Adios Lombrices

Refuge International continues its fight against intestinal parasites. In the spring of 2008, the third Adios Lombrices day resulted in the distribution of 1 million doses of medication to children age 2-15 living in 8 different departments in Guatemala. A $25,000 grant from Kiwanis International will fund another 1.25 million doses to be distributed this year.

Important partners in this battle against worm infestations include the Pan American Health Organization, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education of Guatemala, the Franconia Conference of the Mennonite Church, Kiwanis International, the Church of the Nazarene, WOW (Wipe Out Worms) and Brewda Avila. Adios Lombrices launched its first distribution of worm medication to 600,000 children in four different departments (states) in Guatemala in March, 2007. The medication was distributed through the school system. Teachers provided education on good hygiene practices and administered the medication to all children age 2-15, whether they were enrolled in school or not. (Many children do not attend school due to poverty.)

While the basic hygiene issues will continue to be of concern, scientific studies show that if children are free of worms for any period of time, they will grow and they can learn. For more information on the problem of parasites, go to www.who.int/wormcontrol/en/.

If your group gives grants for the health of children, please contact us so we can reach out to every child in Guatemala.

For 2 pennies a child can be free of worms. For a dime, 5 children can be free of worms. The overall cost of treating the 4.5 million children, six different times, is $800,000.

Refuge is seeking donations and applying for grants to help fund this project. If you would like to contribute to the project, please contact Refuge International at (903) 843-6203, or donate online securely using PayPal.

Help us help the children in Guatemala live a long and productive life!