Events

DR. ALMENDARES AND STAFF AGAIN HARASSED AND THREATENED WITH THEIR LIVES IN SEPTEMBER 2005. See Amnesty International issues Action Alert (AI Index: AMR 37/005/2005).

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), a regional organization of the United Nations and the world's oldest public health organization, has officially classified Honduras as one of the five neediest countries in western hemisphere. A press release dated May 19, 2004 details that a presentation by the PAHO director, Miriam Roses, at the recent 57th World Health Assembly in Geneva discussed a stepped-up effort to address the issues of extreme poverty, infant and child mortality, low life expectancy, and AIDS in the five priority countries---two being in Central America (Honduras and Nicaragua). The release points out that between 43 and 63 percent of the population of Honduras and the other four countries lives below the poverty line, and maternal mortality rates in these countries are comparable to the United States in the 1930's Depression.

In October 2004 Dr. Juan Almendares was an invited speaker at the Canadian Environmental Network International Caucus in Montreal, Canada, moderating the session on the subject of "Wars over Natural Resources---Violence Increases."

Dr. Juan Almendares is an invited speaker at the 132nd Annual Meeting and Exposition of the American Public Health Association (APHA) in Washington DC, November 6-10, 2004. Dr. Almendares will be presenting at one of the special sessions on Environmental Health (see www.apaha.org/meetings/special_sessions.htm). More details will become available on the site later in July. Also speaking at APHA's Closing General Session is Dr. Paul Epstein, assoc. director of the Center for Health and the Global Environment at Harvard Medical School in Boston. Dr. Epstein and his Center have sponsored or assisted several of Dr. Almendares' visits to the United States in connection with the Center's activities and symposia.

On June 6th, 2004, following its regular service in which Dr. Almendares' work was highlighted by Reverend Brian Covell, the Third Unitarian Church of Chicago held a highly successful Fiesta Luncheon fundraiser for Enable International and Dr. Almendares' health projects. There was an excellent turnout, and Latin rhythms were provided by musicians Don Neal and Raul Fernandez.

In July 2003 an Enable International fact-finding team consisting of Jim and Eva McCormick, Beth Beams of Fort Wayne, Indiana, and Enable president Michael Collins spent a week in Tegucigalpa interviewing various individuals associated with CPTRT, Honduran Health Exchange and COHAPAZ, and the Honduran government. The purpose of the mission included examination of the reasons for the break-ins of the CPTRT office in May of last year and the harassment of its workers. The team also interviewed the former Police commissioner Maria Luisa Borja, who is mentioned in the excellent article by W.E. Gutman on the Articles page of this website. (A more extensive report of this fact-finding mission will be entered soon on the Articles page).