Carol in Honduras

..the Minister of Education for 91 schools in the district. Oscar took the time to go with us to Carizalito today…

He asked about Karen and said he remembered how special her donation was to build the school.

I think he and I made a deal today… he puts a teacher in the school next year, and A Better World supplies materials to build a school in Vega Grande.

These are 4 of the 9 children we met today that are not attending school this year because Carizalito school is not open.

Robert Kern and I have been facilitating Brayan’s schooling and appropriate living situations since this little boy was 5. He is now 13 and is able to make his own choices. When given the options, Brayan chose to attend the Amigos school here in Copan and we were able to locate a host family for him to be with. He seems so settled and happy this time… I think we have found a good combination of school and home for him. When school is done next month, he will go back to the little community in the hills to be with his mother and sisters for their three month vacation.

Brayan is a gentle, energetic, generous young person. He has had quite the life shuffled between parents and an orphanage, between schools and living situations. What some of these kids overcome and come out of smiling is quite amazing and it has been a privilege to be part of Brayan’s life.

Megan and I had to try out the new slides.

We presented the Rotaract sign to the chairman of the Casita Copan board. The Executive Director (Emily Monroe) and some of the staff were there to welcome our group and express their thanks and appreciation for the wonderful gift. The Board Chairman was a Rotaract member at one time!

It was a unique experience to be able to visit one of the Casitas that Casita Copan has just established for their young charges….a regular home where 5 of the “orphan kids” and their house mom live. The kids were delighted and so anxious to have our attention, try out their beds and look at their own rooms.

They have some personal space which these kids have never known in their lifetimes. We brought some little toys and played catch with their new bouncy balls.

Wheeeeeeee!

I wonder when we will see these kids again. I’ve known some of the children for many years and have seen them grow. I am so excited that they finally have a family type home in a rich and loving environment.

Adios for now from your Canadian friends

I have just showered off the sweat of the day and flopped into bed with weariness. It was a good day. The usual hour and a half of bumping along in a truck (at least we weren’t in the back) to reach Nueva Armenia (the site of the new Maternity/ Child clinic).

I presented the A Better World sign along with cards of greetings from those that have followed and supported the clinic progress.

The clinic is pretty much completed and they are just waiting for the equipment to be transported from Tegucigalpa. We were proudly shown the ante partum area, the labor area, the examination rooms, the delivery room and postpartum. There are showers! With hot water! I expect most of the moms that will use this facility have never had a hot shower.

Afterwards we were hosted by a local family and treated to a “Sopa de Gallina” lunch…. Chicken soup with wonderful local vegetables, the whole chicken, rice, hot/ fresh tortillas right off the grill and homemade fresh cheese.

Sopa de Gallina is the ultimate company lunch here in Honduras.