CAMO Celebrates its 30th Anniversary on May 21, 2023

The traditional gift for a 30^th anniversary is a pearl. The Oxford Dictionary defines a pearl as “a person or thing of great rarity and worth.” That definition could not better describe Central American Medical Outreach (CAMO) and its founder, Kathryn Tschiegg. CAMO celebrates its 30^th anniversary on May 21, 2023 with an open house at its Orrville headquarters, which is free and open to the public.

Let’s start with rarity. The model of CAMO’s service to Honduras is unlike any other humanitarian organization. CAMO does not just provide temporary relief, CAMO exists to serve Honduran residents on a year-round basis not only in the areas of medical services, but also in the areas of training, education and community development. Each year, CAMO provides services to Hondurans, aimed at alleviating human suffering. CAMO improves lives of Central Americans by strengthening healthcare, education system and promoting sustainable community development, bringing hope to the forgotten.

The other word used to describe the pearl is worth. It is impossible to quantify the lives CAMO and Tschiegg have impacted, let alone save. However, CAMO’s direct medical services reach more than 97,000 lives annually in the following areas: nutrition, dental, neurosurgery, gastric and cervical cancer, dermatology, psychology, diabetic foot care, pediatric cardiology, endoscopy, prosthetics, x-ray, ultrasound, mammography, cytology, respiratory and more. Each year at CAMO’s headquarters in Orrville, an average of eight 40-foot containers full of donated medical supplies and equipment are shipped with an annual average value of $2.6 million.

CAMO has a contract with the American Heart Association and trains over 1,000 medical professionals each year in the areas of CPR, AED and pediatric/neonatal advanced life support. Tschiegg also started the first standardized nursing procedures in Honduras. More than 1,100 nurses have completed CAMO’s training with numerous health care facilities adopting the protocols created.

Finally, in the area of community development, CAMO has invested $4 million worth in capital improvements. The CAMO-supported daycare center provides daily nutritious meals and education to children in the area of Santa Rosa de Copan. Young adults stay off the streets by attending the CAMO-supported community center and gym, giving them an opportunity for exercise and the promotion of healthy lifestyle choices. The CAMO-backed domestic violence center provides empowerment and safe housing for women and children in the region.