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PRODIM's Home Page

The Program for the Development of the Infant and the Mother, located in Honduras, Central America. Prodim

Somewhere out there beneath the pale moon light, someone's thinkin of me, and loving me tonight......Somewhere out there someone's sayin a prayer, that we'll find one another in that big Somewhere out there.......

Welcome/Bienvenido
My name is Randy Tetzner and I am the American Representative for Prodim, please take your time on our web page, utilize the links we have provided and visit us every so often for updates ( or enter your email address at the bottom of this page for automatic notices of updates), if some of the graphics are replaced with an image sign you may have to purge your systems cache, the graphics and text may may appear different depending on your web browser and remember;

"In the little world in which children have their existence, there is nothing so finely perceived and so finely felt, as injustice" Charles Dickens, Great Expectations

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PRODIM was founded in 1989 by a Honduran physician, Sadith Caceres in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. Sadith envisioned his fellow man being able to have access to medical aid and medications that you and I take for granted. From a base camp in La Paz, a worker travels everyday with a backpack, via motorcycle to some of the most remote areas in Honduras. many of these rural villages takes up to 4 hours to reach, many do not have basic utilities. Prodim trains a village health care worker and aided by treatment cards provided by UNICEF, they dispense medications to the sick. These medications are provided initially free of charge, as they are used the villager pays a small mark up, this keeps the program going and avoids paternalism. We currently have about 100 rural pharmacies such as the one in El Dulce Numbre De Jesus and El Narjano Santa Maria. In 1995 We began an infant eye care program to provide newborns with Erythromyacin opthalmic ointment to prevent neo-nate gonnococcal blindess. This medication is provided free of charge and we have treated about 1500 infants to date. PRODIM also serves the Street Girls of Tegucigalpa, the youngest is 11, many have children, they are thieves and prostitutes and subject to many cruelties. According to a 1995 British Save the Children report 83 street children were murdered in Tegucigalpa in 1995, 20% were female, 7 of these murders have been linked to police/military involvement. Many of the abuses committed against the children of Honduras and Central America are taught by the School of the Anerica's (SOA) located at Fort Benning, Georgia.

To find out who your representative is click on
My representative

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Honduras is about the size of Tennessee and has a population of about 5.5 million people. Many children suffer from bronchial disease and die because of the lack of medical equipment and medications to treat them. Much of this equipment can be purchased over the counter from most large chain stores, but in an economy were the average wage is $13.00 to $55.00/month US (depending on which source your information comes from) it seems to be at the ends of the Earth for these impoverished people.

POVERTY

Poverty promotes pessimism, my parents are poor, my grandparents are poor, I am poor, there is no hope for me. Many people respond that these poor people should have less children. That is not the solution. In Honduras there is no social security, no food stamps, no Aid for Dependant Children. The survival of the Honduran family depends upon how many children live to adulthood, these children then support thier parents. The more children you have, the more likely some will survive to adulthood. Death takes a heavy toll on these children.

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Come visit El Dulce Nombre De Jesus and El Naranjo Santa Maria click on
VILLAGE

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While to some there may be safety in numbers, there is safety in isolation. These Street Girls are masters of stealth. The only time they come together is to meet at PRODIM's day house for a meal or a couple will get together to distract a shopkeeper while they steal food for themselves and their children. They are loners. But they still have hopes, dreams and desires along with sadness. They are nothing more than victims of hostile governments and a declining society where human life is cheap, exploitation and death is right around the corner. Their ability to stay hidden increases their survival but makes it difficult to help and learn more about them.

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To read about current human rights abuses in Honduras click on
Human Rights

How to succeed as a Missionary

There are three rules to being a Missionary follow these with your heart and you'll be a success.
1. If it's dirty, wash it
2. If it's hungry, feed it
3. If it cries, pick it up and love it

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This is Fr. Emil Cook from Salina, Kansas. He has been in Honduras 27 years and is responsible for building 10 schools. The building in the back is where the visiting missionaries stay. The building under construction is a new church. Free room and board with Fr. Emil. I have spent much time with him. If you wish to work with Fr. Emil let me know, he will pick you up at the airport and see to your comfort. His program is APUFRAM which is Franciscan Boy's & Girl's Town. We sometimes trade medications back and forth. Fr. Emil is a remarkable person who has mastered forgiveness and humanity.

Check us out!

PRODIM is a registered not-for-profit corporation under the laws of the State of Texas, PRODIM is registered with the Missouri Attorney General's Office as a Charitable Organization we are a 501 3 (c) organization per the IRS. The accountants who volunteer their time live in Texas, so we incoporated there, I live in Missouri and operate the web page and other functions here, thats why the paperwork is in two places.

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This is me going up into the mountains of La Paz. In the background is our compound where we distribute medications for over 100 rural villages. Many are so remote we can only get there by motorcycles.

What we are doing these days

1. Our first shipment of Erythromyacin opthalmic ointment has been recieved in Honduras, in 1995 and 1996 our medications treated about 1500 children. They are mostly used to inncoculate the eyes of newborns to prevent neo-nate gonnoccol blindess. This treatment is mandatory in all 50 states in the US. It is done in Honduras on a medication available basis. We need more of this medication.
2. Awaiting response from an Organization in the U.K. that buys coffee directly from small coops in Central America, once we recieve the needed info we will try to start coops in rural Honduras to increase the money coffee growers recieve from thier coffee beans.
3. Trying to get funding for a 24-hour shelter for our Street Girls program.
4. Seeking major coporate sponsors.
5. Trying to seek funding for a radio station in Honduras to make PRODIM self sufficent.
6. Working with the DEA to get Exporter status to ship narcotic pain relievers to Honduras (this is a tough one).BUT IT WAS RECENTLY DENIED.
7. Awaiting word from University of Missouri-Kansas City on a one year project to study the Street Girls of Tegucigalpa, Honduras, currently there is no funding.
8. Monitoring VITA which is to place a Low Earth Orbiting (LEO) satelite in orbit to increase modern communications in Honduras.
9. Seeking the donation of a small airplane to utlize in Honduras.
10. Seeking medical professionals to donate time and medications and medical equipment to our program in Honduras.
11. Seeking spanish speaking (you can learn while your there) people to interview rural villages and take a census.
12. We will accept any legal donation of any kind.
13. Ask for our brochure and video tape on our Program. We ask for a volutary donation of $8.00 to cover production costs and priority mailing, if you don't pay it, we won't ask you to, it's up to you.
14. We have recieved permission from MCA Publishing, The American Federation of Muscians and BMI/ASCAP to use the song "Somewwhere Out There" from the Movie "An American Tail", The version we are using is sung by the little mice in the movie and is available on CD (song #8). Please buy it. THE VIDEO IS NOW FINISHED PLEASE ASK FOR IT !!!
15. Thanks to Tara Teel for assitance and donation of supplies to print our booklet "The Street Girls Of Tegucigalpa"
16. Thanks to the Professional Law Firm of Wyrsch, Hobbs, Mirakian & Lee of Kansas City, Missouri for donating printing and binding supplies for the production of our booklet about the street girls.
17. Our donated short school bus was stripped in Kansas City and we junked it. Bummer
18. Our Music Video took 2 1/2 years from idea to finished product and recieved major financial support from Bob Hones, president Osage marketing, Inc.

So are you interested?
Have we captured your heart?
Would you like to help those in a land far, far away?
Thanks for Visiting!!! Peace, Love, Joy!

Let me know what you think about my page. Send mail by clicking here.

To Diane I hope your heart finds peace