Photo: Kathy Tschiegg holding her book, with Rotarian Becky Jewell. Created a dream from one single duffel bag; that's what Kathy Tschiegg did. In 1992, Kathy began her mission to build medical service and supply capacity in Honduras after seeing a disparity in care and supplies for said care. She started off as a registered nurse in the Peace Corps where she spent two years in Honduras working in a public hospital there. After seeing many preventable deaths, she was determined to make a change in whatever capacity she could. Starting off with her duffel bag, full of medical supplies, in her living room, she began a now 30-year-old organization called CAMO (Central American Medical Outreach.)
Over the past 30 years Kathy has grown the organization increasing the number of staff, the number of supplies and equipment sent overseas, and the number of patients they are able to serve. In 2023 alone, they were able to serve 174,000 people and deliver 10 semi-truck containers packed full of items. They have helped build a Public Health Center, a Trade School, a public gymnasium, an orphanage, a Women's Shelter, homes, and so much more. CAMO created the first and only Nursing Procedures Manual available and being used to train nurses today in Honduras. To say their work provides miracles and long-term sustainability would be an understatement.
Much of CAMO's supplies and equipment comes from donations and are supplied with funds raised throughout the year at events and on a regular basis. In 2023, CAMO celebrated its 30 years of service, and you can too by donating $30 to support their mission and the people of Honduras. To learn more about the organization and/or Kathy, you can read her book, Hope for the Forgotten, or you can visit their website at camo.org.