Caring for Carla

Like most 3-year-olds, Carla loves to run and play.
But playtime turned painful when an unexplainable rash began to spread all over the toddler’s body.

Carla lives with her mom in a one-room shanty just outside of Tegucigalpa, Honduras. They have no running water, no electricity, and the walls of their home are pieced together with plastic sheets and cardboard.

For so many in their community, these poor living conditions and lack of hygiene facilities are often to blame for respiratory infections, skin irritations and other common illnesses. Even worse, such poverty keeps families like Carla’s from being able to afford medicine to treat their symptoms.

Fortunately, an Operation Blessing medical clinic came to their community – within walking distance of Carla’s home. 

There, doctors saw more than 400 patients that day, including Carla, who received free medicine donated by OBI to treat her rash. But the relief didn’t end there. Several staff visited Carla and her mom at their home.

“They had a single pot to cook in,” said OBI staff, “and they cook indoors on a make-shift stove, causing smoke inhalation among other issues.”

OBI gave the family some basic groceries such as rice, flour, sugar, shortening, and coffee, which will go a long way in helping Carla’s mom, who has limited income making small clay wall hangings.

Teams also hope to help make improvements to their home including obtaining an oven that will ventilate the smoke and fumes outside of the house.

HOW YOU CAN HELP
Be a part of OBI's ongoing medical relief efforts by making an online contribution to help those suffering from extreme poverty and sickness.