Amor y Vida

Some unfortunate things have happened at Amor y Vida starting while I was gone. The board of directors decided that they wanted to only be a center for children from newborn up to 10 years old. All of the kids who are over 11 and have any family, were told to leave and move in with their family members. While I was gone, 5 or 6 of the kids left and another 3 or 4 since my return. This is very sad for all of the kids, the ones who left and the ones who are still there and for me too. The kids who have no family are being allowed to stay.
For those who don't know or remember, Amor y Vida is another home (orphanage) here in San Pedro Sula for children with HIV. Our church group would usually visit there after visiting Casa Corazón. I stayed there with Joe and Tom the first three weeks I was here last year and I usually go there once a week to visit the kids. They had 39 kids and their kids were all older than the kids here at Casa Corazón because for years they would only accept children over 6 years old. The day to day director of Amor y Vida, Tito, left there a few months back and the president of the board and foundation in charge took over daily operations. Things changed quickly and many of the older children were not happy. The sudden change in policies and departure of 10 of the older kids was very sad and shocking. Rather than being a home for these kids to grow up in until they finish school and are ready to go to work on their own, it has become a temporary lodging place until they are old enough to take care of themselves when they must return to their relatives. In some ways I can see the reasoning because if they have family they should be with their family and not in an orphanage. But for the kids involved, this was their home for a long time and the sudden change in rules is really difficult. Some of them have relatives living in very harsh conditions.
Tito came by today to visit with me and talk about the situation. He still has a huge heart for all of these kids who were like his own kids for many years. He has been in contact with almost all of them very regularly since they had to leave. He is personally giving them money for their bus fares to get to the hospital so they can continue to get medications. He is also actively looking for a home for one of the girls who is 16 or 17 and had to move in with her grandmother who is very poor and lives in a tiny shack in a town near the coast. She cannot afford to go to school any longer nor take the bus to the hospital. Tito told me that she and all of the kids have been phycologically devastated by their sudden uprooting.
This really has been sad for me in visiting there. Many of the kids I was closest to are no longer there but I still want to see the others who have not left so I will continue to do so.
Please keep all of the kids from Amor y Vida in your prayers.