Honduras

A tropical, yet mountainous country, Honduras is located in the very central of the Americas with Caribbean Sea coastlines to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. While large cities like San Pedro Sula and the capital, Tegucigalpa play an important role in industry, more than half of the population of Honduras live a relatively isolated existence in the mountainous interior of the country. 

Many Hondurans live and work under challenging economic conditions to support their families, with the average per capital annual income of $2,515. While the government has actively worked towards a higher standard of living, the premature mortality rates remain high among lower economic groups.

In this country of more than 9 million people, half of the population is under the age of 21. While the country is fortunate to have some pediatric specialists, the population size and hospital facility limitations render highly advanced pediatric specialist care still unavailable to most children in need. Similar to many countries, children of Honduras have significant needs for advanced diagnostic and surgical care in the areas of cardiac, orthopedic, neuro, general and plastics and reconstructive surgery.

World Pediatric Project bridges this gap in access to pediatric specialist care through diagnostic and surgical missions to deliver services otherwise unavailable to the children of this developing nation, many of whom live several hours away from the closest hospital facility.

WPP teams currently scheduled to travel to Honduras include:

For patients requiring more complex or urgent surgical care, WPP coordinates treatment through a network of United States and international partner hospitals. Approximately 8-10 children from the Honduras receive services through this program each year.

Children of Honduras: Rodrigo, age 1, Cardiac (Tetralogy of Fallot)

Training programs build local infrastructure and capacity needed to build a brighter and healthier future for children.  Current programs in Honduras include:

The effectiveness of WPP program implementation and outcomes is strengthened through partnerships both within the country and with other organizations elsewhere committed to the goal of improving access to pediatric specialist care for the children of Honduras.