On September 9th 2016, Volunteers from Rotary Central and the Rotaract Club of Grand Cayman decided to join Rotary Sunrise on their annual trip to Honduras to provide medical services and donations to the residents of Las Mangas & El Pital communities.

 

Doctors of Rotary Sunrise volunteered their time and resources to provide free medical services to these communities. the doctors and all the volunteers on this trip, fully funded their selves.

 

8:30 We all boarded the bus to make our way to Las Mangas, where the Main Guaruma office is located, once we arrived, the doctors took to their assigned rooms to setup their equipment, the nurses started to prep the patients, and setup the Temporary pharmacy.

 

A few Rotaractors from the Rotaract club of La Ceiba and San Pedro Sula stopped by to lend a hand physically and with translations, we rotated the tasks of sorting/distributing the donations and keep the kids entertained with various activities like face painting and coloring.

 

Later in the afternoon, Dr. John Lee organized a small class to show how lighting affects photos and how it can be used to your advantage. Adolfo Lopez, who is a Graduate and active member in the Guaruma organization, volunteered to be the translator for the well-attended session.

 

we finished around 4pm, and took the opportunity to tour the community. We visited a few small shops, stock up on supplies, while others went to a nearby river access for a quick swim, no matter where you turn, you cannot help but be captivated by the natural beauty of this country.

 

Day two was a repeat of the previous day however the location changed to El Pital, this is a further 8 – 10 kms down a dusty, pot-holed and in some places.  Again, the doctors had long lines and donations were distributed.

 

Over the course of the two days, the doctors saw approximately 280 patients, thankfully none of the patients needed emergency care compared to previous years.  Dr. Jefferson (General Practice) saw a variety of illnesses and disbursed many doses of anti-fungal, anti-inflammatories, antibiotics, etc.

 

We hope to pursue a Rotary Foundation Grant partnering with a La Ceiba Rotary Club to enable the Guaruma program to grow into other communities, in preliminary discussions with Guaruma, it is anticipated we would be looking for US$60,000.

 

Stats of the trip

Organizer Patricia Steward

Rotary Club of Grand Cayman Sunrise | 2016/17 International Service Director

 

Dr. Delroy Jefferson

General Practice | Cayman Islands Health Services Authority

Dr. Ulrich Ecke

Otolaryngologist | Seven Mile Clinic

Dr. Krsihna M. Mani

 Ophthalmologist | Private Practice

Dr. Gilbertha Alexander

Gynaecologist | Cayman Islands Health Services

 

Nurses

Sharon Buckley, Hazel Brown, Rosalee Ellis, Marlon Soriano, Joanna Haynes

 

Additional Volunteers

Wendy Koll, Pat Steward, Rachael Windhaber, Matthew Seales, John Lee, Robert Powell, Carl Brown (Rotary Central)

 

Rotaractors

Pierre Connolly, Ajoni Ambersley, Ileana Ebanks, Richelle Ebanks and Janelle Langlouis

 

Trip Overview

 

21 Volunteers (Self-Funded)

                38 Suitcases filled with donations

                4 Boxes containing 5 Fully operational and up to date PC’s

 

2 Service Organizations:

Rotary International

Guaruma Organization, Honduras

 

2 Districts of Rotary: 7020 and 4250

 

2 Rotary Clubs:

Rotary Club of Grand Cayman Sunrise

Rotary Club of Grand Cayman Central

 

3 Rotaract Clubs:

Rotaract Club of Grand Cayman

Rotaract Club of La Ceiba

Rotaract Club of San Pedro Sula