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El Hogar Ministries eNewsletter
Special Edition - Update on Political Situation
September 17, 2009 |
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September 17, 2009
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Issue 26 | |
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| Introduction |
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We are continuing to send updates from Rich Kunz as new information becomes available.
Thank you for your concern for El Hogar and Honduras.
Liz Kinchen
Executive Director in NA | |
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| September 17, 2009 |
I have begun my fall trip in the United States, and am writing this from Tullytown, PA. I cannot tell you how nice it is to be able to go out without first determining where the demonstration will be that day. It is a relief to drive someplace and not see "Golpista" spray-painted on almost every available wall space. And although it seems like this country is also suffering from some deep and bitter divisions, everyday life feels surprisingly peaceful here.
This is a week in which Honduras celebrates some national holidays. The 15th was Independence Day. Children's Day, which is a major holiday there, was officially last week, but the celebrations often get carried over. Today is Day of the Teacher.
As a result, the Institute and the Agricultural School have given their students a few days off. The seniors, meanwhile, are getting ready to take part in their internship placements. All of our graduating students are given the opportunity to work with a company for a month, to gain experience and in some cases turn their placements into permanent jobs. We have students working in large agricultural firms, in seed companies, for a cable company, for a German manufacturer of car parts, for a TV station, and in other places throughout the country. They will return in a few weeks to take their final exams and graduate.
El Hogar is celebrating the holidays, but most of those children are still at the center. Special activities are planned for them during this time.
Normally, there are elaborate Independence parades during September. This year they are smaller and more localized. The health department discouraged bigger parades, fearing they would be a venue for H1N1, a growing problem in Honduras, to spread. More pointedly, there were fears of violence from the "resistance", so the school participation in these parades was very limited.
Life in Honduras is trying very hard to get back to normal, but there are both internal and external pressures to bring Zelaya back. The US has now revoked visas for the acting president, all the members of the supreme court, the attorney general, and the foreign minister. They are planning to revoke more visas in the near future. Oscar Arias met with the presidential candidates to warn them that the results of the election might not be recognized internationally. They signed a very mild statement saying that the agreement Arias proposed might be an acceptable way to resolve the current crisis, but emphasized that they were simply candidates, not the government, and stopped far short of urging that Zelaya should return.
The "resistance", as they call themselves, continue to call for Zelaya's restitution, and, for that matter, for the rewriting of the constitution. They held a special event on Children's Day. They had pinatas of the current president, and urged the children to shout "Golpista" as they swung for the candy. The TV station that supports Zelaya had specials on Independence Day announcing that Micheletti had gone into the hospital with heart problems, including footage of someone being wheeled into the hospital on a stretcher. It turns out that the entire story was a fabrication, meant to sow worry and uncertainty. Students are averaging two to three days of classes a week, as the teachers are the core of the movement resisting the current government.
The effects of the cuts in aid and limits on travel to and from the US are hitting this already poor country hard. Hotels are barely occupied, and the Marriott has even gone to the effort to post a large "Yes, We are still open" banner on the front of the building. Bishop Allen has expressed his concern for the poor of the country, who inevitably will suffer the most. Although everyone hopes that a transparent and fair election process will lead to resolution, the months to come will certainly not be easy ones.
I am very proud of the staff of El Hogar for being able to maintain normal activities in the midst of all this. Everyone has made sacrifices and done extra work in order to continue to give the kind of care and opportunities to our students that allow them to leave El Hogar with changed lives.
I will conclude with some words of one of our third course students at the Agricultural School, commenting on the retreat just held for those students: "I finish with something which has marked my life in an extraordinary way:, the retreat we had at the Biological Reserve of El Chile, a camp in which I experienced something unlike anything else in my life. We had challenges to meet because the theme of the retreat was "Never say I can't". Everyone must have a purpose to complete in life, but we always feel the presence of our heavenly father who is camped along side of us, and thanks to Him, we have purpose."
Thank you for your continuing prayers and support!
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| Past Articles |
| To read past articles, please visit our website at: www.elhogar.org. | |
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Sincerely,
Rev. Rich Kunz
Executive Director, Honduras | |
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