Carol in Honduras

It rained……and rained.     The roads in the mountains were slippery masses of clay.   But- Christiane and I made it up to Los Arcos for their very first day of construction, spent time at the school, met some of the local men working on the construction as well as the foreman.

The classroom is jam-packed with students

The existing school consists of one classroom for 90 or more students and one young male teacher (who seemed quite marvelous).   The class was jam packed with tables and desks when we arrived and they were expecting another twenty students mid-morning.    We’ll buy some school supplies for them before we leave as we had the young teacher make a list of  the things he needs.

We brought packets of toothbrushes and soap to give to the men working on the construction and although their initial reaction seemed to be “what the heck is this”, a few minutes after I left them, I saw them all at the ledge where the packets were, examining them and trading colors of toothbrushes.

The World Vision folks have been absolutely fabulous- they do the organizing and the driving.   Antonio and Saul are my new heroes after getting us down from the mountain.   It was an incredible job and at one point they, and the workers from the school had to do some considerable figuring of how to get us down the hill without the truck sliding sideways into the ditch or off down the slope.

Be careful on the slippery roads

Me meeting the foreman

Kitchen at Los Arcos school

They were right – El Tessorito was at least a three hour drive and there were a few occasions when we wondered if we would get through the wet clay road especially when it was uphill.

Saving the calf

Our real reason for going was to check out the school but my most memorable moment was saving this little calf from two dogs attacking it.   All four “gringa’s” in the truck started shouting at poor Saul to STOP THE TRUCK.   We threw water on the dogs to chase them away but the poor calf was so scared it kept trying to crawl under or in the truck.   We loaded him up and took him back to his mom (which took a little detective work) and finally carried on our way.   Another life saved.

On to Tessorito where we spent time at the school which consists of one classroom 80+ students.  There are so many students that the Grade 3’s weren’t there today.   They rotate days when one of the grades stays home.  They also have only one teacher and we are told if there were to be another classroom, they would be supplied with a second teacher.   The kids were thrilled with Ellen’s antics and she taught them how to use grass between their thumbs to make a horn type noise.  They were dubbed the World Vision band.

It was a full day and tomorrow will be as well as we head the other way to Los Arcos to see what progress is being made on the new classroom now that the materials have been delivered.

Right-to-left: Christiane, Celeste, and Saul at a community meeting

The kids have to sit 3 per desk

Christiane and I have arrived in Copan and after meetings with World Vision and Ellen have our next few days planned.   Tomorrow we go to El Tessorito (a community that needs another classroom).   We’re told it will take all day as it is about a three hour drive into the mountains.

I wandered the streets to check out signs as one of our errands this trip is to have a sign made for the new classroom in El Malcote.   It looks like wooden signs are what is available so that is what it will be.

It is good to be back here among friends new and old.

El Malcote School

The Project

The project began as an idea last September and was completed a few months later with the gracious donations of people here in Canada and the hard work of  other people and organizations in Copán Ruinas.

The classroom was completed in record time (a few weeks) after the materials were delivered.  The community organized to supply the labor.   The only paid position was the albaniel (foreman) and his assistant.

The Financial Supporters

I would like to recognize those who donated to A Better World (Carol in Honduras) and helped to fund the the classrooms:

• Paul and Nancy Wilson (Vancouver, B.C.)
• Sharon Wiebe (Carpet Color Centre Red Deer, Alberta)
• Edyth and George Brouwer (Red Deer, Alberta)
• Charlene Peel  (Red Deer, Alberta)

The community of El Malcote expressed their gratitude to those in another country that cared enough to supply the funds to buy materials for their new classroom.

The Partners

The partnership with World Vision and Ellen Finn of Project School supplies enabled the classroom to be built.

• World Vision arranged community organizational meetings, the engineering expertise for the building plan, the budget and access to the necessary materials.  They also helped provide transportation of the materials to the community and transportation for me to get back and forth from the community when I was there.
• Ellen Finn was the person in Copán that co-ordinated the purchase and delivery of the materials, and liaised between the community, teachers, World Vision and A Better World.
• Robert Kern arranged a bank account to deposit the money in Copán and made the funds available as needed.

The Last Stage

The last stage to complete the classroom was painting it a pretty Robins Egg blue.  I plan on an ongoing relationship with the community to help with whatever medical, health and educational needs the school may have.

Painting the Classroom

Unloading Bricks

Gracias "A Better World"

This is my last day in Copan.

Saul and Isly from World Vision just stopped by with a present for me.   It touched my heart as it is really me that thanks them for hauling me around all week and putting up with my terrible Spanish.   I feel like these gifts are really not for me but for all those people that supported the El Malcote school project.   It is all such a combined effort………people that donated money,  Robert and Darcy who looked after getting the money down here, World Vision and Ellen who did the REAL work here to get the classroom built, the community people who volunteered their time and muscles to actually build the building.   Robert puts up my blog faithfully every day, Barry looks after the homefront, the dog (and now a cat too), Telma my friend and hostess here in Copan.   Telma still “knows everything” and is an ongoing supply of accurate information.

And I am grateful to “A Better World” who supplies the organization that I can work through.

I’m just waiting for the lady who is buying the food for the orphanage and then will go with her to deliver it up there.   And- that will be my last task for this trip.

Telma - Knows everything

Gracias "A Better World"

Carol with the food bought for the kids home