Los Four Amigos: Cuatro Optometristos en Honduras
left to right: Drs. Brian Dettenber, Bill Campbell,
El Gran Jefe Blanco Gringo Darrell Groman and Larry Hookway.
Santa Barbara is located in the Western part of Honduras and is considered to be the most backward of the population by the government of Honduras. The people often live in extreme poverty. Village families live below subsistence level. For this reason they do not have access to transportation, education, and health opportunities available elsewhere. Roads are often impassable Many of the villages have contaminated water, no electricity and no telephone service. Houses are usually adobe one room and the families sleep on mats on the floor.
Mission VII 1996
19 members led by Dr. Darrell Groman traveled to the state of Santa Barbara and into the remote villages of El Nispero and Conception del Sur, where the need for optometric services was great. A total of 1500 people were seen in four working days. Mrs. DoLores Williams, a solo missionary in Santa Barbara, was the local contact and helped as an interpreter.
Mission X 1996
14 volunteers and 9000 pair of glasses arrived at the airport in San Pedro Sula. We were helped through customs by Ruth Berkling, an active Lion's club member and the German Consulate officer for northern Honduras.
We traveled in a church bus from the airport to Santa Barbara.
- Saturday- The clinic was at the Rotary Club in Santa Barbara. 320 people were seen.
- Sunday- The clinic was at a school in the village of La Boquita. No electricity, so we used battery operated equipment and a kerosene hot plate was used to warm frames for adjustment.
- Monday- 2 1/2 hour trip over rough terrain to the village of La Palca. Three boxes fell off one of the trucks but were retrieved by the last truck. 200 patients were seen.
- Tuesday- It was raining, leaks in the windshield of the truck were fixed with duct tape. We traveled to Loma Larga, a desolate village with animals roaming freely. The people were so glad to have eye care available that they waited in heavy downpours to get their eyes examined. We saw 328 patients that day. Most were barefoot and all of them were extremely thin. This village was the poorest we visited, but wherever we looked we saw smiles.
- Wednesday- The clinic was in the village of La Canada.
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