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Newsletter - December, 2008


The Least of These My Brethren

December, 2008

Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me." Matt. 25:40

Published by the Society of the Good Shepherd, P. O. Box 122, Amberson, PA 17210. (717) 349-7033



Volunteer Crew Needed

Honduras
Two years ago, I wrote about the need to build a maternity ward for the health clinic serving the rural community of Taulebé in Honduras. Quite a few brothers responded, and in August, 2007, they were able to build a maternity ward for the clinic that should meet the needs of the clinic for many years to come.

The clinic serves a crucial need in the Taulebé community. It is staffed by two doctors, 6 nurses, 1 dentist, and a laboratory technician. The head of the clinic is a Christian sister, Dr. Violeta Castańeda. The clinic serves about 22,000 people from Taulabé and other nearby communities.

On an average day, the clinic treats 140 patients and delivers one or two babies. (They have sometimes delivered as many as 7 or 8 babies in one weekend). The charge for treatment is only 25 cents per patient. There is no charge for delivering babies. 90% of the patients who come to the clinic would have to forego medical treatment if they had to pay regular prices for it.

Honduras
In addition to handling general medical needs for both men and women, the clinic provides pre-natal and post-delivery care for pregnant women. It also provides cervical and breast cancer detection, pediatric and child emergency care, and treatment for chronic diseases like diabetes, tuberculosis, and epilepsy. The doctors even treat dengue fever and malaria, and the lab technician does laboratory tests onsite.

The clinic also provides dental care to children and pregnant women and handles dental emergencies. Finally, the clinic provides free emergency medical transportation for pregnant women and children under five years of age.

Unfortunately, the clinic now has a great need. Over the years, the roof on the original clinic building has been patched and re-patched so many times that it is now a hodge-podge of different materials of varying sizes. It isn’t surprising that the roof leaks badly in a number of places. In fact, some crucial medical equipment was recently ruined during a downpour.

Honduras
The Society of the Good Shepherd would like to take on the responsibility of re-roofing the original clinic building. We need a crew of 5 to 6 men with some construction experience. The existing roof will have to be taken off, and then a new roof of aluminum sheets will need to be screwed into the metal beams. We estimate that the entire project will take about five days (seven days maximum).

If you would be interested in either organizing a crew for this project or working as a member of a crew, please contact us at goodshepherd@scrollpublishing.com or phone us at (717) 349-7033. Thank you so much. DB


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100% of all donations go to the designated work in Honduras. Our overhead and travel expenses are paid through other means.