Carol in Honduras

I did a lot of reflecting today…….on the use of time and the financial resources I used, as well as the activities and what to persue next.

The response to the health education was really terrific so will do that again.   The t-shirt’s for the hogar were so gratefully received by the kids that I would do that again also.   And, I would like to support Ellen in some of her work because I believe she reaches those that have the greatest needs.   A Better World funds will continue to supply purified water, as well as medicines and other needs  for the Hogar Angelitos Felices and continue with the tuition for the rest of the school year for Eduardo who is attending the Amigos school here in Copan.

Tonight was one of the occasions that I have anxiously been waiting for.   We had a pizza party at the hogar.   Pizza’s, orange juice and a piñata.   It was a success!      AND:   Heidi’s neck is much improved with the cream that we bought and the t-shirts that were distributed were still being worn and getting pretty dirty at this point.

Brayan and Joel filling up the Piñata

Fiesta's make you thirsty

Piñata time

Ellen always brings something for the children

Wow! I feel like things have been accomplished!

Yesterday,  Ellen and I hopped a taxi for another 30 minute trip to one of the aldeas (named El Chilar).   Ellen has been supporting the school there with classroom materials and also trying to improve some of the esthetics with offering supplies like paint if they have willing labor to use it.   So the two room school is sporting a fresh look of green and pink outside and bright yellow inside………clean and cheery.    We arrived at recess time when the kids were having “merienda” (snack time).   It looked like a pretty well run feeding program and I’ll have to ask Ellen who supports the costs of it.   These are very poor people where a good number of kids don’t wear or own shoes (see the Kinder photograph) and the most common food is tortillas and salt……..yes, just tortillas and salt.    I thought that the 2 teachers at this school were marvelous and was amazed at their use of materials like bottle caps to make abacus’s and such.    This is where Ellen wants to pilot a vitamin program.   Robert had access to a small supply of vitamins that the Salvation Army had left so gave them to her to get the ball rolling.    I’d like to help her with an ongoing supply of vitamins for these kids and will investigate connecting with Cristo Salva and Vitamin Angels.

The handwashing activities came along to the aldea and were used with great response from teachers and kids.   The kids especially liked the nice smelling soap and many of them were washing all the way up to their armpits.

Today we had an appointment with the Doctora in town and she helped answer the majority of questions that Amigos (the ophthamalogical group from Portland) had about doing clinics here in the Copan area.    I typed up a report right afterwards and fired it off because the Doctora wanted me to express their enthusiasm and the need for this group to come.   One of  the things she asked for was training for the local Doctors.   There are still some folks here in Copan that I hope to visit with that have sponsored brigades before and can help with the paperwork and such (I hope).

Carol and Ellen with the kids from school

Merienda at school

A typical rural scene

This is how we wash our hands

Lots of clean hands today.   The two Carols did their presentation to another two classes of kindergarten children.   The school seemed so very grateful that we had come, and asked for more health education on future visits.    Later while I was walking in the street, I was stopped by Angel and his wife Amelia and asked to do more presentations to Amelia’s Grade 5 classes so, before I leave on Monday I’ll hike up the hill once again to see another 40 or 50 students.   I had prepared some materials for older kids so will be pleased to have the opportunity to use them.

Carol and I took medicines up to the hogar today and we especially were concerned about little Heidi who had not yet been to a clinic.   I’m pretty sure that she has a yeast infection around her neck and bottom.  It looks SOOOOO SORE, and she cries so hard when you touch the red areas.   We stripped her and bathed her and let her have a sunbath in the nude to dry.   The “triple crème” was applied to those horrible looking areas and instructions given to wash, dry and apply the crème three times a day.   She is looked after all day every day by Juana who is a 12 year old who has come to live at the hogar.

Tomorrow, back to the hills.

Ellen

Kindy

House

Carol (the other one) washing hands

And more hand washing

Ellen and Merlin

I would like you to meet Ellen.   Ellen comes from the US where she worked as a jazz musician and after studying Spanish here a year and a half ago and seeing the extreme poverty in the aldeas (rural village communities) she came back to live and help the people in these areas.   Her first priority is the schools where she identifies needs and then aims for raising enough funds from her contacts at home to fill them.   Some of the rural schools are abominable……the one that we will visit on Friday has no desks, no blackboards, no books.   Ellens philosophy is not to be seen as “charity” so when she takes on a project it is with the “buy in” of a community and they do the work.  One of the projects that I thought was really novel is that she has the carpenters give her their left over wood chunks and hires rural folks to sand them (1 Lempira or about 7 cents a piece).   Then they are taken to schools for the kids to use as building blocks.   I will “contract” her to have some blocks made for the kids at the orphanage.

Building the house

The photos are of our morning in a rural area up in the hills about a half hour from Copan.   This young man is building a house for himself, his younger brother and 18 year old “aunt”.   He is 16.   He and his brother (who is 12) support themselves by cutting wood from higher up and hauling it into town down the mountain to town to sell.   Ellen has helped with the funds to build the house as their other house is falling to bits.

Carol and Brayan, sporting the Honduran colours

Honduras played El Salvador tonight and WON!   Great celebrations in the streets.

Carol and Carol

The earth shook last night! I thought it might be a really huge truck going by but there was no noise …….and it wasn’t a truck, it was a “sismo” (Spanish for earthquake). Pretty minor but what a weird feeling.

We are the two Carol’s. Carol and I are going to the public school tomorrow to do the hand washing presentation and spent time this morning preparing the craft materials. Here you see us cutting up ribbons and punching holes in the stars for the hand washing medals.

Rosa and her baby

Rosa's kids, Elvin and Nelson

This afternoon Telma and I visited Rosa (whose babe is now 4 weeks old). We know Rosa because she works here at the Posada as a cleaning person. She is now a single mother of three. Their accommodation is one room (12×9), with one single cot & a table that holds a one burner hot plate. Her sister and brother in law stay there as well and sleep on what there is left of floor space at night. We brought the children each a t-shirt from my donated supply and a couple of toys as well as some basic food stuffs.

As luck would have it, a representative of the Health Ministry is staying here this week and is responsible for the supervision of the maternity clinic outside of Copan. He explained a lot about the existing health system and how the Centro de Salud’s work. I think I understood most of what he said and found it most interesting to hear it from someone who works in the system. They are anticipating changes when the election happens in November.