|
|
|
El Hogar Ministries eNewsletter |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
Donate Groceries
|
If you shop at Shaw's or Albertson's grocery stores, your
groceries can earn money for El Hogar.
Simply register your store card with El Hogar Ministries at the above link, and 1% of your purchases will automatically go to El Hogar!
|
El Hogar on YouTube
|
|
See the first of a series of El Hogar videos on YouTube, and stay tuned for further videos. (Please do not post your own video without
contacting us first!)
|
|
|
The Financial Crisis and El Hogar Projects
|
El Hogar is by no means exempt from the global financial
crisis, and we are working hard to make sure that our children and young people
still receive the care and the opportunity that we have promised to them. This is not easy when our contributions are
down, costs are up because of inflation here in Honduras (15% last year), and
more people are in need of our services b ecause of the surge in both
unemployment and inflation here.
I have met
with the staffs of each center, and repeatedly with our directors, to try to do
what we can here in Honduras. Those who
have visited us know that there is not a lot of "fat" in our budget. At the best of times, we still try to be
frugal. Still, we have come up with some
ways to save money. So, for instance,
Claudia is sending someone to the outdoor market each week to buy food, which
costs a bit less there than in the grocery stores. We are reusing educational
materials, and trying to get as many donations as we can from local
companies.
The
government recently required a large increase in the minimum wage, which has
cost us some money. But the rest of
staff salaries so far have stayed the same, with the hope of a token increase
later in the year. I met with the staffs
of all three centers to talk about this year's challenge. For them, dealing with huge inflation yet stagnant
salaries is the equivalent of a pay cut.
But I was surprised by the response from the staff.
When I
asked if there were any comments or questions (bracing myself for hearing
distress about how they would make ends meet) I was met with the following, "I
have worked here as part of this team for years, and we have been through many
good times, and we believe in this ministry, and are not just doing it for the
money, and of course we will remain faithful and try to get through the hard
times together!" Then another staff
member added that she was sad that I had said I worried about this. "Please remember that you are no t alone! We appreciate so much the help we get from
the US and Canada. We understand that God
leads us through times of plenty, but also through the desert sometimes. You are not alone. We are all praying for you and for our
supporters. The important thing is that
God is with us as we go through this."
As if that
was not enough, the staff has organized two local fund raising events for the
next few months. This is in addition to
their normal work. At the Institute they
are talking about making some things they can sell to increase their
income. The farm is planting more food
to use for the three centers. I am
moved and motivated by the way the staff has drawn together to meet this
challenge.
It reminds
me that we have a very special group of people that make up the staff of El
Hogar Projects. No one is getting rich
financially from their work here, but I feel very blessed to be able to work
with people of such vision, commitment and love.
- Rich Kunz, Executive Director, El Hogar Projects, Honduras
|
Newest Children at El Hogar
|
The new sch ool year began this February and there are close to 60 new children in total at El Hogar, the Institute and the Farm. These are 60 children and young men saved from danger, destitution, poverty and poor health. Here are some of the littlest ones.
 |
| Gifts for Daily Living |
Our
sponsorship program provides food, shelter, health care, clothing and education
for our 250 students. However, the cost
of a sponsorship does not cover all of these daily, ongoing expenses, and not
all of our children are sponsored. We
strive to make up this difference through unrestricted gifts, either one-time
or recurring. Now we have an additional
program for supporting El Hogar in meeting these daily needs. It is called Gifts for Daily Living. See
what the dollar can buy in Honduras to care for our children's basic needs:
Food:
- $15 provides 250
oranges or bananas
- $30 provides 100 lbs
of flour
- $50 provides 100 lbs
of beans or rice
- $100 provides food
for a day for all children at the Technical Institute or EH
- $250 provides food
for a day for all 250 children
Education:
- $500 provides
curriculum materials for all elementary classrooms for one year
- $1000 provides teacher
training for all teachers for one year
- $2000 provides
workshop materials for one shop for one year
- $5000 provides an average
elementary school teacher salary for one year
We are so very grateful
for your help in transforming the lives of these children born into such
desperately poor situations.
|
One Boy's Story - Cristian Gamez
|
El Hogar is
developing a deepening relationship with the indigenous community of Montana de
la Flor, a very isolated and poor, but beautiful, rural area. One of our new students who came this year is
Cristian. Cristian is a sturdy little
boy, but shortly after he arrived at El Hogar we found that he had a problem
with bowel control. Because he would
soil his bed, and often smelled, this presented many problems.
At first we
thought this was psychological - a problem of adjustment to a new environment. But Dr. Dario did some tests, and determined
that it was a physical problem. In the
US, this is usually caught by the second year of life. Because he had grown in a place with so few
medical resources, he had lived with this condition for all his seven years.
This is a
condition that can be remedied with a series of surgeries. With the generous support of several churches
and individuals, we were able to arrange for Cristian to have his first surgery
last month.
Cristian's
mother came to be with him during the surgery and recovery period. He went off to the hospital with a contingent
of friends and supporters. For his
mother, who has no education and has lived her entire life in her community, it
was overwhelming. She had never before been
in an elevator (there are NO two story buildings in Montana de la Flor), or
inside a hospital. Claudia had to show
her how to use the plumbing, as she had not been  around running water.
Fortunately,
the surgery went well, and when Cristian returned to El Hogar there was a
greeting ceremony. He has two more
surgeries in front of him, but he is recovering well.
Meanwhile,
the staff are now caring for his colostomy, which is something which is way
beyond what we could possibly require of any teacher. Cristian has thrived on the attention he has
received, including having more friends to push his wheelchair when he first
came back than he could possibly accommodate.
We feel
very blessed to be able to shepherd him through this major change in his life. If he had not come to El Hogar, we are not
sure his condition would ever have been diagnosed or treated. He would have grown up as an outcast with a
serious physical problem. As it is,
because of the generosity of some of our supporters, his life has taken a major
change for the better.
|
|
Walk for El Hogar |
Save the date! October is National El Hogar Walkathon month. If you would like to Lead a Team, or register
to walk, or make a donation, please contact our office and watch our website for information www.elhogar.org.
|
|
|
|
Sincerely,
Rev. Rich Kunz Liz Kinchen
Executive Director, Honduras Executive Director, North America | |
|
new dormitory for our 107 littlest children
at El Hogar is 99% complete! We have
three quarters of the children now living in it, while we await the final set
of new metal beds to be made by the Institute boys. The dorm is bright with
good space for living-room-style gatherings of children, as well as decent apartments for the night supervisors to occupy, a vast improvement over the
little closets they had before. The
children are beside themselves with excite
ment and joy. The building sits up back on the highest part
of the campus and seems to cast a warm air over the grounds.
h. 
