Central America

Tracy Boyer, Pulitzer Student FellowFeatured article in the Daily Tar HeelSANTA LUCIA, HONDURAS — Deep in the mountains of southwestern Honduras, Maria Digna Ramos Mendoza spoon-feeds Plumpy’Doz, a peanut-based supplement, to her infant daughter. Four other hungry children watch while either sitting on the dirt floor of their one-room hut or swinging from a hammock. Chickens, dogs and rats roam around the cluttered room, scavenging for their next meal. Read full article And click on the image below to explore an interactive presentation produced by Tracy

Learn more about Tracy's project Honduras: Fighting Malnutrition
View Tracy's other dispatches

Featured article in the Daily Tar Heel

SANTA LUCIA, HONDURAS — Deep in the mountains of southwestern Honduras, Maria Digna Ramos Mendoza spoon-feeds Plumpy'Doz, a peanut-based supplement, to her infant daughter.

Four other hungry children watch while either sitting on the dirt floor of their one-room hut or swinging from a hammock. Chickens, dogs and rats roam around the cluttered room, scavenging for their next meal.

Continue reading the story here.

Deep in the mountains of southwestern Honduras, Maria Digna Ramos Mendoza spoon-feeds Plumpy’Doz, a peanut-based supplement, to her infant daughter.

Four other hungry children watch while either sitting on the dirt floor of their one-room hut or swinging from a hammock. Chickens, dogs and rats roam around the cluttered room, scavenging for their next meal.

Mendoza is part of a research study being conducted by professors and students at UNC, part of the University’s larger focus on international health.

Political will is scarcer than food.

In a country plagued by chronic malnutrition, government solutions keep coming up short. The real problem: poverty and income inequality.

Nestled in a remote northern Honduras valley, Santa Lucia and the
surrounding area are home to 20,000 rural inhabitants. These families
rely solely on their agrarian skills for a subsistent living. But
according to UNICEF, over one-third of Honduran infants are
malnourished due to their indigenous lifestyle.

Learn more about Tracy's project Honduras: Fighting Malnutrition 'Shoulder to Shoulder'

See Tracy's other dispatches

Nestled in a remote northern Honduras valley, Santa Lucia and the surrounding area are home to 20,000 rural inhabitants. These families rely solely on their agrarian skills for a subsistent living. But according to UNICEF, over one-third of Honduran infants are malnourished due to their indigenous lifestyle.

Samuel Loewenberg narrates images from Guatemala's malnutrition clinics.

Although most of Guatemala's children have enough food to eat, many are not receiving the right kind of food. Samuel Loewenberg reports on the country's growing crisis of chronic malnutrition.

In the clean, toy-filled interior of a clinic in Chiquimula, a 9-year-old girl appears to be frowning. Her name is Domitila, and her muscles are too weak to form a smile (see webvideo). Her body is fragile: arms and legs wasted, patches of hair missing, the veins in her legs forming a black web-like pattern that shows through her delicate skin.

Tracy Boyer, Pulitzer Student Fellow Maria Digna Ramos Mendoza smiles at her youngest malnourished daughter,
Digna (2), as her six-year-old daughter Reyna feeds a chicken on their
dinner table in their mud-and-dirt hut. Maria Digna Ramos Mendoza wishes for a pretty house and a large basin to store fresh water for her five children. But, when she wakes up, "there is nothing."Mendoza lives in a one-room, mud hut with her children. Her husband left four years ago to work in the United States, where he met another woman. She said whenever they call him asking for money, he says that he is more sick and needs money sent to him instead of to them.During the rainy season she uses their only mattress as a make-shift wall, along with three other ratty tarps. The family of six sleeps on two twin bed frames, without electricity nor running water. Many days she struggles to feed her hungry family. She collects firewood to make enough money to buy beans and rice. Each two-hour-long trip nets 30 lempira, roughly $1.60. But some days she cannot go because she has to take care of the children."There have been a few days when we only had hot sauce to eat, or a few tortillas to go with it," she said.

Maria Digna Ramos Mendoza wishes for a pretty house and a large basin to store fresh water for her five children. But, when she wakes up, "there is nothing."

Mendoza lives in a one-room, mud hut with her children. Her husband left four years ago to work in the United States, where he met another woman. She said whenever they call him asking for money, he says that he is more sick and needs money sent to him instead of to them.

Tracy Boyer, Pulitzer Student Fellow Shoulder to Shoulder Medical Director Juan Jose Francisco
Vasquez Alfaro meets with Santa Lucia's mayor (background) and local
health promoters to discuss arrangements for a future medical clinic in
the nearby town of Santa Rita.After speaking with the mayor of Santa Lucia and several locals about Shoulder to Shoulder, it is evident that mis-communication between the locals and the non-profit has caused recent strife in the community.Shoulder to Shoulder currently operates seven clinics throughout the southern region of Intibuca, six of which are primary health centers owned by the Honduran government. These centers run under the government's standardized healthcare system and charge five lempira per visit, the equivalent of 25 cents.The seventh clinic, in Santa Lucia, is owned and operated by Shoulder to Shoulder, and serves as a private emergency center. They charge 100 lempira for their services, roughly $5. There is also a government health center in Santa Lucia, but many locals do not understand the difference between the two options. Furthermore, if locals went first to the local health center and were referred to the emergency clinic for further care, it would be free of charge.Shoulder to Shoulder National Director Leslie Napora said that they were forced to charge 100 lempira for consults in Santa Lucia due to the staggering U.S. economy. Since this clinic does not receive subsidies from the Honduran government, she said, it was financially impossible to stay open if they only charged five lempira.