The Rio Patuca runs through the heart of La Mosquitia. It has a population of around 40,000 people living in it's watershed. Located along the river are towns like Wampusirpi, Kurpa, Tukrun, Ahuas, and Krausirpi.

The Moravian hospital in Ahuas provides the only medical care for the entire watershed and has a unstaffed dental clinic.The dental clinic is the only one on the Patuca river and remains empty 51 weeks each year. During the dry season villagers move to make shift camps in the flood plain along the river. Here they grow beans and rice in the fertile soil. The sacrifice for them is that they can not leave their camp during this 8 week time for fear of it being robbed. The families become infested with lice and in great need of medical care. We will use a boat to travel up river treating the families as we come upon them.