Spencer Matthews is a friend and colleague of NutriFund co-founder Shane Mulligan. He works in international development and volunteered with us in August to gain some on the ground experience.
Before reaching out to volunteer, I knew very little about Honduras. The history, people, lifestyle, landscapes, etc. were all quite foreign to me. I did not know what to expect. Any worries I had disappeared when I landed in San Pedro. I experienced Honduran hospitality immediately. The couple in front of me in the customs line, even though our ability to communicate with one another was strained, helped me fill out my entrance form.
I try not to take anything for granted but this came into force much more strongly the first time I went to the nutrition center. Upon arrival, I was introduced to the team there and then went to the children’s play area. I was met with many stares (and smiles!) from all the kids right away. But seeing severely malnourished children at San Yves put the work of the center into perspective for me. If the medical interventions done by the center did not occur - children could die. It’s as simple as that.
Although the work of the center is intense and physically demanding (more on that below), smiles abounded. All of the center’s staff, from nurses to niñeras, and the management team, were happy to see me and met my enthusiasm to help with their own enthusiasm. An enthusiasm that contained a genuine want and desire to change their community for the better. The Hondurans I interacted with daily and in one-off conversations throughout my two and a half weeks stay all held this belief. The belief that they had the power to personally facilitate positive change in their community and country. It became an objective of mine to empower this ideal as much as I could.
Many of the areas San Yves services in the department (state) of Yoro are rural, remote, and mountainous. So remote, in fact, that these villages are only accessible via dirtbike or moto as the Yorenos say. Riding dirtbikes (pictured!) in the mountains of Northwestern Honduras, although picturesque and fun, is not kind to the hips, back, or practically any muscles in the leg. That is one of the reasons why I have the utmost respect for what the San Yves staff does week in and week out. Riding dirtbikes over pockmarked roads for 1.5 to 2 hours one way (sometimes longer) to reach their patients, speaks to their dedication and resolve. On these site visits I was able to attend various training sessions on infant nutrition and breastfeeding. In these small villages where modern amenities are an exception rather than the rule, information regarding childhood nutrition is sparse at best, and educational modules like this provide a literal lifeline for mother’s and their children.
If you are reading this article that means you likely already have interest in the work of NutriFund and San Yves. Maybe you’ve even had the chance yourself to volunteer with San Yves in Yoro. To both of these I say: follow through! The impact you can make, whether through a donation or a volunteering stint, is immeasurable. There have not been many times in my life where the ability to do good was so present and reachable. Rarely has anything been so black and white.
As soon as I arrived in Yoro, I knew it would not be my last time there. My retort at least once a day was “Desde mi primer dia, ya quería regresar - Since my first day, I already wanted to return.” In the event you have the opportunity to go to Yoro and follow through, I have no doubt you will say the same.
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