By Nicola Lawson | UK Manager & Trustee
August 2022 Project Update
The poorest communities in Honduras continue to be devastated by the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. Families have lost the menial jobs on which they relied. Without work, they cannot afford food. Most state schools also closed during the lockdowns meaning the poorest children have remained hungry and vulnerable to increased safety threats inside and outside the home. Demand for places at the Sisters of Mary schools in Honduras has never been higher.
Thanks to you we have been able to continue supporting 1578 of the poorest boys and girls at our schools in Tegucigalpa and Amarateca, helping them to focus on living and learning.
Your gifts are giving these children a proper childhood. In our care they are enjoying the safety of their own bed at night, three nutritious meals a day and an academic and vocational education which will prepare them for employment and a productive, poverty free future. With your support their lives are being transformed.
Children like Angie. Born in Tegucigalpa. Her family life was poor. She was neglected and abused and spent her early years in an orphanage. She had no future until, aged 12, she met the Sisters of Mary.
With your help we were able to offer Angie a place at our Girls’ school in Tegucigalpa. She says “On the first day of staying here in the school, I was filled with much joy. I was thinking that all the people around me like the girls and the Sisters were fantasies”.
Angie is thriving at school, she loves her lessons, has made new friends and is growing in confidence. Shown 2nd from left in the photo, she says “here in the Girlstown, I am learning academically. The thing that I like the most is the Sisters that in reality, they dedicate themselves in protecting us. They are very good, they are listening when we want to tell them something and give their service totally to us.”
Angie says “I give thanks to our benefactors because lots of girls like me can also pursue studying, not like my life before entering here. In reality, you are a great blessing!”.
Every Day life at the Schools
Despite the chaos in the world, your support over the last months has allowed us to maintain the daily care of all these children. Rising food prices have particularly affected the food budget. The Sisters and children have responded practically to ensure your gifts go even further by growing more of their own food crops on site. The boys and girls have developed their agriculture skills and been absolutely thrilled with the results - in June and July the boys harvested a bumper crop of corn and pineapples to supplement their diet!
Focus on Education for employment
The focus of our work is education and ensuring future employment for the children so they can support themselves and their families. The summer months at the school have seen the boys and girls studying hard to learn the full range of academic and vocational subjects. The curriculum is accredited and overseen by the Honduran Ministry of Education and the boys and girls are thirsty for knowledge, hardworking in their studies and ambitious for success. They particularly love science and maths.
They also study technical and vocational subjects including sewing and tailoring, culinary arts, electronics, computing, business studies, car mechanics and welding. These subjects are tailored to job vacancies available locally and will help the children to find work when they finish school.
During the early summer many of the children were busy preparing for work and able to undertake work experience (we call it on the job training). The school also welcomed several companies keen to meet our final year students and offer work. In the coming weeks, these students will finish their studies and leave school qualified and able to take up employment with companies including AXALTA and Toyota.
Your gifts make all this possible - providing a brighter future for the most deprived boys and girls, their families and communities.
We do hope we can continue to count on your support for this life-saving work.
Thank you!
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