Field Team #2 in 2007

Naranjito Banaderos, Honduras in the Department of Cortes hosts the sight of MEDICO's second field team of 2007 beginning Saturday, February 24th. This field team, under the leadership of MEDICO co-founder, David Flowers of Texas and MEDICO Director of Operations, Brian Crowe of Texas, will be providing all three clinics of medical, optometric and dental to this community which boasts some 4,000 residents. The team is fully represented by volunteers from New Mexico, Alaska, Vermont, Washington, Virginia, Utah, Maryland, and Texas all totaling in number at twenty persons. This particular site, located west of San Pedro Sula in the Merendon Mountains, is accessible only by 4x4 vehicles and has required securing additional vehicles to get the sixty-plus crates of medicines and supplies into the response zone. In preparation for this field team response contact was made with the community leaders requesting information on things they would like to see happen as well as identifying things they would like receive from our effort. They specifically identified items such as school supplies for the children. MEDICO organized a special 'School Supply Crate Sponsorship Initiative' and received enough donations to send crates packed with school supplies to support their needs. Additionally, the community leaders requested health education for the leadership of this remote community. MEDICO, in conjunction with Dr. Salvador Paredes of Honduras, is providing specialized health education through our corp of volunteers participating on this brigade.

We are very excited about this team and their efforts in Naranjito Banaderos as it will be our first visit to this remote mountain community. Be watching our blog for excerpts from the effort upon our return in early March.

Juntos Podemos,

Brian Crowe
Director of Operations, MEDICO

6-Degrees of Separation

The game / activity 'Six Degrees of Separation' asks participants to identify six connections - or less - between a person and another person or group of people. As the game progresses it is very revealing to see how people are or can be connected with each other. Lately, in the MEDICO office, we've been paying attention to that very same detail as MEDICO connects with volunteers and supporters with the residents in the communities we serve in Central America. It has been amazing to see the connections as they unfold, people making contact from all over the world. Recently, we were touched by the connections made through one 11-year old girl in Minnesota.


This young lady, the niece of one of our team leader of a 2007 field team, was so impressed with the efforts in Central America that she decided she would find a way to help. She and a friend made soap to sell at their church bazaar raising $174.00 as a donation to purchase medicines for the children we serve in Central America. Through her global awareness she was able to provide an act of kindness benefiting the children in the areas we serve. All of this in less than six degrees of separation.

Certainly one of our goals at MEDICO is to enable people to act on their desire to simply help others. We aspire to always help connect people with passion to people in need and, through the continual support of our donors and volunteers, we have been fortunate enough to see that goal met. All of this happens, however, when word about the people in Central America is shared ~ person to person. We hope that you'll choose to help spread the word with others, making the connections between our friends to the south and all of us who are so very privileged and enabled to provide the care they need.

Superbowl or Super Bowl?

This year it is estimated that some 30-second television advertisements run during the XVI Superbowl topped 2.6 million dollars each. We, at MEDICO acknowledge the effectiveness of such corporate advertisement, and like most North Americans, anticipate all the investment put into these 30-second production pieces. We began to wonder what just .01% or $2,600.00 of that investment would provide the marginalized and discovered that roughly 2,350 children could receive much needed vitamins for a whole year! Or 3,800 people could be provided life-saving antibiotics. Or 10,400 children suffering from parasite related illnesses could be treated through the care provided by MEDICO. These are startling statistics but are the reality faced everyday by people who don’t own a television or rarely even have electricity, safe water, or nutritional food to eat. Can corporate philanthropy make a difference? Most definitely.

These corporations have a board of directors that decides how much money can a 30-sec spot generate for the company – putting more money into the pockets of the company owners and share holders. We have a board of directors that decides where can we raise enough funds to provide safe water to those who must walk long distances to retrieve water from a small source up the mountain, build latrines to provide a basic ingredient for better healthcare and rid a community of parasite problems, or to start more vitamin programs to increase longevity of the lives of children starving from malnutrition.

For some the Superbowl was a loss. For some the Superbowl was a win. With MEDICO it’s a WIN-WIN!

With your help we believe we can make a positive change in the lives of these precious neighbors, giving them hope for a brighter future, a future filled with opportunity and good health. Consider a partnership of just $2,600.00 and measure the success of this investment in the lives that are transformed not just for 30-seconds, but for a lifetime.

In other MEDICO briefs, this Thursday evening, February 8th will feature another Warehouse Night preparing our February field team for departure. It will begin at 6:30pm and end at 8:00pm. Any and all volunteers in the area of the MEDICO world headquarters are encouraged to join us. There is much to be accomplished in preparing our Feb. field team supplies in addition to the school supply donations that are to be crated and transported down in response to the requests by village leaders. If you need directions to the warehouse, please contact the MEDICO offices at (512)930-1893.

The MEDICO Staff.