In many communities in Honduras, the chronic malnutrition rate is almost 40 percent.  And when children between the ages of zero and six don’t get enough to eat, they are more vulnerable to illnesses for the rest of their lives.

We partner with Save the Children to fund a nutrition and early stimulation program that feeds a daily good meal to around 130 young children, and pregnant and nursing mothers, in the communities of Chiligatoro and Pueblo Viejo, Intibucá.

The food is grown in a community garden, or purchased in the local market, or donated by other international charities and distributed as part of a Honduran government program. The mothers gather daily to cook in a central kitchen. The parents are taught nutritious recipes and given classes in child stimulation and development. The children are weighed regularly, taught good hygiene, and provided a safe and stimulating preschool. The result of this program is healthier children and thriving communities.

 During the course of a year, we provide almost three thousand children with toothbrushes and toothpaste. The children receive instruction in their schools on how and when to brush. They are given calendars to fill in to reinforce the habit. These children are the first generation in their communities to brush regularly, and by partnering with Save the Children and Honduran dental health professionals, our money goes a long way.

We also provide a weekly fluoride treatment program for all school children in the 20 to 30 communities we visit each year. The fluoride is given to the children each week by their classroom teachers.

Each year we send three teams of medical providers to Honduras to give rural and impoverished communities access to basic health care.

We set up day clinics in rural schoolhouses and work alongside our Honduran partners to:

• provide basic health exams for up to 5 thousand people annually, and provide referrals and funds to help with follow-up care for approximately 150 of our more seriously ill patients

• conduct approximately 300 women’s health consults and cervical cancer screenings

• distribute hundreds of thousands of vitamins, and hundreds of pairs of reading glasses

• provide referrals and leave funds to help give our more
  critical patients access to further exams and treatment

We pay the salary of a Honduran dentist to work three hours a day, five days a week, fifty weeks a year in the La Esperanza Lions Club clinic. The club provides the space, the equipment, and the clinic management.

Because this is a fully functioning dental clinic for low income patients, the government of Honduras places an intern in the clinic as well.  

We also help pay the salary and training of a technician to perform eye exams and fit glasses in the eye clinic.

The Lions Club dental and eye clinics see around 2,500 patients a year, people who couldn’t ordinarily afford to go to the dentist or get corrective lenses.

Criteria for selecting recipients of nursing grants:

• The student’s desire to study and graduate
• Community work performed
• Economic need

We've worked with Save the Children to train health volunteers and develop micro-businesses that sell basic medicine at low prices in isolated and impoverished rural communities.