Another Visit to Santa Katarina

It is already so dry in Santa Katarina

Remember this picture, when the river was so swollen we could not cross. People swam across to get food.

The very same crossing today

Marc eating watermelon. His favorite food. Not.

Patiently waiting for gifts and food

Notice those blond streaks. This little girl is very malnourished.

A child with one of those beanie babies.

Many barefoot children

It is February. It is not unusual for us to be busy planning and thinking about what the summer groups are going to do. And, we have been thinking about this new feeding center in Santa Katarina since August, shortly after the last group left last summer.

We decided a week or so ago that is was time for another trip down there. Marc said early in the week we would be out of here by 3:00 p.m. on Friday. We met at the warehouse to load shoes, school supplies, beanie babies and other toys. After loading the red truck completely full and putting the overflow in the Galloper, in true Honduran fashion, Marc and I, Timoteo and two of his boys, left for Choluteca at 6:00 p.m. I was the only one wanting to wait and leave early this morning. We had not been gone five minutes until I discovered I did not have an SD card in my camera. Marc told me he would get one.

We got down there, had a pizza, and settled into our hotel room. Being away from Santa Ana, I slept wonderfully. I think maybe that was because I was not worrying about this new minimum wage and how we are going to pay our employees.

I woke this morning with an excitement and an eagerness to get started. A feeling of gratitude that I get to be a part of this.

Timoteo called Carlos, the village leader of Santa Katarina. He met us at Maxi Bodega, a huge grocery store in Choluteca (I wish there was one of these in Tegucigalpa). Maxi Bodega has really reasonable prices (except on SD cards) and the employees are very helpful. They know, by the quantities we are buying, that we are taking it to a poor village. They show us the best prices and crawl up and get bulk packages for us. I love going into a grocery store and filling more than one cart with rice, beans, sugar, salt, spaghetti and a few other staples. My task was to get 140 packages of spaghetti. As we are scurrying around filling the carts, Carlos is standing there with a huge smile on his face, knowing his village will soon have food. Timoteo wanted to buy candy. He and Marc found that candy.

After loading the groceries into two already packed vehicles, we headed for Santa Katarina. We travel 40 kilometers down the highway and then turn onto a dirt road and go for 11 more kilometers. It is already much more dry than it is here. And it is only February. It will get worse, much worse, before it gets better. It was slow, slow going on this dirt, deeply rutted, many-potholed road. It took us 35 minutes to drive 11 kilometers. The place we could not cross in October because the river was so swollen was completely dry today. Not a drop of water.

When we finally got to Santa Katarina, Carlos asked that we not give anything to anyone until he notified the village and everyone could get to where we were. Someone went and got 5 plastic chairs and, as the guests, we were expected to sit in those chairs. Everyone else stood as the five of us sat. In Honduran culture, it would be extremely rude to not offer your guests something to eat. Someone came with watermelons. It is the peak of watermelon season in southern Honduras. It would be rude of the guests not to eat what is served. As I eat bologna in these situations, Marc ate watermelon today. I like watermelon and that was no problem for me. But I did think I am a million miles from a decent bathroom and here I am eating watermelon, a lot of watermelon, a natural diuretic.

As people arrived, Timoteo gave each person a sucker. When most of the people from the village were there, we began giving things to people. Carlos explained everyone would not get everything but everyone would get something. We began with a prayer.

Let the fun begin.

John, Milton and I began giving those beanie babies. A huge hit. Marc was working on the sleepers. Carlos had everyone form a line. He and Timoteo gave away the shoes and the school supplies.

After we were through with the beanie babies, I stood back and watched for a few minutes. There is no lack of children in Santa Katarina. I saw many, many men, women, and children with no shoes or shoes that did not fit. Many were wearing clothing that did not fit. Many children had nothing but one pair of underwear. A significant number of children have those light streaks in their hair, indicative of malnutrition. I also saw a community, working together, helping each other, making sure the elderly and sick all received something and were not overlooked.

Santa Katarina definitely needs a medical brigrade and a dental brigrade to visit. I saw many sick children, pink eye, infections and skin stuff. I hope no one had scabies. I don't want that again, but I hugged them anyway.

We saved the food for last. The five of us were packing those food bags as hard and fast as we could. Everyone was happy with what they received today.

Carlos told everyone that was all and the crowds began to dwindle as many started home.

We walked up to the site of the feeding center. It is gradually being cleared. I can't wait til hungry chilren are being fed five days a week. I was busy taking pictures of the land, when one of the elderly women began calling me. I went to see what she wanted. She wanted to give me two more watermelons to take home. I hate taking food from hungry people. She wanted to go to her house and get me some paypaya as well. I kept saying the watermelon was plenty.

When we left, I was hot, thirsty and completely dust covered. I can hardly notice these things at first. I keep thinking about all those people who will stretch that little bit of food for a week or more. Of those dirty, dust-covered children that don't have much water.

Isn't going to be fun when we start construction on this feeding center?

Terri