Trip to Coca-Cola
Our children have been "locked up" for exactly one year. This month we hiked to the "Coca-Cola" sign for the first time since the lockdown.
The one-hour hike starts in San Pedro Sula at 84 metres above sea level and leads up through the tropical forest to the sign at 491 metres above sea level.
The children enjoyed this trek very much. We even saw a monkey (Mono cara blanca) and a beautiful Tucan bird along the way. On this hike you have to make sure that you drink enough fluids, because at 40°C the climb up the mountain is physically very exhausting. On the way, the children can enjoy fresh oranges, coconuts and bananas.
On top we were rewarded with a magnificent view of the industrial city of San Pedro Sula. We could even see our home in the distance.
Container
In the meantime, the third and last container with relief goods for the hurricane survivors has arrived. At first, however, we lacked the motivation to start all over again. Another seven tonnes of relief goods had to be sorted and prepared for distribution. But when we started, we quickly got into the flow and sorted out and packed all the clothes, shoes, bed linen and towels for the hurricane victims.
For the children's home we received filing cabinets, which will serve us excellently in the classroom and psychology room to store the school material for each child.
We distributed the relief goods in the affected area of Jerusalem and Flor del Oriente near La Lima and were able to support 152 families and over 1’000 people.
It always saddens us to see all the hardship. The hurricanes hit 5 months ago and the people have still not received any help from the government. In the affected areas, everything is still full of mud. The public buildings such as schools have still not been cleared and the private houses had to be cleaned by their owners without any help to make them habitable again. In some areas, the public infrastructure, such as the sewage system, is still broken and people have to live in their own "dirt".
One of the biggest concerns of the people here, however, is that the next time it rains for several days, there will be flooding again because the dams have not been repaired. That would undo all the work.
Andrecito
« Just when the little caterpillar thought
the world had ended,
it turned into a butterfly.»
These thoughts correspond perfectly with Andre's story. He was born on 11 March and abandoned under a mango tree the next day. By chance, he was found by loggers when he was almost dehydrated and dying of thirst. His skin was so dry that it was rough and already cracked.
We took him into our arms with great love and joy. We bathed him in olive oil and his skin quickly regained moisture and has since become soft and healthy again.
Further Education
Throughout the year, our staff, our children and young people receive further training on important topics. Our lawyer Gustavo takes care of legal matters and informs them about the rights and laws in the country. They are also trained on how to respect the rights of the children. They are also educated about the different abuses that occur in our society.
Our psychologist Raquel gives group talks every week on topics such as life goals, friendship, my body, autonomy, peer pressure, dressing, my needs, leisure activities, assertive communication, the emotional transition from child to adolescent, etc.
And our home leader then takes on topics such as good behaviour, daily problems and conflicts, complaints and interventions.