When we began AHMEN, I mostly saw us going into an area, delivering a week of medical clinics, and then going home.  This was good for the people we served for the week, but how much long term difference did it make?  Over time, we realized that medical relief was just one part of what we could do.  I think AHMEN has moved into an area that could, ultimately, make a major impact on the parts of Honduras we are working in.  Here is how this happened.

AHMEN/SIFAT Initiative - What is it?

AHMEN (Alabama Honduras Medical Educational Network) became operational about 13 years ago.  We have had a rapid growth in both the USA and Honduras.   Mostly  concentrating on medical mission work, educational programs, feeding kitchens, sewing schools, woodworking schools, and evangelism, with  team members  coming from both the southern and western states.

About 3 years ago, two of our members, Lexie Hilton and Benny Rowe, met Tom Corson - one of the directors of SIFAT.  SIFAT - Servants in Faith and Technology, has a different approach from most organizations I have seen in solving problems.  They work with local folks from all over the “2/3 world” to develop local leadership and community development.  For more on what they do, click www.sifat.org

 

Yep, you guessed it.  We are now developing a joint project called the AHMEN-SIFAT Initiative.

Byron Morales, from SIFAT, has been working in Honduras for about 8 months and the initiative is well underway.  There are 45  “promoters” meeting every 3 months.  Let me give you an example of what they are doing.

 

     1.)  The promoters identify one or more areas from their community that they feel like will make a real difference in the life of their village

 

     2.)  Byron works with the “home base” of SIFAT to identify materials that could be used in the solving of the problem.

 

     3.)  At the workshops they work to solve the problem in such a way that the promoters can take the solution back to their village.

Let me give you another example.   In Honduras the ladies go out into the surrounding country each morning with their machete, cut enough wood for the day, then carry it back to their home on their heads.  They then cook over open, wood stoves  As a result, the kids all get chronic respiratory problems, the women get arthritis of the cervical spine, and the surrounding country side gets denuded of trees.

SIFAT, thru Byron, developed a means to build stoves out of local clay that uses 80% less fuel.

Byron then teaches the promoters to make the stoves.  

Local doctors hold seminar with the promoters on the importance of wood smoke in causing their kids to have respiratory problems.

The  promoters take all of this knowledge back to their own village and become teachers.

 

Benefits? Less woods destroyed

 

     - Women with less arthritis

 

     - Kids with less respiratory problems

 

     - Promoters become teachers and local leaders

 

     - Villages become empowered to make changes they can initiate and see the difference. They return to the

           next meeting with the second generation of promoters and identify new problems 

  

joshua and marianna from deaf school at workshop

In addition, Michael Franklin, a long time AHMEN member, spent part of last summer recruiting potential, future promoters.  Between Byron, Michael, and other AHMEN team members there is a possibility of opening up more sites for workshops.

What next?

 

     1.   This August AHMEN-SIFAT Initiative will graduate it’s first class of promoters.  The graduation will be in Cosuna, Honduras.

 

     2.   The same group will then begin it’s second year. The entire program is 3 years long, with workshops every 3 months.

 

     3.   Plans are being made to begin 2 or 3 new workshops in different areas of Honduras.  Three areas that are being looked at  

              are: Belarie, La Esperanza,, and Yorito, Honduras

   

How can you learn more about this?

Contact some of the folks working on this project.

Do we need financing?  Yep.  Always.  Again, contact one of the folks listed below.

Lou Altman: laaltman@netscape.net

Tom Camp: llamacamp@gmail.com

Byron Morales Morales:byromen@yahoo.com

Benny Rowe: bennyrowe@bellsouth.net

Lexie Hilton: hilton_lexie@charter.net

   Michael Franklin: frankmj42@gmail.com
 

byron at workshop in Cosuna, Honduras

Give a man a fish and feed him for a day,

Teach a man to fish and he feeds himself for a lifetime,

Teach a man to make a fishing pole and he changes a village