El Caliche

Tuesday, July 12, 2023

This morning, the team rose bright and early for breakfast at 6:15, and we boarded the bus around 7. The hour and a half bus ride gave us an opportunity to see the beautiful Honduran scenery including grand mountains, valleys, and wildlife. After an hour and a half of travel, the Reveille team along with the Honduran Friends of Barnabas staff arrived at our second Mountain Village: El Caliche.

We were greeted warmly by the community and quickly set up for the day. Today, most of the medical providers had stations outside alongside the vitamins table and the height and weight station. The pharmacy shared a room with 2 providers and the dental clinic had its own room.

Working at the pharmacy today, I got to witness first-hand the disparity in health between my community in Virginia and the El Caliche community in Honduras. Almost every family needed a couple types of medication.

Dr. Kaugars and Amanda, dental clinic workers, experienced a particularly special interaction today. A young Honduran girl entered the dental clinic with her family, and her mother told Dr. Kaugars that her daughter was experiencing tooth pain. After more observation, it was decided that the girl would need 3 teeth extracted. The girl was initially very nervous with tears in her eyes about having this procedure done. Amanda sat by the girl, held her hand, and offered words of comfort and encouragement. The young girl took the extraction like a champ. In the end, she gave Dr. Kaugars and Amanda 2 very heartfelt hugs.

At the end of the day, the community generously helped to carry medical supplies back to the bus. The team waved goodbye to the community of El Caliche, and we embarked on our journey back to Alfredo House.

With 2 days of clinic behind us, the team can feel the difference that we are making in the lives of these Hondurans.

~Maddie Carpenter