July, 2026

45 years ago, the Peace Corps sent me to this town, Guaimaca, Honduras.

Guaimaca wasn’t where I was sent to ‘be’ a volunteer. Guaimaca is the town, the school teaching me Spanish in Tegucigalpa sent me to, to immerse myself even more. The school worked with a 4 to 1 ratio. Four students with one energetic teacher for 6 hours a day. And you lived with a family that didn’t speak English. As if that wasn’t enough immersion,after four weeks, they sent us to a small town for a full weekend. The Peace Corps sent me to Guaimaca for Mother’s Day weekend in 1979 and my life has never been the same. During the day the students were performing skits and in the evening all the neighbors opened their doors till the power went out. Then with flashlights in hand we would look for our ‘host’ family’s home and quietly get into bed. Guaimaca only had electricity for two hours a day.

Now, 45 years later, I am celebrating my anniversary with my wife Kelley for a three week trip to Honduras. We flew in and headed right to Guaimaca. After a week we headed to Intibuca and the coast to receive a 40ft. container which we had previously shipped from Pittsfield. After unloading the container in Intibuca and meeting with the 25 leaders of the 17 Lenca communities that paid most of the shipping costs. We headed back to Guaimaca. Besides cleaning, painting and just general maintenance, we made some incredible contacts and donations.

The first of those donations and contacts happened the first hour I was in Guaimaca. The first hour, but more than 20 years in the making. Years ago we brought an ambulance to Guaimaca and with the help of the ‘Red Cross’ of Talanga taught and started an ambulance crew. Many of those early ambulance crew went on to study nursing in a college level nursing school also in Talanga. Adriana was one of those  on our ambulance crew and graduated from La Gloria. Rosita Caceres is a retired nurse specializing in anesthesia technical nursing and started this school. Her nursing school is certified by the ‘Ministry of Health’ in Honduras.

As far as what she wanted, she was looking for help with crutches and walkers. We have a couple of locations in Guaimaca that loan this type of equipment, why not expand out to Talanga. Talanga is half way between Guaimaca and Tegucigalpa. In talking with Rosita we realized her school would be a good fit for some other equipment we still had from our February Shipment. 

An exam table we had received from our local Salvation Army a couple of years back, was the perfect fit for her school and will be put to use everyday.This exam table is a good example of our dedication to doing things right. I was offered cash for that exact exam table and even though I needed that cash, I did not sell it and will never sell any donations and we were able to donate it to this worthy organization.

Next was a meeting with the top people in the ‘Ministry of Education’. Professor Rapalo is in charge of ‘Special Education’ with the ‘Ministry of Education’ for the country of Honduras and Stanley Hernandez Marinez is the leader for the ‘Ministry of Education’ for the Intibuca region. First there were thank yous for the donations received from both containers and then discussions began about future help. ‘Hospital Classrooms’ are the brainchild of Stanley. Hospitals all over the country are being asked to set aside space for a ‘hospital classroom’.

We agree that it is a good idea and offered to help in any way that we can. School desks, tables, chairs, puzzles and other educational materials. It is exciting to work directly with the ‘Ministry of Education’

Our relationship with the ‘Ministry of Health’ goes back over fifteen years when I met Dr. Alvarez, and was able to donate a dental chair and x-ray unit. On this trip, the head of the ‘Ministry of Health’ for the state of Fransico Morazan, Dra. Rosales, along with Dr. Alvarez drove out to Guaimaca from Tegucigalpa to, first of all ‘Thank’ Berkshire Amistad for its work in delivering much needed equipment for the 103 rural clinics under their supervision. We also talked about the possibility of more support in the way of supplies and equipment.

Dra. Rosales is an ob/gyn, delivering babies in the Hospital San Felipe in Tegucigalpa. As she explained some of the difficulties in a hospital that delivers over 20 babies a day, I realized I had the perfect tool for the hospital, a Midmark Procedure Chair.

As we recruited some neighbors we loaded the chair into their pick up.

Again it is exciting after 45 years to be working directly with the ‘Ministry of Health’. Thank you, Dr. Alverez and Dra. Rosales.

Another old friend and artist in Guaimaca, Dariana Torres came out to Guaimaca to visit and look for usable ceramics equipment. We filled her pick-up with molds and other ceramics equipment. It was on this visit that she told me the National Fine Arts school in Tegucigalpa ruined their kiln and haven’t had a kiln since last year. I agreed to look for a kiln and ship it in the next container.

I had a small kiln that I bought years ago and brought down to Honduras in the plane. The building has been quite quiet when it comes to ceramics and I was pretty much just dusting this small kiln off. I decided to give it to ‘Escuela Nacional de Bellas Artes’ and its director Daniel Rivera who will use it all the time.Thank you to Dariana. If anyone hears about a kiln, let me know!

The main reason for going to Honduras was to meet a container of equipment we collected in the Berkshires. Edmundo and I went up to the port to meet the container. At this point ALL non-profit containers were being inspected. We went to the inspecting warehouse and I got a chance to talk with the inspector. I was able to explain who I was and what we were doing.  She told the ‘un-packers’ to unload 10ft. and then call her. When she returned, she gave them the green light to put everything back in the container and we were on our way.

First the container was coming at 10am , and then 1pm, finally the driver called at 8am, He’s here! Working with the students and teachers we started the process of unloading. Suddenly a group of 10 yellow vested workers arrived from the mayor’s office to help unload. First we got the smaller equipment out, 85 wheelchairs, walkers, crutches and beds. To get the exam tables and piano out we built a ramp and slid the heavy stuff out on carpets.

This container was different from the other we sent earlier this year in that 17 indigenous communities paid for most of the shipping. I got to meet with 25 leaders to discuss the plan to recoup the shipping cost. For example, if someone were to receive a wheelchair, they would be asked to donate $38.50 for the shipping cost. When the 17 communities have the shipping money ‘in hand’ again, they will purchase another container.

This is why we constantly need more wheelchairs, crutches and walkers. Currently we are working on a couple of containers with ‘Hospital’ equipment, but we need more crutches, walkers and wheelchairs for all the ‘nooks and crannies’

How do we do all this?  That is a great question. We need help. We may get some help for a shipment in September, but right now we need to pay the warehouse in Pittsfield where we store, prepare and ship from.

Please!  Whatever you can do.  Please mail donations to Eddie O’Toole

                                                                                            PObox   83

          Questions:  eddie56@gmail.com                             Pittsfield, MA  01201                                                

                              berkshireamistad@gmail.com