Where We Work / Honduras / Communities / El Canton «

Fast Facts

* Population does not reflect how many patients will be seen on medical
brigades as many people from surrounding communities come seeking

medical attention during brigades.

Top Three Needs Expressed: El Cantón and Global Brigades are proud to say that through holistic programming, the top health and economic needs of the community have been covered. El Cantón also has proven strong leadership and capitalized funds in their community bank in order to address any needs that arise in the future. 

Geography

Municipality: Teupasenti

Department: El Paraíso

GPS Coordinates: N 14° 12.650’ W 086° 46.286’

Education

El Cantón's educational system includes Kinder and Primary schools (through 6^th grade). There are 45 students at the schools in the community and Erminda Ramirez is the school director. It is approximated that about 80% of the community knows how to read and write.

Architecture Project in El Cantón

In April of 2014, Architecture brigades completed the construction of a community health center in El Cantón:

Exiting the community signifies that the program will no longer be bringing brigades to this community and will gradually lessen follow-up to one visit every 6 months-1 year. The Architecture Brigades program trusts that the community members will maintain the staffed community health center with the assistance of the trained masons and understand the importance of facility upkeep.

Health Care Access in El Cantón

El Cantón is a community located in the mountains near the municipality of Teupasenti in El Paraiso.  With the help of Architecture brigades El Cantón now has a CESAR health center located in the center of the community. CESAR's typically do not have doctors on staff , only nurses, however El Canton currently has a doctor completing her social servcie staffing the health center. The health center is open from about 7am to 3pm. When there is only a nurse available and a community member needs to see a doctor or dentist, they must travel the to Teupasenti, the nearest town with a CESAMO, or a larger scale health center where doctors and occassionally dentists are on staff.  The trip can take up to 3 hours on foot.  Although there is a bus that comes to the community, it does not come very often and costs money that many community members cannot afford.

Brigade Site Information

Medical brigade use the El Cantón health center as their brigade site.  The health center was designed with brigade structure in mind and therefore is very condusive to running mobile clinics.  It is a 2 story building with 6 rooms and a large open meeting area. Doctors spend an average of 10 minutes with each patient and we are able to provide 4-5 educational charlas a day.  Each brigade sees an average of 226 patients per day. 

Current Status

This community currently receives brigades approximately every year. 

To understand more about how Global Brigades can partner with this community to make an impact, read about what it's like to experience a Medical Brigade. 

Dental Program in El Cantón

In working closely with the medical program, the dental program provides fillings, extractions, and fluoride treatments as a standard part of medical brigades. Most community members do not have regular access to dental care due to the lack of dentist within a reasonable distance.

Fast Facts

Current Status

This community currently receives brigades approximately every year.  

To understand more about how Global Brigades can partner with this community to make an impact, read about what it's like to experience a Dental Brigade.

Engineering Program in El Cantón

The Engineering Program works in conjunction with the Water Program to ensure water projects are maintained and economically sustainable. El Cantón's water project also reaches El Jute and Veracruz Matasanos. The below information is about that water project. Please reference the water tab for more details on El Cantón's completed water project. 

Water Project Overview

Current Status

El Cantón's water system was finished in 2012, and is currently functioning very well. To ensure the sustainability of the project, a new seven member Water Council in each community was established and trained by Water Brigades in addition to a Basic Sanitation Committee also trained in conjunction with the Public Health Program.

To understand more about how Global Brigades can partner with this community to make an impact, read about what it's like to experience an Engineering Brigade.

El Cantón's Water Challenge

Twenty years ago, the municipal government built a gravity-based water system connecting the communities of El Cantón, El Jute, and Veracruz Matazano to the same water source. The system did not function properly in the community of El Cantón, however, as the storage tank was constructed at a very low altitude. Thus, there was not enough pressure to bring water to all homes in all communities. In an attempt to remedy the problem, the storage tank was abandoned and water was distributed directly from the distribution pipeline. Unfortunately, the new system required the

community to stop centrally-treating the water, leading to increased incidence of water-borne disease. The three communities would be connected on a new system centralized in El Cantón. 

Water Project Overview

El Cantón's Water Solution

Water Brigaders from four different universities worked in El Cantón, El Jute, and Veracruz Matasanos between March 2011 and February 2012.  During that time, those volunteers worked with community members to:
     •  Install a control valve at the dam and build a wall to divert stream

        water away from it
     •  Repair and paint at 11,000 gallon chlorination tank
     •  Construct a new distribution chamber to divide the water between

        the three communities.
     •  Dig approximately 14,238 meters of trench
     •  Install 14,238 meters of PVC piping and 654 meters of iron piping
     •  Connect 87 houses, 2 schools, and 3 churches to the water system

El Cantón shares a water source, dam, and a part of the water system's conduction line with the communities of El Jute and Veracruz Matasanos.  During the El Cantón project, improvements were also made to the portions of the water system that serve these two neighboring communities.  Water brigades worked with all three communities to install 1.5 kilometers of new, larger diameter piping in the conduction line, and install cleaning, air and control valves in the pipeline.  In addition a pressure break tank and aerial stream crossing in the pipeline were repaired and a new distribution chamber was constructed to properly distribute an appropriate amount of water to each of the three communities.

Current Status

Completed: 2012

El Cantón's water system is functioning very well.  The Water Council is properly administrating the project. 

To understand more about the importance of a functioning water system and how Global Brigades can help, read about what it's like to experience a Water Brigade.

The Public Health Challenge in El Cantón

Many community members in El Cantón lacked the resources needed to improve their homes and prevent diseases caused by unsafe living environments.  The majority of homes were made of adobe, mud, and straw. Very few homes had hygiene stations, cement floors, and eco-stoves prior to the arrival of Global Brigades.  Such living conditions triggered disease.  The lack of hygiene stations led to high rates of diarrhea and waterborne disease, the absence of cement floors caused parasitic infection and Chagas Disease, and the lack of eco-stoves resulted in respiratory problems in many community members.  Not only would the creation of health infrastructure better the health of household members through improved sanitation and hygiene, but it would also improve their quality of life as the new water storage units would reduce time spent walking to water sources and the eco-stove reduces firewood consumption by about 70%.

Public Health Project Overview

The Public Health Solution in El Cantón

Public Health Brigaders from several different universities and the Public Health Brigades in-country team worked in El Cantón from December 2011 - August 2012.  During this time, volunteers and staff members worked with community members to:

     • Identify community leaders and train them to form the Basic Sanitation Committee

     • Increase cultural sensitivity and awareness by working side by side with qualified masons and
       project beneficiaries

     • Build 95 eco-stoves, 96 latrines, 95 showers, 95 water storage units, and 233 cement floors

     • Conduct educational workshops emphasizing the importance of sanitation and hygiene in the
       local primary school

To ensure the sustainabiltiy of the in-home infrastructure projects, the Public Health Program provides continuous follow-up in the community.  It also forms and trains the Basic Sanitation Committee, a community body formed by local leaders which monitors the correct usage and maintenance of the new infrastructure.  Clear responsibilities and powers are assigned to each member, making the beneficiaries themselves even stronger stakeholders in the Public Health projects.

Current Status

Completed: August 2012

After numerous successful brigades, the Public Health Brigades Program exited the community of El Cantón. Exiting the community signifies that the program no longer be brings brigades to this community and will gradually lessen follow-up to one visit every 6 months-1 year. The Public Health Brigades program trusts that the community members will maintain their projects with the assistance of the trained masons and understand the importance of building safe living environments whenever they construct new homes.

To understand more about the importance of these public health projects and how Global Brigades can help, read about what it's like to experience a Public Health Brigade.

El Cantón's Economic Challenge

The average income in El Cantón is 3,000 lempiras, approximately $132 USD per month. Most community members work in agriculture growing corn and beans on their own land. Unlike the neighboring community of El Jute, El Cantón community members do not grow coffee on their own land, but do have the opportunity to work as employees for coffee land owners. The food grown in this community is primarily grown for sustenance; when there is surplus the crops are sold. Prior to the creation of the community bank, community members could not access formal financial institutions. Loans were inaccessible due to distance and cost. The request for loans are generally not approved because community members  do not have a fixed income. The income earned in El Cantón is seasonal and dependent on their harvest. Inability to access loans made it difficult for community members to start businesses, pay for medication, and afford school supplies. 

 Today, the community has access to a thriving community bank, Nueva Esperanza,  that provides emergency, agriculture, business, and education loans. The leadership is composed of a president, vice president, treasurer, secretary, credit committee, social fund committee and auditing committee. One  of the cornerstones for the success of future projects is the sustainable nature of a community bank: investments are approved through loans granted to community projects; interest is then paid back on the loans—both large and small—and 100% of profits stay in the community. The process enables the funding of more loans for more projects allowing for capitalization and development of El Cantón. 

Community Bank Overview

El Cantón's Business and Microfinance Solution 

A bakery created by six women is now one of the most  prosperous businesses in the community. It sells a variety of pastries in the community and the surrounding area. Currently the microenterprise works with two ovens where they bake sweet bread, banana bread, vanilla bread, cookies, pizzas, and pineapple pies. Their best sellers are cookies, pineapple pies and sweet bread because they go well with a cup of coffee. Their best sellling season is during the coffee harvest where over 1,000 pastries are made daily. 

The current location of their bakery is the lower level of the community bank. They hope to move to a new location when they have enough savings. With the help of Global Brigades volunteers, the bakery has been able to expand their delivery system. Today, they deliver bread to 9 surrounding community by motorcycle. Their motorcycle is also used to buy materials not found in the community such as flour and sugar. Additionally, volunteers have assisted in developing a business plan; sharing best practices; creating effective processes and marketing/branding for the bakery. 

El Cantón Bakery has provided job opportunities for bakers (beginners welcomed), drivers, adminstrators and sellers. While the owners are women, they have employed men to deliver the bread.  The women also choose to buy goods such as pineapples and eggs from community members. The creation of the women's bakery has become especially important for families who have harvested few crops due to the lack of rain. The women are proud and feel empowered to of been the primary providers for their families when the harvest failed.  Recognizing the bakery's success and the impact that it has had on the lives of its owners, many other community members strive to open new businesses and microenterprises.

To understand more about the importance of these public health projects and how Global Brigades can help, read about what it's like to experience a Business Brigade.

El Cantón's Inauguration

El Cantón was officially inaugurated as a holistic community in October of 2014. It was a rainy day, but the  entire community still came out to celebrate. After working with Global Brigades staff and volunteers, the community has established strong leadership in continuing both health and development initiatives in their community.  El Cantón has a newly constructed community health center, a basic sanitation committee, a community bank, and a couple strong microenterprises. Below are some photos from the inauguration.