Making A Difference One Child At A Time

Five years ago, as the construction of Casa de Esperanza was nearing completion, we chose this as our logo. It was based on the starfish story. The needs in Honduras are overwhelming and it would be easy to despair and think we are not making a difference. But we are making a difference to the seventeen that are here.

The population of Honduras is some where near seven million people. Of those, approximately 3.466 million are children. About half. That in itself is an amazing statistic. Of that 3.466 million, it is estimated that 200,000 are orphans, a child with neither parent. Parents have died of illnesses that were not treated due to a lack of money. Or, in many cases, the parents have emigrated north to Mexico or the U. S. in an attempt to better themselves to more adequately support their children. I am thankful I have never been in a position where I had to contemplate leaving my children parentless in order to make their lives better. It is hard for me to even grasp that concept.

The 200,000 orphans do not even include children that are living in extreme poverty or extreme abuse. Of our 17 children, only two are orphans, having no parents or family to care for them. The others have been removed from the home for abuse or poverty. Most of the country lives in poverty. The state cannot remove every child that lives in poverty. The state orphanages and all private children's homes would be overwhelmed. Only the most extreme cases are removed from the home. I could not even begin to guess how many more children are living in abuse and poverty that need to be removed from the home. The needs are daunting.

Here at Casa de Esperanza, our biggest need and problem is staffing. We have been looking for house parents for the new cottage since April. Please join us in prayer as we continue to seek for the right people to care for our children so that we can make a difference in the lifes of a few more children.

Terri