Important Information for all Volunteers

Updated Travel Information for Volunteers as of July, 2009 (PDF)

Brigade fees: If you are looking to pay your volunteer fee online, please use the same process that donors would use on the donation page. Furthermore, while some donors may want to remain anonymous, as a volunteer please DO NOT do this by selecting 'hide my contact info from s2s' during the payment process, as then we will not know where the money is coming from and you will still be responsible for your payment.

Volunteer forms:If you are a first-time volunteer, you will need to fill out both the liability waiver (PDF) and application (PDF). If you have volunteered with S2S in the past, you are only required to fill out the application for subsequent visits. You will need Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Reader to open these documents. Most likely your computer will have one of these programs already, but if not, please download a free version from Adobe's website. This program is needed so that you can digitally fill out the PDF form. Once you have filled it out, please print it and sign the waiver. Scan both files back in and send electronic copies of the files to Mo at mjennings@shouldertoshoulder.org.

Individual rotations are available for residents, medical students and others (with specific, director-approved projects) at the Hombro a Hombro Clinic in Santa Lucia. This facility is located in the mountainous southwestern region of Honduras, one hour from the El Salvador border. US and Honduran physicians provide care at the clinic; residents and medical students work with these physicians in this busy clinic. Exposure to tropical diseases, orthopedics, obstetrics, trauma and primary care is afforded at this site. The clinic does not close; the rotator will be on call with the Honduran physicians. Rotators must possess proficiency in Spanish (can work without the need of a translator). December and Easter week are typically not available to rotators, as the patient flow is low and the educational experience is compromised. Medical students wishing credit for this rotation must have the appropriate forms from the office of their dean or for UC students, MedOneStop forms should be completed.

Our staff will transport you from the airport to the clinic. Public Transportation is not an option. Tegucigalpa or San Pedro Sula are arrival and departure airports, depending on the season. Please check with us before making any reservations.

You will also want to consider the immunizations that are required – Hep A & B and an oral anti-malarial (Chloroquine not Mefloquine). You would need to see your personal physician for his/her recommendations for immunizations. At least 6 weeks before your trip, you would need to mail pay your complete fee to Mo Jennings. An expense for which you would be responsible when you leave Honduras is an airport tax of approximately $40.00 U.S.

The drive to the clinic from Tegucigalpa or San Pedro Sula is 6-8 hours. Once in Santa Lucia, you would lodge in a dormitory that has been built next to the clinic. There are sections for men and women. Each contains bunk beds, toilets and showers. You would need to take your own toiletries and a towel or two. Sheets, as well as a pillow, are provided. You may wish to take your own light blanket. Mosquito netting is optional, but a good insect repellant with 30-50% DEET is vital.

There are trained cooks who will prepare your meals. As well, there are small stores in the village where you can purchase snack items (pre-packaged cookies and chips [the jalapeno chips are great!]). The water on site is filtered and has been tested and found to be very clean.

Laundry services are available from village women; it is quite inexpensive, should you wish to avail yourself of this.

The number and needs of patients visiting the clinic varies daily. You will be precepted by our Honduran physicians. You will be expected to take call at night and you can choose to accompany physicians making house calls or working on other projects. You won't need a lab coat for the clinic unless you care to use one. For the sake of cultural sensitivity, women should wear skirts and men should wear long pants (not shorts) while in patient care. You may wish to take a stethoscope and oto-ophthalmoscope, if you have them.

If you have access to pharmaceutical representatives or other means of acquiring medications for Honduras, consider that the following are meds that are very sought after:

• Any inhalent medication
• Any non generic antibiotic
• Any antidepressant/psych meds
• multi-vitamins

There is a Catholic Church and an Evangelical Church in the village should you wish to attend any services.

You can use U.S. dollars in the village - your change would be returned to you in Lempira. The shop owners are very honest – but you should know the exchange rate before leaving the U.S. for your own information. This is a personally, culturally and medically enriching experience. Once you arrive Santa Lucia, you will find that the clinic and dorm site are within a fenced area. In order to really meet the villagers and see how Honduran life really is, make it a point to leave the compound. There are schools in the village – you could pre-arrange visits there.

Should your family have an emergency while you are in Santa Lucia and need to reach you, a number will be given to you before the trip at which you may be able to be reached. Cell phones are becoming more common and you are able to use the internet at the clinic to call home occasionally. There is a post office in the village at which you can purchase fold up airmail envelopes and stamps.