CHAVO

The Honduras Dental Project

Donate to the Children's Honduras Dental Project

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Honduras is the third poorest country in Latin America and the second poorest country in Central America. Although the government has achieved a degree of economic stability since 2000, progress has not resulted in improved living conditions or reduced poverty for the country's huge proportion of poor people. Poverty levels have remained essentially unchanged since 1997.

The population is evenly divided between urban and rural areas, but poverty is wide spread in rural areas as well as urban centers. About 74 per cent of the country's poor people, and 86 percent of the extremely poor, live in rural areas. The infant mortality rate in 2001 was high at 36 deaths per 1,000 live births. Approximately 25 percent of children were suffering from malnutrition. 42 percent of the population do not have access to safe drinking water, and a quarter of the population are illiterate. Over 50 percent of Honduras's rural population are agricultural workers who own no land or are small-scale landowners who have less than 5 acres.

Hackett Hemwall Foundation and it's international physicians provide the treatment of Prolotherpy. Prolotherpy is used for many different types of musculoskeletal pain. This is including arthritis, back pain, neck pain, fibromyalgia, sports injuries, unresolved whiplash injuries, carpal tunnel syndrome, chronic tendinitis, partially torn tendons, ligaments and cartilage, degenerated or herniated discs, TMJ and sciatica.

In the spring of 2005, Dr. Dana Lubet embarked on an adventure rooting the beginning of the dental branch of the Hackett Hemwall Foundation Dr. Lubet was the original and only dentist working to serve the people of Honduras in the city of Olanchito. All supplies, dental equipment and financial resources were donated by Dr. Lubet.

In the early spring of 2010 Dr. Lubet was becoming weary of simply extracting decayed teeth in all of the patients he saw ranging from age 5 – 85 years old. He pondered how he could best “save” future generations a life filled with painful dental problems and embarrassment. In March 2010 Dr. Lubet allowed his dental hygienist Susan Schemmel Kraus to accompany him on his yearly trip. Susan SK decided to use her hygiene skills rather than simply assist the Dr. Her goal was to bring care and toothbrush instruction to the children. She packed her supplies in a cardboard box and went to the nearest school . She setup a mattress on the floor and applied protective coating sealants, fluoride treatments and toothbrushing instruction to over 300 children that week. Word got out through Hackett Hemwall to the other cities they served. Philanthropist Miguel Montoya asked Dr. Lubet and Susan SK if they could develop a dental prevention program for children in schools and villages through out the country. Through the partnering of Dr. Lubet and Susan SK, they co-created an inclusive dental prevention program. Thus the birth of CHAVO. CHAVO loosely translated means youth and is an acronym for Collaborative Honduran American Vision of Odontology.

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Dr. Lubet and Susan SK spent the summer of 2010 formatting a video and hands-on presentation, brochure and instruction. This included dental sealants, fluoridation of public water and home care/toothbrushing instruction.

In October 2010, Dr. Lubet, Susan SK, Dr. Andrea Sadjaa and Mary Doherty (co-facilitator of Hackett Hemwall) ventured to the city of La Ceiba where they were greeted by Miguel Montoya and 20 “public health” dentists from Honduras. After a half day presentation by Dr. Lubet, Susan SK and Dr. Sadjaa the dentists gathered into groups to begin service to the school communities in and around La Ceiba. During the next 4 days, over 800 children were seen and treated with sealants, fluoride and toothbrush instruction at no charge. This was all possible by donations from suppliers and personal funding of Dr. Lubet. The success of the fall project was overwhelming. The CHAVO Project was asked to return in March of 2011 to keep the door open and shift the paradigm from restorative to prevention for the dental health of current and future generation children.

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Upon our team's return in March of 2011, Susan SK and Valentina Tokareva-George (dental assistant) worked diligently and side by side with the same 20 Public Health Ministry dentists (Many of these dentists who had not been paid a salary by the government in months. Even though the public health workers were officially on strike, these dedicated individuals joined the CHAVO project on behalf of the children of Honduras.) traveled to remote villages, rural and inner city schools. In a one week span they were able to serve over 3,000 children. Dr. Lubet was working with Miguel Montoya with water purification plant directors in La Ceiba and Tegucigalpa . Dr. Lubet was educating Public Officials with the how and why of adding the fluoride to the public water.

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Miguel Montoya and Dr. Lubet continued on their path of success when they met with the director of the Honduran Dental School, the President of the Congress (Juan Orlando Hernandez) and First Lady of Honduras (Rosa Elena de Lobo). During these meetings the dental school promised 40 dental students to be trained in a public dental outreach program fashioned after the CHAVO Project. Rosa Elena de Lobo also granted funding to Miguel Montoya to setup a permanent clinic in the C.R.I.L.A. Rehabilitation Clinic for children and adults with special needs.

Currently the Honduran government supports the CHAVO Project ONLY with manpower of governmental dentists and students. They have NOT as of yet, granted any financial support or funding for the supplies and materials to provide the hands on level of dental prevention throughout the schools or any part of the country. That is why we still seek your support and generous gifts to keep the CHAVO dream alive.

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