Clinica de Esperanza-Clinic of Hope

Hello friends:

The last of the supplies made it to the Island of Guanaja that burned down last Saturday. There were 6000 inhabitants. Most got in the ocean and were eventually rescued but they lost everything. Supplies have been gathered all week. 

I was super impressed by many things this week. First of all someone volunteered to take his trucks to the coast full of all the supplies collected from the capital. He asked for no funds for gas or the trucks. At the coast, fishermen, cargo ships and private boats volunteered their time and gas funds to take it to the island. They charged nothing to aid in this effort. 

All the people helping from different walks of life, different faiths, and different countries. It was remarkeable, hopeful, and inspiring. 

Walking Beside You, 

gayle savage davidson

Mosquitia is on the northern coast of Honduras on the eastern shores. Part of it extends into Nicaragua. It is a tropical rainforest and marsh that is only accessible by water and air. Its population includes indigenous groups such as the Miskito, Pech, Rama, Sumo, Garifuna, Ladino, and Creole peoples. There are approximately 100,000 inhabitants. The area is tropical, hot, and humid. 

The primary source of income is derived from lobster diving. The lobster are mostly exported to the United States. The diving is free diving, this means they dive as deep as 120 feet and come up for air. Thousands of men across this region of Honduras depend on this to feed their families. Many of the divers have been stricken with the bends-decompression sickness caused when nitrogen bubbles form in the divers bodies from coming up so far so fast. Some are paralyzed. Some are killed. 

They have also been affected by covid from boaters and exporters.  It has been extremely difficult to get into this area of Honduras and many of the supplies had to be delivered by floating it across a river or boat it in and deliver by hand. We had some help from the military in the beginning. 

Because of COVID we chose to go in and help. This has opened the doors to many needs that are basic. Housing, clean water, and medical care. We hope to help with these needs in the future. So far we have penetrated many remote areas. 

It is staggering to see how poor these indigenous folks are compared to people that we already considered poor where the clinic is located. We have our work cut out for us.