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| Photo by Jenna Box |
CTMC’s most recent trip to Honduras put them in contact with thousands of patients; however, one child in particular made a lasting impression on the group and is still loved very deeply by Morris, CTMC Honduras mission trip director, and the volunteer staff.
Her name is Alicia and she is a 7-year-old Honduran girl with soft and tired brown eyes that openly express the hardship they have seen. Morris speaks very fondly of Alicia, calling her “my little angel.” A picture of the girl adorns Morris' computer screen, serving as a constant reminder of the mission ahead.
Alicia was an “unwanted child” from a broken family. Her father took the only son in the family, leaving her mother to care for Alicia. She now lives in a family with a father that is not her own and his children. She, being the oldest child in the family and a female, must live on scraps of food and often goes without eating, as do countless others.
"When we found her, it was the last day of clinic,” Morris recalled. “She just had this look of totally checked out.”
Refusing to talk or make eye contact with anyone, the nurses took Alicia and began taking care of her.
“It took us about 45 minutes to clean her little legs and get them bandaged,” Morris said as she showed a picture of Alicia sitting on a chair in front of two nurses carefully dressing her legs. Many children have these wounds on their bodies due to malnutrition. The blood vessels can no longer hold fluid.
Morris picutred with Alicia and CTMC volunteers.
Photo by Dagoberto Fernandez
Photo by Dagoberto Fernandez
When the nurses found Alicia, she was eating a vegetable similar to a potato. Morris explained that the children eat these to feel full, but they provide absolutely no nutritional value. She said it is like "eating water.”
Each trip before departing, the medical volunteers attend church with the children and get a piñata. During the party, they found Alicia sitting in a corner.
“I went and sat with her for a little while,” Morris said. “I asked her if she wanted to see the piñata.”
“She wouldn’t answer me, wouldn’t look at me” Morris said. She asked Alicia again, encouraging her to say something and finally Alicia agreed as she extended her arms to Morris, motioning to pick her up.
That night, Alicia ate two pieces of candy and began talking again. While this might seem to be a minor accomplishment, these are the sort of small victories CMTC strives for in their medical mission to fight malnutrition and its dire consequences.
A recent letter to Morris from one of the clinic directors living in Honduras brought joyful news of Alicia’s recovery, stating she is now smiling and asking for bread.
Today, Alicia is “loved and fed and taken care” in the malnutrition center, according to Morris, who speaks of Alicia with great pride and a deep sense of compassion.
In order to provide further support, volunteers brought back locally grown coffee and baskets that they plan to sell in the gift shop at CTMC, with all proceeds going back to the Honduran people.
So, how can your contribution help?
“You’re feeding Alicia,” Morris explained tearfully. “Because they are able to raise money and support themselves, they can take children like Alicia out of extreme poverty and extreme malnutrition and bring them back to health. That coffee feeds this child.”
CTMC will return to Honduras in May 2012 to continue their mission.
