Santa Rosa and surrounding communities of western Honduras through education, empowerment and the development of sustainable nutrition resources.
In April 2018, with the support of donors like you, CAMO was able to greatly expand nutrition services. Since then the demand for these services has been growing to reflect the immense needs in the community. The CAMO Nutrition program is the only program of its kind in western Honduras. Health professionals are now witnessing the dramatically positive effects that nutritional recovery can mean in the lives of people.
Team
- Deborah Marino, Ph.D., RDN
- Dr. Joe Marino MD
- Brian Miller MS MSEd MEd CHES
- Sarah Hamlin
- Theresa Bedell
- Bianca Ramírez, Honduran Nutritionist
Our Services
The Honduran and US based nutrition teams are working together to prioritize nutritional needs, provide desperately needed services, and plan future initiatives.
Direct Services
The CAMO Nutrition Clinic provides nutrition assessment, diagnosis, treatment and follow-up, and provision of medical foods when needed.
Nutrition Rehabilitation
Severely malnourished infants, children and adults need intensive nutritional support in a program that provides assessment, medical foods and follow-up in a comprehensive model. This will be based within the CAMO headquarters in Santa Rosa with plans for community outreach.
Capacity Building
Training classes are provided to health care professionals in basic nutrition, recognition of malnutrition and initial steps in treatment with medical foods and supplements.
Planning and Strategy
The CAMO nutrition team is playing an integral role in efforts by Hospital Occidente to evaluate its currently inadequate food services, and develop strategies to improve nutritional support for all patients.
School Program
In a unique pilot program, the CAMO nutritionist is coordinating with other CAMO professionals in dentistry, audiology and vision to identify at-risk children in schools, provide education to teachers and community leaders, and develop community strategies in health promotion.
Sustainable Resources
The CAMO Nutrition Team is exploring collaboration with Honduran vendors to provide a sustainable supply of medical foods and supplements.
Technical Support
US based Nutrition Team members are supplementing Honduran IT with portable tablets, and additional expertise in data analysis, program evaluation and grant writing
About the event
We are so grateful to have had such a successful event in March and we are so excited for the 2nd Annual Food for Healing! We realize that if we want to continue to develop and supply the CAMO Nutrition Program in Honduras,we need the support of the fantastic community around us. We want to bring awareness and direct aid to this critical problem for Hondurans who would not otherwise receive the care they need.
Supplying that level of nutrition to all the patients we work with as well as offer so many other services does require a healthy amount of funding. The fundraiser in March of 2018 was a terrific start to build this program. We’re so excited to host it again to grow this program even more. We hope that this event and others in the future can bring in the community support we need to make this change happen where it is desperately needed.
Supported by funding from Food for Healing and other sources, CAMO has recently implemented important nutrition initiatives. As a result, severely malnourished children, adults and families can now receive nutritional care they so desperately need. Medical and teaching professionals are receiving essential nutrition guidance. The importance of nutrition is being increasingly recognized. But the needs are immense, and there is so much more that needs to be done.
Event donation
If you would like to donate a basket or other valuable item to be auctioned on at the event please contact Theresa at camo.nutrition@gmail.com
Direct donation
Can’t come to the event but still want to make an impact?
We appreciate any and all donations that will go directly towards our services in Honduras.
Please write a check made out to “Central American Medical Outreach” with “Nutrition Program” in the memo and mail to the address below.
USA, 322 Westwood Avenue, Orrville, Ohio, 44667
Thank you for you generosity, we couldn’t do it without you!