Well-Being For All

"Homes For Health" a Hit!

Homes For Health Project- Honduras

It's said here in Canada, that you can have all the money in the world, but if you don't have your health, you don't have anything. What is said then for those who have no money and still don't have their health? There is a disease in Honduras, along with other Central American countries, called Chagas. It is spread by the bite of an insect that lives in the mud walls and thatched roofs coming out at night to bite whatever inhabitants are there, whether dogs, children or adults.

If a nursing mother is bitten, she can then spread it to her baby. Once bitten, symptoms may not show up for 10 to 20 years and 20-30% of those people will develop health issues that include a swollen esophagus, a swollen heart, or heart failure. Even those less serious symptoms make it difficult to impossible for a person to look after their home and family. Children are often hit much harder, and their already short life is shortened even more.

Programa Reconstruccion Rural (PRR) has asked World Accord for our help in building 210 homes to help 210 families! That will enable about 1500 people to have better living conditions and all but eliminate the risk of Chagas! It will save lives!!!

CIDA, along with the UN, are funding the homes, but each family must come up with 'match funding' or the additional funding required to complete a new house. The match funding cost is $555. Not a lot of money here in Canada, but there, it might as well be $555,000. If the families don't come up with the additional funds required for building their house, they cannot have one and the funds will be returned.

There's not a lot of time! All homes must be completed by June 30, 2007 and without help, the people who need these homes the most, don't have a hope of coming up with that kind of money.World Accord launched this project Saturday Oct., 21, 2006 at a conference held by the Canada East Mission Center of Community of Christ, and as of this morning, October 24th, we have commitment for 51 homes!! How extraordinary and exciting to be able to tell PRR Staff to go ahead and get started on over 50 houses already!

Thank you to all those who have pledged their commitment thus far! If you would like to build a house as a group, a family or an individual, please contact World Accord Staff! We would love to give you more information!!

Every now and again, an extraordinary opportunity comes along to make a real difference in a significant way. This is one of those moments!

posted by World Accord Staff @ 9:42 AM