AMIGUITOS & BAILANDO JUNTOS
Santa Ana, El Negrito region, Honduras
DESCRIPTION
HELP UNDERNOURISHED CHILDREN – COMPLETED
The purpose of this project is to help severely undernourished children at a specialised rehabilitation centre in Santa Ana in Honduras.
The Santa Ana centre was established more than 25 years ago after a local doctor noted that many children were severely undernourished A committee of several actors, including the Catholic parish of El Negrito Morazan, built a nutritional rehabilitation centre to treat children in grave danger.
Honduras is one of the poorest countries in Central America, torn apart by street gangs and drug cartels. This violence in Honduran society has led to the extreme vulnerability of certain local populations. Around 70 undernourished children per year are welcomed at Santa Ana’s hospital for few weeks or months, sometimes for more than a year, depending on the severity of their undernourishment.
The children are looked after by a multidisciplinary team of doctors, nurses, social assistants and aides. In addition to nutritional support, the project also provides support for families and often isolated mothers.
IMPACT / MAIN INDICATORS
• Improvement of the physical and mental development of undernourished children
• Social support to mothers, who are often isolated.
LOCAL
PARTNER
Nutritional Center of Santa Ana, El Negrito region, Honduras
Selection
Duration
Project selected in September 2017
Duration: 6 years
Financed
by
The Comgest Foundation
COMMENT FROM THE AMBASSADOR
Arnaud Cosserat
Located in the region of El Negrito, the Santa Ana centre has cared for severely undernourished children for more than 25 years. Children can stay from a few weeks to one year. In the last 18 months, a reorganisation of the centre has taken place, with a transition from a Franciscan to a secular management.
Julio Ochoa is now the full-time Director with the help of Carla and Lesly, as well as several nurses, educators and a psychologist. Fifteen children stay permanently at the centre which can house up to twenty. Since early 2022, ten children have been able to return home with their health fully restored.
Each quarter, the project sponsors receive financial accounts as well as documentation evidencing the transformation of children which takes place between when they arrive and when they leave the Santa Ana centre. There are a lot of acute cases that need to be identified as early as possible for children to receive Santa Ana’s care.