“A library is not a luxury but one of the necessities
of life.” These words of Henry Ward Beecher should motivate
us to action. Books enhance literacy which is essential to improved
quality of life. Books are necessities to the people of Honduras.
Honduras is the second poorest country in Central America. Approximately the
size of the state of Tennessee, Honduras is home to 7.5 million people. The median
age in Honduras is 19.7 with an unemployment rate of 28%. 51% of the people live
below the poverty line.
The 29 Rotary clubs in Honduras are actively working to improve the lives of
those in their country. They were among the first to get involved in 1998 after
Hurricane Mitch killed 5,600 and caused $2 billion in damage.
Real de Minas Tegucigalpa Rotary Club in Honduras is working with the Cantonment
Rotary Club and several other U.S. Rotary clubs to provide books for school libraries.
The RI matching grant of just under $25,000 was intended to provide sets of books
for 10 schools. It has now been decided to provide fewer titles per school and
help 20 schools instead of 10.
The shipping container has space to add additional books to help
more schools. $1000 will sponsor a library for another school.
Pallets of classroom reading books for teachers and students are
also available. Each pallet would serve multiple schools. In addition
to books, the country needs school supplies, backpacks, new clothes
and blankets, and computers.
In addition to Rotary clubs, local ministry groups are requesting assistance.
AHMEN ministries is presently working in a chain of five small villages from
Limon to Pueblo Nuevo, extending along the Caribbean coastal road of Honduras
for about 50 miles. The program is sponsors hospitals, meal programs for orphans,
computer schools, English classes, sewing schools, public health classes, and
an agriculture co-operative.
Of all of the villages, only the first one, Limon, has electricity. Although
these villages get progressively more difficult to reach, either AHMEN or CHIMES
teams visit them with medical teams multiple times during the year. They have
a close working relationship with the local schools, the local churches, and
the local village leadership. Their goal is to establish a series of libraries
in the 5 villages with one Honduran to oversee the library program and a librarian
responsible for each village.
Kenton and Saundi Brown work in run a remote mission hospital on the North Coast
of Honduras about 90 minutes east of La Ceiba. They have a medical community
of
17 American
families with over 35 missionary children. http://www.crstone.org.
The hospital is in the center of two villages, both of which have schools. The
closest library
is in Jutiapa which
is about a 45 minute drive or 2 hours on the bus. The hospital serves an area
of about 75,000 people spread through the mountains and villages of the North
Coast. Balfate has a grammar school, a high school, and adult education programs.
Providing books for a library in Balfate would help many people broaden their
horizons and increase literacy.
Simple actions and donations provide the necessities of life. Financial donations,
books and others supplies are greatly needed in Honduras. Volunteers are appreciated
to accompany the donations. To participate in any way, contact Carl Dickerson
at cad_55@yahoo.com |
|
