Day of Mercy

Yet another reason to have a party at the casa, today was "Day of Mercy" the anniversary of the day the Sisters of Mercy was founded in Dublin in the 1800's. They had a little service followed by a video about the history of the Sisters of Mercy, founded by Catherine McCauley as a group to help out poor children and battered women in Ireland initially. They were initially just women volunteers funded with private money but they went to the Catholic church for support and that required them to take vows as nuns because they were deemed to be a convent. Eventually they spread all around the world with their primary mission still being to help out poor children and women in need. The service at the casa was of course followed by a piñata, cake and soda for the kids to get crazy having fun.

R & R at NPH

I finally got my first break away from Casa Corazón and went to Tegucigalpa to stay at NPH Monday - Thursday this week. I know leaving a home of 36 kids and going to an orphanage with almost 500 kids does not exactly sound like R&R, but it was a great break and change of scenery. It was the first night I got to stay away from my room here at Casa Corazón after 2 1/2 months. NPH is a giant ranch of about 2000 acres in the wooded hills way outside the city. It is like a giant nature preserve. The weather is much cooler there and it is very peaceful. Although I spent much of my time with all the little kids there, I did have plenty of time to sleep in and relax. I was the only one in the visitors lodge which was very nice and quiet. It is away from the kids houses so it was different from here where I live and work in the same place every day.



This is Maynor, my godson who used to live at Casa Corazón before being moved to NPH to live with his brother Carlos. This is Adonis in the photo with him, not his brother but another boy at NPH.


Some of the younger kids playing ball in the fenced in concrete ball area.


Futból (soccer) practice for the kids on one of the grass fields. The ranch is very spread out and has lots of space for the kids to play.





The twins, José and Tomas are identical in every respect, not just their looks. They both are extremely friendly and very energetic. The first year I was visiting NPH I thought it was one boy who kept changing cloths until I finally saw them together. I thought I figured out that Tomas always wore the sleveless shirts and José the regular t-shirts, but they changed on me this day and José had on the sleeveless shirt to mix me up. When they are in their school uniforms it is really difficult to tell them apart.



Finally some R&R in the hammock next to the papaya tree.

I'm Legal Again

After singing "It's no fun being an illegal alien" all week, I finally got my visa extended on Friday for an additional 60 days. The bishop's office said they would get me a letter for the extension on Monday when my original visa expired and that finally got it done on Thursday afternoon. The good news was that my extension was done here in San Pedro Sula hassle free with the letter on Friday and was free.
Today is Independence day in Honduras, the day they declared independence from Spain. The kids were off school on Friday and again on Monday.

KFC Visit - photos from the latest group

This one they really liked playing with the big chicken and eating the chicken the group brought with them.

Happy Children's Day

Today is Dia del Niño (Children's Day) in Honduras. Since Mother's have their day and Father's have theirs, the children have their own day here also. I am very surprised that Hallmark has not picked up on this and tried to capitalize (make $) by creating this holiday in the U.S. so they can sell more cards.

The kids have had group after group come to visit over the past 3 days. The groups are mostly high school classes or church groups. Each group does pretty much the same thing. They bring a lot of candy, cakes and soda to sugar up the kids. They all bring piñatas with more candy inside them. The kids love it, but the adults are very tired from the constant screaming and playing of the kids who are all buzzed up on sugar.

The whole concept of the group visit is very interesting. If it wasn't for the casa opening up for group visits, I never would have come here and would not be here now, so they definitely are good for potentially getting new people connected with the casa. From the visitor's perspective it is great. The visitors come to spend an hour or two playing with some unfortunate children who don't have families or "normal" lives. For the casa it is good also because it spreads the word about the good things they are doing for these kids and opens up doors to potential future volunteers or donors.

After being here now I also see it from the child's perspective also. The kids are very comfortable living here with everyone here as their family. Once a week or so several cars or a bus comes by with a group of strangers and they are expected to interact and play with these strange people that they don't know and will probably never see again. The little ones mostly are okay and love to play with anyone, but some are shy and don't like it. The older kids all seem not to like the visits because they are being forced to interact with total strangers who have come into their home. It is kind of like they are on display for the outsiders to come and see. They tend to stay off to the sides together and not really talk to the visitors unless cornered by them. Maybe it is because they understand the whole HIV situation and know all the visitors know their medical condition and that makes them uncomfortable. Maybe they just feel the same way any American kid would feel if a different car load of strangers came to their house to visit them every weekend. However, they all like the soda and candy they receive.

So happy children's day to all your kids.

Back from Guatemala

We made it back from Guatemala without the success we hoped for. As a result of the free trade agreement made last year with Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Honduras, the visa into one of those countries now counts as a visa into all of them. So I need to leave and go into another country, not one of those other three, to get stamped for a new 90 days. Belize is the closest so I will probably do that next month. Just more hassles and expense. For now I will just pay the fee for a 30 day extension. With a special letter from the bishop's office here saying I am a volunteer, they say I will be able to get this done in San Pedro Sula on Monday rather than going to Tegucigalpa.

Guatemala Trip

As seems to be typical here, the rules continually change without much notice nor reason. Last year when the two American volunteers, Tulichia and Lauren, were living at the casa they went into San Pedro Sula once a month and got their visa extended for 30 days without problem. Well now they won't do that anymore and you have to go all the way to Tegucigalpa (4 hour bus ride each way and $28 round trip) and pay $32 just to stay an additional 30 days. The other option is to leave the country and when you return you get a new 90 day visa. So tomorrow, Friday, I am driving with Masbely, Xiomara and Sandra to Cortez on the coast and then north to the Guatemala border got get my passaport stamped and return. I appreciate your prayers for an easy crossing without running into red tape hassles. Saturday and Sunday are elections in Guatemala so my initial plan of going for the whole weekend were changed because sometimes elections there turn into protests and demonstrations so I am going to avoid all that. Things here are drying out somewhat, although the streets in the neighborhood are still very messy with mud.

The Rain Has Passed

We got a lot of rain yesterday and last night, but not much wind and the power only went out very briefly during the night, so all is well here. There are just a lot of flooded dirt roads in the neighborhood with mud and several houses in lower elevation lots got flooded. Fortunately the casa planned ahead and built up the land prior to building so all of our houses are above the puddles, unlike our neighbors. The interesting thing about a hurricane down here is that it actually makes the weather cooler. I recall in all the hurricanes that have passed through VA over the years, the weather is always very hot and muggy as the tropical air comes up and passes through. Well here, it is the sun that brings all the heat so when the storm was coming through yesterday, the thick clouds blocked out all the heat from the sun and it was actually comparitively chilly. The kids all said it was very cold. They don't know what cold really is. But it has by far been the two coolest days here since I arrived in June since we have not seen the Sun.


This photo is taken outside the back enterance to our casa. The water is not very deep, but this used to be our dirt road.

Our next door neighbors are not as fortunate as us to be built on higher ground. They have a pool surrounding their house now and probably water inside also.

Another neighbor with a flooded yard. The only one not upset with this is the pig who is happy to have a bigger mudd puddle than normal.












The rain did not stop the roosters from crowing at 4 a.m. as usual, but it sent this one in search of higher ground.

Getting Ready for a Storm

It looks like this one is going to affect us somewhat. The storm is expected to pass over us on Wednesday morning. I am in San Pedro Sula which is the yellow dot just above the H in Honduras on this map. We are praying that the storm just keeps on moving and does not stop. Almost all of the damage caused by Mitch was because it stopped over the middle of the country and dumped rain for 3 days causing terrible fludding. According to this map, courtesy of Rob's boss' at NOAA, the wind should be lower by the time it gets here so the main worry is the rain and the power going out for an extended period of time. The fans are the only things that make the heat bearable during the day and night here and without power we have no fans. The kids are all happy because school was cancelled today and tomorrow. My trip to Guatemala to get my passport stamped is off for now. I will have to go there soon so I don't become an illegal alien. You are only given a visa for 90 days and must leave the country and return for a new 90 day visa. Please pray that the storm keeps on moving through without too much damage and the power stays on!

We keep getting bigger

Casa Corazón keeps adding kids. This week two more have joined the family bringing the total up to 37, the same size as Amor y Vida. Here are the latest additions:




On Friday, INFHA, which is the Honduras social services department, delivered Misael. He is 5 months old and HIV + for now. Often children born of HIV+ mothers test positive prior to their first birthday but do not actually become infected. Several infants have come to the casa in the past and later tested negative at their one year exam and have been placed in other homes. A few of the kids ended up staying here even though they turned out to be negative. It will be 7 months before we know for sure if he is really positive or only testing positive due to his mothers antibodies in his blood.



This is Nataly, who arrived at the casa today. She is 6 years old and appears to be in very good health. She obviously have been living with a family in good conditions before coming here but I do not know all the details. He has adapted very well and is playing with all the other kids right away and no crying as often happens when older children are brought here.







Gustav seems to be hanging in there. He is the skinniest, most mal-nourished child I have ever seen. When they bathe him, he really looks like photos taken at the concentration camps when they were liberated. He is literally skin and bones with very little tissue. He can stand up if holding onto something or someone and can walk if you hold onto his hands like an infant just learning to walk, but he cannot balance himself to walk on his own. I think it is because he is too top heavy with his head being about 1/3 - 1/2 of his total body weight. His grandfather and aunt came to visit him twice since he has been here which makes him happy.

Sunday Bingo

Sunday was Bingo time for the kids. They play using cards with pictures of animals. When they have the matching picture on their card, they cover it with a rock. Something different to pass the time when there is no school.



New boy in the casa. They accepted child #35 on Saturday. This is Gustav. He is extremely thin and malnourished. He cannot walk on his own either. They said he is 3 but he is older than that judging by his teeth which include molars. I don't know his whole story at this time, but I will update it when I find out his details.

Article from Honduras This Week

The following is from an article in Honduras This Week which provides some insight to the problems here:
50% of the Honduran population is 15 years old and younger (as of January 2006). The average woman is 15 years old when she gives birth to her first child. In 2006, 80% of all birth certificates issued in the country did not name a father. These are some of the disturbing facts that will be highlighted in a live, online “web briefing” conducted by projecthonduras.com, in partnership with the University of Iowa, on Friday, August 24.
Reasons for this lack of family structure in Honduras include: large numbers of men (and an increasing number of women) leaving for the United States and Spain; high unemployment rates and underemployment; an overall failing of the moral structure of the society in that there is no longer any stigma to having a child outside of marriage; lack of education; lack of a loving, supportive environment within the family which leads to young women having babies in order to have someone to love; and a pervasive macho attitude of wanting to have as many children by as many women as possible. Hondurans (in lower economic levels) tend to think of children as financial assets, rather than as liabilities. In the U.S., Europe, and among wealthier populations in Honduras, it is understood that having a child entails a level of financial burden (education, food, clothing, etc.). The poor tend to think of a child as a financial retirement plan... the child will be expected to support the mother when she is too old to work. Maquilas (garment factories) generally employ women ages 18 to 30. At 30, women are considered too old, too slow, and are dismissed. So, if a woman in Honduras has her first child when she is 15, by the time she “retires” her child will be ready to start working. Most women over 30 tend to sell tortillas on the streets or do other things from their homes rather than work for a company. They rely on their children to work and provide for them. It is this attitude that leads women to want as many children as possible.
The consequences of the lack of family structure include child abuse. This abuse, especially sexual abuse, is the most common problem. Men who are not related to the children in the home feel entitled to use them sexually. Women are hesitant to file police reports or try to protect their children for fear of reprisals from the men, especially physical violence (now estimated to exist in more than 30% of all homes) and abandonment. Serial “marriages” are common with three or four men coming into the home over the years and fathering their “own” children. This leaves the other children at greater risk of abandonment and abuse. In addition, there exists a very weak legal system in Honduras, a lack of police in the communities, a high level of violence, few options for the courts to place abused children in safe environments, and pressure from the government to return children to their families. This, in an effort to not present statistics to the international community that reflect the true situation of the children. Each time a child is removed from the family unit, the “count” goes up on the problem of children at social risk, and the “image” of Honduras is damaged.

Birthday Photos

Here are some of the photos from the birthday party they had for me on Tuesday.

Me with Isaac, David, Josué (the baby), Antonio and Dania.

They even had dancing afterwards with all the kids and ladies. This is me with Mama Laura.

Three of the Tias, Maribel, Nilda and Diana with baby Josué (8 mos.) the newest and youngest child in the casa.

This photo is of the four boys living in the casa with me (L to R): Josué (19), Jonathan (10), Milton (15) and Maynor (12). The guy on the far right is David who is the son of one of the workers and he was just playing cards with the boys but does not live with us.

Josué took us all out to eat at a Honduran restaurant as their celebration for my birthday and he insisted on paying as his gift to me.

No more English for now

On Friday, sister Eva, the only English speaking sister here, left with Masbely and Sandra for a two week trip. After she returns, she will only be here for four days before going to the U.S. for her annual two months of fundraising

The two summer volunteers from Notre Dame, Karla and Riane left yesterday. They are in the photo with almost all of the kids from Casa Corazón. They were both very sad to be leaving after 8 weeks of getting very attached to the kids. They were the last of the English speakers, so now it is just me. There is a vacant room in the visitors casa if anyone is interested. :)

Isaac update

Isaac is really coming along well and is adapting to living at the casa. He is now eating a lot and able to keep most of the food down without throwing up. He got to go to Pizza Hut with some of the older kids and some visitors and he wore the little hat they gave him for several days. His family came to visit him last week and that made him very happy and ever since he has started playing with the other kids and talking whereas before he was very quiet and always stayed alone not playing with the others. His grandmother, brother Carlos (blue shirt on the left) and uncle Jonathan (yellow shirt on the right) came to visit. We found out that his father lives near Tela somewhere but could not take care of the boys. His mother went to the U.S. three years ago and abandoned the boys. They heard from her last year and she was in Minnesota but do not know if she is still there. Isaac's brother is Carlos who is 12 and is also HIV+. He asked if he could move here to live with Isaac and Masbely, the director of the casa, agreed. Carlos will be moving here in October after Josué moves out and Carlos will live in the house with me and the three oldest boys.

Josué is 19 and currently is the oldest boy in the casa. He decided to stop going to school this year and got a job working in a condiment factory. He was told that he could continue living in the casa until he was 21 if he stayed in school but if he stopped going to school he would have to move out on October 1st. He still chose to drop out of school and there is not much they could do to change the mind of a 19 year old. Casa Corazón will continue to provide the medications for Josué after he moves out and they will continue to be his family but their philosophy has been to prepare the kids to live on their own once they finish school and not to continue to live here as adults so they have room for other needy children. So Josué will leave on October 1st and new Carlos will move in.