Nicaragua Mission Update from Dr. Julie

Nicaragua: Humanitarian Effort in 2013

We are excited about our next humanitarian trip to a new site in Nicaragua. We have been to Honduras on four previous trips, the Tibetan refugee camps in India the past two years and now we are headed off to Nicaragua. We are going to help several communities in Chinandega. This area was devastated by hurricane Mitch in 1998 and today 14 years later they are still feeling the effects of this natural disaster. People are living in extreme poverty, suffering from malnutrition and disease. There are still over 300 families, approximately 1200 people, still living at the local dump. Many of the children living there were born and raised at the dump and know no other life! HERO is going to bring to these people medical and dental care, solar cookers, clean water, eye glasses, vitamins, construction of the school kitchen from recyclable materials, etc. We are hoping to improve their lives and help them build more sustainable communities.

We are looking for your support for this project. We have a budget of over $130,000. To date, we have raised over $100,000!!!! We have a team of 40 dedicated volunteers who will represent you in Nicaragua. Please give generously from your heart and make this community a better place for these beautiful and loving people to live.

Who we are.

HERO is a collaborative team of health professionals, scientists, researchers, academics, engineers, and volunteer lay people. We are all dedicated to helping those less than fortunate than ourselves to create a healthier life in a more sustainable community hoping to preserve their cultures and alleviate human and animal suffering.

Our organization was begun by a small group of people who wanted to “give back”. We were aware of our fortunate lives and of those far less fortunate than us. We began as a grassroots medical team that served in the remote mountains of Honduras. We are now comprised of a diverse group of volunteers which gives us the ability to serve more people in many more ways. Read more …

The 2013 Mission and Beyond

We are committed to “Giving Back”, to making a difference albeit in a minute area of this great world.  Our 2012 mission to Mainpat, India was a great success. See a short cut of Stephen DeVol’s upcoming documentary, “The Wings of the Dharma,” on our blog.

The second HERO mission in June 2012 took the HERO team back to Copan, Honduras. The team was led by Dr. Phil Garrod who has been there several times before. Dr. Phil and his team brought medical care, nutritional support and eye glasses to people in remote mountain regions. They joined hands with Haven Universe, another non-profit organization that has done great work there in the past. Haven Universe has an established relationship with that community and had asked HERO to join them. We were happy to once again “Give Back” and assist the people of Honduras.

We are pleased to announce the location of our 2013 mission. The HERO team will travel to Nicaragua to support a small community clinic that is already in place. We are excited to explore a new area and expand our services. Our hope is to return to the Tibetan Refugee Camp in 2014 and continue the work we have done there as well so stay tuned!!!!

We are all dedicated to helping those less than fortunate than ourselves to create a healthier life in a more sustainable community hoping to preserve their cultures and alleviate human and animal suffering. Our organization was begun by a small group of people who wanted to “give back”. We were aware of our fortunate lives and of those far less fortunate than us. We began as a grassroots medical team that served in the remote mountains of Honduras. We are now comprised of a diverse group of volunteers which gives us the ability to serve more people in many more ways. Our efforts have taken us to the Tibetan refugee camps in remote northeast India, back to the mountains of Honduras on several occasions and now to Nicaragua. Please help us help others by supporting our next mission.

Thank you!

Thank you to all of the generous contributors who supported our past missions to Honduras and the Tibetan refugee camps in Mainpat.

We would like to offer a special thank you to Venerable Tulku Tsori Rinpoche and the entire Monastery Staff for their tiredless efforts to host the HERO team and Northern Arizona University for the past 2012 mission. We could not have been successful without their help! Their dedication to the people of Mainpat is lifelong and inspiring. Thank you all for the kindness you extended to our team. HERO would also like to thank Chip Gordon and Drs. Phil Garrod and CT Gordon for organizing and leading a most successful mission to Honduras. This is always a special trip for our teams and we appreciate their dedication to these wonderful people.

How you can help.

We rely on the aid of others who also want to “give back”. We are a volunteer organization and need people who have the same calling to assist those in need. For those who want to help but have no time to volunteer, we need donations to keep our projects going.

Our medical missions take us to other countries and although the volunteers often pay for their travel expenses and use their vacation time to serve there are medical supplies, clothing, food, etc. that must be purchased. We have expanded our services to include vaccinations, vitamins, alternative energy sources, solar cookers, dental care, health education, construction projects and much more. Please give generously so we may help to make a difference in someone’s life and to help build sustainable communities in these devastated areas.