Open Mic Night for Honduras

Everyone loves an open mic night, especially when it’s for a good cause, and last weekend’s Open Mic Night for Honduras went to a great cause. 

The event was hosted by BU Global Medical Brigade, and the suggested $3 donation will go towards purchasing medications to stock the clinics that the group set up in Honduras.   This is their eighth fundraising event of the semester, enabling them to surpass their $4000 semester goal. 

Open Mic Night for Honduras was preceded by an a capella concert with performances by BU, BC, and local high school groups, a zumba class, a yoga class, an auction for Red Sox and Bruins memorabilia and MCAT review courses, Dance for Honduras (a hip-hop workshop led by some club members), a 3-on-3 basketball tournament called Hoops for Honduras, and an Agganis Arena clean-up.  In addition, they have several ongoing fundraisers like selling bracelets and pins. 

“It was wonderful having the turnout we did last night at our open mic night, as it enabled us not only to raise money for the May brigade, but to share the mission of Global Medical Brigades, empowering others, with our BU community,” said Katelin Blackburn, who is on the e-board. 

Brainstormed by the Global Medical Brigade’s fundraising committee, open mic night was originally envisioned to be a Night of Comedy for Honduras, and the club sent emails to improv troupe Liquid Fun and BU’s Funniest Kid, Cody Brotter.  But as word spread from the members to their friends, interest was gained from all sorts of performers, including spoken word poems, rappers, and BU Off Broadway.

Biannually, a group of 40 undergraduate Brigaders travel to Honduras with medical professionals to promote sustainable health care.  They spend a week in January and May traveling to rural areas around Tegucigalpa, the capital of Honduras, setting up temporary clinics where people can receive free medical treatment.   BU Global Medical Brigade began going to Honduras in 2008 and since then has treated over 10,000 patients in rural villages.  They work with one of the country’s most highly regarded nonprofits, Sociedad Amigos de los Niños led by Sister Maria Rosa Leggol, a recent nominee of the Nobel Peace Prize. 

For each trip, they recruit students, nurses, residents, pharmacists, dentists and doctors to volunteer.  The trip costs $750 for the week plus airfare which typically ranges from $600 to $900.

“There’s still so much that needs to be done before sustainable health care is a reality for Honduras without the help of organizations like Global Medical Brigades,” said Blackburn. “Honduras is the second poorest nation in Central America, with only seven hospital beds for every 10,000 individuals, and access to health care a luxury that the majority of the rural populations never get a chance to access.”

Blackburn, a pre-med sophomore at BU, went on her first trip to Honduras last year and described it as life changing. 

“It was such an amazing opportunity,” she said.  “The patients we saw, their gratefulness has really been a driving force for me becoming a doctor.  The people are just inspiring.”

BU Medical Brigade is just one chapter of Global Medical Brigade, the world’s largest student-led global health and sustainable development organizations.  The Medical Brigade is the oldest discipline under the Global Brigade umbrella organization, with other issues including water, public health, environment and business.

Follow this event on twitter: @Kristakano #omnhonduras

  My response post-show: