Nestled deep in the remote wilderness of northeastern Honduras, the municipality of Wampusirpi is home to lush rainforests, millenia-old cacao crops, and 26 individual villages – many of which are only accessible by river. As a result of a partnership between Green Standards and Global Links, Wampusirpi’s 3 remote health centers are now home to dozens of repurposed office chairs diverted away from landfill through Green Standards’ Green Giving program.
Helping Others in Need
Global apparel retailer, Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (A&F Co.) was in the process of revitalizing their large corporate campus in Ohio and wanted to make sure there were reuse options for their surplus furnishings. They partnered with Green Standards who worked with our charitable network and found new homes for over 4,000 gently used office chairs. Global Links was excited to receive part of this inventory to support their work across the globe – particularly their ongoing work with public health centers in Central America. Global Links was one of several non-profits that received furniture from our client’s corporate office decommission.
After the chairs were delivered by Green Standards to Global Links’ warehouse in Pittsburgh, they were then shipped down to Wampusirpi in a journey that concluded with a canoe trip down the Rio Patuca to reach the most remote of the localities within the region.
Diverting Office Chairs from Landfill
As Global Links’ Program Manager Luke West explains, furniture items are an essential resource in remote health clinics like the ones found in Wampusirpi.
Chairs and other administrative furnishings are often luxuries at health facilities in resource poor communities, without which patients and visitors are left sitting on floors.
Luke West, Program Manager at Global Links
In the throes of the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, reliable, good-quality furniture is an integral part of the medical clinics in Wampusirpi’s fight to contain the spread within their community.
“In Honduras, Global Links works with the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), the World Health Organization (WHO), and SESAL (Ministry of Health) to support the Government’s efforts to increase capacity and strengthen the preparedness of the public health system. The chairs donated by Green Standards went directly to rural health centers to help strengthen their ability to fight Covid-19 and other epidemics like dengue, zika, and chikungunya, that affect the country all year round.” – Luke West, Program Manager at Global Links.
How did the furniture get to Honduras?
A&F C in Ohio was looking for ways to repurpose their no longer needed office chairs and partnered with Green Standards to keep their items in use through our sustainable office decommission program.
Wampusirpi is a municipality located west of the capital city of Puerto Lempira, in the Gracias a Dios department. Wampusirpi’s health network is made up of 1 integrated health center (CIS) and 2 UAPS (Primary Health Care Unit) that serve a population of 5,829 people. The municipality has scarce infrastructure and accessibility is very limited. Within the municipality, different localities can only be accessed by river. Terrain roads only exist in the largest locality of Wampusirpi. Electricity is not available and diesel generators are used by very few.
It took about 3 months for the shipment to arrive at Wampusirpi. After arriving at port, the contents were trucked to an air force base. From there it was transported by air to a warehouse. From there the supplies and furnishings were transported by river in canoes to the largest locality, where furnishings were trucked to their final destination.
Thank you to our partner @greenstandards for their recent donations of wheeled office chairs. These chairs will be able to provide clean and meaningful places to sit and convene for our partners throughout central America. As central America continues to see an increase in cases of COVID-19, Global Links looks to do all we can to support health initiatives for the most vulnerable.
Global Links, on Instagram
About
About Global Links
Global Links is a medical relief and development organization dedicated to supporting health improvement initiatives in resource-poor communities and promoting environmental stewardship in the US healthcare system.
Global Links’ collaborative efforts include:
- Redirecting still-useful materials away from US landfills to support public health programs in targeted communities throughout the Western Hemisphere
- Sharing expertise and technical knowledge with international and domestic partners
- Educating partners, volunteers and the community on issues of global health and environmental stewardship
Contact:
https://www.globallinks.org/about-us/contact
About Abercrombie & Fitch Co.
Abercrombie & Fitch Co. is a leading, global specialty retailer of apparel and accessories for Men, Women and Kids through three renowned brands. For more than 125 years, the iconic Abercrombie & Fitch brand has outfitted innovators, explorers and entrepreneurs. Today, the brand reflects the updated attitude of the modern consumer, while remaining true to its heritage of creating expertly crafted products with an effortless, American style. The Hollister brand epitomizes the liberating and carefree spirit of the endless California summer for the teen market. abercrombie kids creates smart, playful apparel for children ages 5-14, celebrating the wide-eyed wonder of childhood.
The brands share a commitment to offering products of enduring quality and exceptional comfort that allow consumers around the world to express their own individuality and style. The Company operates more than 850 stores under these brands across North America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East, as well as the e-commerce sites, www.abercrombie.com and www.hollisterco.com.
About Green Standards
Capturing Value In Workplace Change
Green Standards has spent the last decade developing rigorous practices and global networks that deliver optimal value from workplace decommissioning. Our enterprise program measures and maximizes ESG performance while virtually eliminating landfill waste. A partner to the world’s largest organizations, Green Standards enables the efficient and ethical redistribution of furniture, fixtures, and equipment (FF&E) during times of workplace change.
Media Contact: Marc Borins, 1-855-632-8036
