In order to help as many children as possible, adults will only be seen on an emergency basis. This is the third trip for the UNMC College of Dentistry, yet it is the first time the university is sponsoring the trip. UNMC will provide supplies and equipment and the CFCA will provide housing and one meal a day to the volunteers. Students are responsible for airfare and spending money. Dr. Ewoldsen said that although the trip helps the community of Nuevo Ocotopeque, the students benefit the most.
Students come home feeling extremely lucky for everything they have.
The Honduran people would trade places with any one of us on our worst day and never look back. This year's volunteer group comprises students from each level of the College of Dentistry. A few seniors will receive credit for volunteering, however, this is not the norm, as most students are strictly volunteering for the experience. The CFCA built the center to help serve the high number of needy people and homeless children in Nuevo Ocotopeque, which is located in western Honduras only a few miles from the El Salvador and Guatemala borders. The small, poverty-stricken town of approximately 7,000 may not be an ideal vacation spot for all, however for this group, it is a worthwhile destination.