MAKING IT COUNT

VOLUNTEERING IN A THIRD WORLD COUNTRY

A pre-Pandemic happy story

How lucky are we to have been born in a country of plenty; plenty of comfort and opportunity.  I am a believer that one who has, should help one that has not, so when I take my vacation, I “make it count”.

As some of you know, I travel to the island of Roatan (located in the Bay Islands of Honduras) at least twice a year, and this February, I chose to volunteer at clinics that were held by visiting veterinarians from Maine.

Roatan is third world, there is no sugar coating it.  Tourists flock in droves during the winter months, living large in resorts and sunning on beaches.  What tourists don’t see are the locals struggling for their next meal, barefoot children who never get an education and numerous pets who are but skin and bones, covered in ticks and reproducing at an alarming rate.  

Roatan has boomed in recent years and the new expats have set up many initiatives to help the islanders and their pets.  

Such an organization is ROAR (Roatan Operation Animal Rescue). This year ROAR teamed up with BREWER Vet Clinic from Maine to offer free spay and neuter clinics on the East End of Roatan.  Brewer visited Roatan for 2 weeks; two different teams, for one week each, in different East End communities and set up consultation/operation theatres in garages, school yards, gyms and sheds. The staff from Brewer had prepared for this trip in Maine (refer to the You Tube video at the end, it’s worth seeing) but not any amount of preparation can ease the culture shock once boots (actually crocs) are on the ground. 

I volunteered in the community of Diamond Rock and that day the clinic was held in a school yard.  The morning setup is easy, the sun is still low, but by 9 am, it is out in full force and it starts to get dreadfully hot. The average winter temperature in Roatan is 28 degrees C. 

 

People started to arrive on foot, bikes and motor bikes bringing dogs, puppies, cats and kittens in cardboard boxes, garbage cans, laundry hampers etc … The animals were registered, weighed and given their first consult by the vet technicians.  We had set up a tarp on the ground with various donated flea, tick, heartworm medications to give out and the technicians explained the dosages to each of the pet owners. The operating theater was set up in the only shaded area in the yard, operations done on folding tables. The op recovery area was also set up on the ground on a tarp.  All totaled in 2 weeks, Brewer did 192 surgeries and 156 exams.

I met some wonderful and dedicated professional people and cannot thank them enough for their service to the communities of Roatan, helping people who need it most.

 

Brewer Roatan Vet Mission link:  https://youtu.be/gf3u6JerP_Y