Abstract
Through Global Medical Brigades (GMB), the largest student-led non profit organization for global health, we embarked on a seven-day trip to Honduras to volunteer our time to various rural communities. We partnered with local community healthcare workers and medical professionals to take on a holistic approach in providing medical aid, as well as the tools needed to assist the communities. Within one week, we were able to tend to 726 patients in Los Guasimos, dig trenches in La Presa for clean water irrigation, and worked together with families in Suyapa to build eco-stoves. For three days, we set up mobile medical clinics with various stations to provide care in a timely manner. The following day, we began our water brigade where we dug trenches in La Presa to lay out the structure for the community to place water pipes to provide a way for the community to get safe, clean water. On the last day, we began our public health day where we divided into six groups and went into the homes of six families to build eco-stoves. The organization deduced that the smoke inhaled by the community every time they cook has contributed to respiratory problems. The purpose of the public health brigade is to build eco-stoves within the community to allow the smoke to travel out of their house in an attempt to resolve the issue. Every one of these brigades represent one alternate solution as an attempt to resolve the health and economic disparities.