Loyola Public Health/Water January 2015 Honduras

Start Date: Jan 3, 2015 12:00 AM
End Date: Jan 11, 2015 12:00 AM

Public Health and Water volunteers spend 9 days in Honduras, improving basic home infrastructure, providing health education to help reduce the incidences of life-threatening, but preventable, diseases in a rural community, and implementing clean water systems to prevent water related illnesses in communities with limited access to clean water. With an understanding of the holistic model that focuses on education, community health sustainability and infrastructural development, volunteers first receive a comprehensive introduction to the country\'s public health challenges and the Public Health program\'s ground-up solution. In addition, volunteers are educated on the Water Program model and the water system they\'ll be constructing, how it will work for their specific community, and meet with their elected Water Committee. They will take a tour of the community Public Health is currently working in, introduce themselves to the beneficiary families, and meet with the Basic Sanitation Committee (CSB). Then, working side-by-side with community members and local masons, volunteers construct four infrastructure projects meant to improve the health of the home and surrounding environment: eco-stoves, latrines, pilas (water storage units), and concrete floors. Additionally, as a key component of the program, Public Health volunteers collaborate with the Basic Sanitation Committee and local teachers to help provide community-wide education workshops and training, proliferating sanitation and hygiene practices and empowering families with both the knowledge and tools to live healthier lives. They will also meet with the Water Committee to discuss their current practices for gathering water and how the new system will work with the beneficiary families, their contributions to the project, and the action plan to maintain the water system for the long run.