It´s all in the numbers...

I thought it would be interesting to publish some statistics of the development situation in Cabañas (where information is available) and Honduras and compare the information with some other countries around the world. Obviously these numbers don´t take into account disparities within each country, but it is interesting information nevertheless. (All information from the Human Development Report 2006, United Nations Development Program)

Population
Cabañas 2,000 (town)

10,375 (county)

Honduras 7,000,000
USA 295,000,000
Japan 127,900,000
Niger 13,500,000

Human Development Index
Cabañas 0.437
Honduras 0.683
USA 0.948
Japan 0.949
Niger 0.311

Adult literacy rate
Cabañas 44%
Honduras 80%
Niger 28%

Combined primary, secondary and tertiary gross enrolment ratio
Cabañas 37.6%
Honduras 71.4%
USA 97%
Japan 85%
Niger 21%

Percent of undernourished people
Cabañas 56.1%
Honduras 22%
Niger 32%

GDP per Capita ($)
Honduras 2,876
USA 39,676
Japan 29,251
Niger 779

Life expectancy at birth
Honduras 68.1
USA 77.5
Japan 81.2
Niger 44.3

under 5 mortality rate (per 1,000 live births)
Honduras 41
USA 8
Japan 4
Niger 259

HIV Prevalence rate (ages 15-49)
Honduras 1.5%
USA 0.6%
Japan 0.1%
Niger 1.1%

Access to education, clean water, and health services are huge problems in my community. Although Cabañas is located close to the wealthy tourist attraction of Copan Ruinas, it is one of the poorest counties in Honduras.

In terms of health, there are 2 doctors and 4 nurses that serve a population of 10,375 people. There are two public health clinics in the county which are financed mby the federal government, and there are no private health care options or emergency clinics in the county. The most common illnesses include diarrea (dangerous in young children), parasitic infections, upper respiratory infections, anemia, and other forms of malnutrition. Dengue fever is not uncommon. Awesome.

Here are some more interesting facts about my life in Honduras.

1:20 - The ratio of the dollar to the Lempira

$200 - My monthly salary,* not including rent
*I DO ACCEPT DONATIONS!!!

$75 - My rent per month

$5 - The amount I spend on electricity every month

$4 - The amount I spend on purified water every month

3 hours - The time it takes to get to the nearest hospital by bus

3 hours - Amount of time it takes to get to the nearest mall (Wendy´s, Subway, Nine West, Dunkin´Donuts included)

5 hours - Amount of time it takes to get to the closest beach by bus (Tela)

9 hours - Time it takes to reach Tegucigalpa

18km - The distance to the closest international border (Guatemala)

6 inches - The length of the roundworm parasite that I saw come out of my butt. To give you a better idea, here is a picture of some roundworm parasites.

$0.10 - The cost of calling the US per minute

2,000 - Number of people in my town

1,992 - Number of friends I have in my town

1,000 - Number of kids we vaccinated this year

500 - Number of kids I talked to about the importance of handwashing

200 - Number of eco-stoves (with a chimney) we built last year

12km - Distance to closest Peace Corps Volunteer

2 - The number of times I´ve fallen out of moving vehicles

1 - The number of skunks I´ve found inside my house. Yes, you read that correctly. Inside.

2 - Number of dead bats I´ve found inside my house.

56 - Number of marriage proposals I´ve recieved (and turned down) since I´ve been in Honduras.

18 - The number of months I´ve been in Honduras

9 - The number of months I have left

899,345 - Number of times I´ve considered quitting

0 - Regrets

∞ - How much I miss my family!