Report on 3 H Grant to Honduras
by Charlie Kocher and Michael Hosie
When Hurricane Mitch tore across Central America in November 1998, the Pilot's editor Jerry Teague asked readers to donate toward the relief efforts of The Rotary Foundation. We collected more than $3,000. Dear readers, let me tell you how the magic of Rotary has used your donations.
Magic Coincidence No. 1: Sixes residents Bob Harvey and Diane Kelsay were working in Honduras, and connected me with a tiny Rotary Club in Tocoa, Honduras, where Mitch blew ashore. We put together a group of Rotary volunteers, including myself, Larry Bircher and Chuck Moore from Brookings, to visit Honduras and explore ways to help.
Magic Coincidence No. 2: A Rotary friend from Coos Bay, Mike Hosie, saw my name on the project and joined us. We saw incredible devastation, even a year after the storm, and heart-wrenching needs. It was so over-whelming that I remember where I was standing when I asked, "If there was one problem to attack, what would it be?" The answer was quick: "Malaria." The people around Tocoa suffered the highest rates of malaria in Honduras; four in 10 were victims.
Magic Coincidences No. 3 and 4: While on a Rotary exchange in Ecuador, we saw seen a clean water and sanitation project organized by Rotarians from Roseburg. Mike started championing projects for Honduras: Clothes for a maternity clinic, used fire trucks and fire trucks, medical equipment, scholarships for students who did not have the money to go beyond fourth grade. Our club helped buy rescue boats.
Magic coincidence No. 5: Our key contact in the Tocoa club, Hector Chacon, fell in love and married a doctor.
Magic coincidence No. 6: Another Rotarian from our club, Dan Kroy, retired from a public health career and wanted to help. He and an adviser from Ecuador toured the barrios near Tocoa and designed a system to let elected village health committees identify their worst problems and choose the best solutions.
Michael won a $315,000 grant from The Rotary Foundation, work started in 2002, under the doctor's supervision, and ended last year. The final report just came to me. In an area of 162,000 people:
- Malaria has been reduced by 68 percent, and dengue fever by 80 percent.
- Safe chlorinated water is going to 92 percent of households.
- Infant mortality is down 60 percent and cases of tapeworms are down 90 percent.
- Cases of human rabies have been eliminated.
- Landfills for 80 percent of the area have been improved.
- Latrines have been built for 85 percent of households.
- 2,500 people have been trained in first aid and CPR.
- Best of all, follow-on funds of $4.6 million from another foundation will expand the success to more of Honduras.
