This is Jeff. I found myself awake early this morning pouring over thoughts about poverty and this trip to Tierra Santa. As a group we’ve had several discussions about what we’ve seen in Honduras in comparison to what we see in the states and it’s made me question my definition of poverty. So, after mulling it over, a few thoughts have come to mind. Let me know what you think.
In some ways I’ve started thinking about poverty in both an absolute and a relative sense. To me, absolute poverty looks like lack of clean water, lack of housing or at least lack of housing that keeps rain and pests at bay, lack of clothing that is clean and in good shape, lack of enough food to allow bodies and brains to develop, limited or no opportunities for education. I’ve seen absolute poverty here in Honduras. Or at least I think I have. It’s possible I’m being presumptuous. I thought $12 a day was a very low wage until Annie told us that the poverty level in Honduras was closer to $2 per day. In any event, the Hogar provides children a place where absolute poverty is put at bay most days and in many ways. The kids have clothing although they could use more, they have clean water to drink but it comes in jugs and it’s expensive and they don’t have as much as they could use, they have a roof over their heads and beds to sleep in but the walls have termites and brick would be better than wood, they have food to eat but some suffer from the effects of inadequate nutrition before they got to the Hogar.
The difficulty I was having with the word “poverty” stemmed from my experiences in that states. There is poverty in Eden Prairie and in Minnesota and across the U.S. And, while I know there is absolute poverty in the U.S. it is not so easy to see. It is not around as many corners in the town in which we live. It’s harder to see and in some ways harder to have an impact as a volunteer. Instead, I think we see and react to relative poverty. What looks like poverty in Eden Prairie or Minnesota may not look like poverty in Honduras. Many who are in poverty in the U.S. have clean water, have a place to live that is tolerable, have food and education. All may be limited in some way but for most there are clear differences between what the poor have in the states versus a place like Honduras. At the same time we can’t diminish the stress and strain that too little money and too little food and a sense that opportunities are nonexistent put on any family in poverty, whether in the U.S. or not.. In that sense, I think every country has people who are relatively poor, who seek a better life for themselves and their families, and who suffer gravely from the effects of poverty. The family in Honduras making $2 per day may dream of $12 per day while the family in Eden Prairie that has accepts food from PROP may dream of buying their own food all the time.
I’m getting long-winded and I’m not sure I’m getting my point across but to close out the thought…. I think we can all draw circles starting with a circle around Eden Prairie and choose to have an impact that makes good use of our time and resources. There are families in Eden Prairie who need food, clothing and shelter. By Honduran standards of poverty they may be living a more decent life but they have needs that put great strain on their lives and cause physical and emotional damage. We can draw a circle that extends to Louisiana or south Texas and find people in need who are without basics and who have had their lives turned upside down by hurricanes. They are poor in by any definition but have opportunities greater than a large portion of the population of a place like Honduras. Yet, spending time and resources to help them is clearly a noble endeavor. And then, we can draw the circle globally and catch a place like Honduras. Not everyone here is poor, of course. Most aren’t. There is commerce and education and health care and all the things we might use as markers of prosperity. But, by our standards, the needs are great and it is worth our time to find ways to help in place like this as well.
I guess my point is that at various times in our lives we can draw different circles and find different ways to have an impact. Absolute poverty or relative poverty, Eden Prairie or Texas or Honduras or wherever. We can’t get hung up on local versus global and whether we should help at home or 3000 miles away. We should do both. We should change the size of the circles we draw and today, have an impact inside a small circle and tomorrow have an impact inside a big circle.
For what it’s worth.
Jeff
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Debbie's Reflections
Hola a todos!
This morning we went to visit a private high school in the small town of La Paz, just a short distance from La Villa de San Antonio where we are located. It is a Catholic high school where 7 or 8 of the Hogar Tierra Santa children attend school. They are in exam week now, but had a presentation of the fourteen Stations of the Cross. All the students had roles, either speaking or acting. It was a wonderful experience for all of us. The kids were appreciative that we came to see them.
We are so quickly approaching our last few hours at the Hogar. Our plans are to have an exhibition of the art projects that the older students learned how to do with Luis, our Nicaraguan friend, and member of the group. The cards turned our beautifully. The students will keep apportion of the proceeds to buy new materials to continue making more of the artwork and cards, and to continue selling in the future, as well as to teach the younger children how to do this technique called “repujado.”
Well, my last project here is with the preschool age kids. We are going to work on a few songs for our farewell program. Even though this is my fifth trip here to Hogar Tierra Santa, it is always hard to say goodbye to our dear friends of all ages. I hope to post some of the video I have taken soon, and hope to see a large group ready to return her next year!
Hasta pronto……
Debbie Bjerke
This morning we went to visit a private high school in the small town of La Paz, just a short distance from La Villa de San Antonio where we are located. It is a Catholic high school where 7 or 8 of the Hogar Tierra Santa children attend school. They are in exam week now, but had a presentation of the fourteen Stations of the Cross. All the students had roles, either speaking or acting. It was a wonderful experience for all of us. The kids were appreciative that we came to see them.
We are so quickly approaching our last few hours at the Hogar. Our plans are to have an exhibition of the art projects that the older students learned how to do with Luis, our Nicaraguan friend, and member of the group. The cards turned our beautifully. The students will keep apportion of the proceeds to buy new materials to continue making more of the artwork and cards, and to continue selling in the future, as well as to teach the younger children how to do this technique called “repujado.”
Well, my last project here is with the preschool age kids. We are going to work on a few songs for our farewell program. Even though this is my fifth trip here to Hogar Tierra Santa, it is always hard to say goodbye to our dear friends of all ages. I hope to post some of the video I have taken soon, and hope to see a large group ready to return her next year!
Hasta pronto……
Debbie Bjerke
Wednesday - What a day!
I’m sitting here this morning writing from the volunteer house in La Villa. Last night Kate, Joey and I spent the night here instead of going back to the hotel. We just wanted a bit of a taste of life in the Villa and life for long term volunteers who are living here. I am also interested in possibly bringing a group of Minnesotans here sometime and doing our overnights in La Villa instead of at a hotel in Comayagua. I am interested in providing a lower cost option for people back home who want to come down here but would rather have a more scaled back experience that costs less money.
It’s about 6:00 a.m. which means the kids over at the Hogar are beginning to make the walk to their buses for school, and the kids who go to Tierra Santa School are heading there as well. The kids get up between 5:00 and 6:00 every day. They have long days and they work very hard. Most kids come back from school early in the afternoon, they eat lunch at the Hogar, then spend a couple hours studying before later doing chores. The kids are given lots of responsibilities and accept them.
Yesterday for me was one of those days in which I felt completely happy and purposeful that I was back in Honduras. It was just a terrific day. As each day passes my Spanish gets better little by little and I’m able to talk more and more with the kids. I just love spending time with these kids, shooting the breeze, laughing, finding out small things about their lives, you name it. At one point yesterday I was talking with a group of girls who are about 15 years old. Two of them, Yaneth and Kensey, asked me a question that just touched my heart. They asked me, and they were very serious about it, “why are you so friendly to all the children?” It just made me melt. It made me realize that these kids really do appreciate all the love and affection we shower on them while we’re here.
Again, yesterday was a special day. It was just one of those perfectly wonderful days at the Hogar. We did a little work at the school again, this time doing more picture framing and making sock puppets. Then in the afternoon we enjoyed a lot of down time with the kids, Kate and Kim and I went to the soup kitchen, and several people from our group continued with the project of constructing the tables for the computer lab.
The only unfortunate thing about yesterday was that several from our group became sick. Ronnie was the first, then Austin and then Jack. We think it had something to do with the heat and the sun, but it could have been something they ate as well. In the early afternoon Santiago brought Debbie and those three back to the hotel to have some time to relax and cool down. Thankfully all of them were able to return later in the day to enjoy the evening’s festivities with us.
Speaking of festivities, what a night it was. We hung out at the Hogar last night until about 8:00 instead of the usual time of 4:30. We did this so that we could prepare a meal for the kids and enjoy some evening time with them.
Throughout most of the afternoon a group of us, headed by Kim and Holly, prepared the meal. Beans had been put in the oven and lots of things had been prepped. And thanks to the help of many, many girls, the work became much easier. I helped with getting the noodles ready for the mac and cheese. Kenia Yolanda and I got a fire going in the back of the kitchen and put some water in a huge kettle to boil. After the pasta was done, Holly showed some kids how to make the cheese sauce over the same wood fire. It was amazing to watch and impressive to see that it all worked out, that we were able to make a meal for so many children.
The meal was received really well by the kids. We had an assembly line in the kitchen plating up then serving the food to the kids. Mirian and a friend helped with the beans and putting hot dogs in buns, Tita helped with the plates and the chips, and Ingrid was the ketchup girl spreading ketchup on all the hotdogs.
During the dinner we also had a local band come and play for us. This was a huge treat and the kids loved it. They played in the main courtyard of the Hogar and most of us got up and danced the entire time. I dance with Nahin, Yogenis, Maria and Zonia, among others. It was great. Do I need to say it one more time? It was a perfect day at the Hogar!!!
It’s about 6:00 a.m. which means the kids over at the Hogar are beginning to make the walk to their buses for school, and the kids who go to Tierra Santa School are heading there as well. The kids get up between 5:00 and 6:00 every day. They have long days and they work very hard. Most kids come back from school early in the afternoon, they eat lunch at the Hogar, then spend a couple hours studying before later doing chores. The kids are given lots of responsibilities and accept them.
Yesterday for me was one of those days in which I felt completely happy and purposeful that I was back in Honduras. It was just a terrific day. As each day passes my Spanish gets better little by little and I’m able to talk more and more with the kids. I just love spending time with these kids, shooting the breeze, laughing, finding out small things about their lives, you name it. At one point yesterday I was talking with a group of girls who are about 15 years old. Two of them, Yaneth and Kensey, asked me a question that just touched my heart. They asked me, and they were very serious about it, “why are you so friendly to all the children?” It just made me melt. It made me realize that these kids really do appreciate all the love and affection we shower on them while we’re here.
Again, yesterday was a special day. It was just one of those perfectly wonderful days at the Hogar. We did a little work at the school again, this time doing more picture framing and making sock puppets. Then in the afternoon we enjoyed a lot of down time with the kids, Kate and Kim and I went to the soup kitchen, and several people from our group continued with the project of constructing the tables for the computer lab.
The only unfortunate thing about yesterday was that several from our group became sick. Ronnie was the first, then Austin and then Jack. We think it had something to do with the heat and the sun, but it could have been something they ate as well. In the early afternoon Santiago brought Debbie and those three back to the hotel to have some time to relax and cool down. Thankfully all of them were able to return later in the day to enjoy the evening’s festivities with us.
Speaking of festivities, what a night it was. We hung out at the Hogar last night until about 8:00 instead of the usual time of 4:30. We did this so that we could prepare a meal for the kids and enjoy some evening time with them.
Throughout most of the afternoon a group of us, headed by Kim and Holly, prepared the meal. Beans had been put in the oven and lots of things had been prepped. And thanks to the help of many, many girls, the work became much easier. I helped with getting the noodles ready for the mac and cheese. Kenia Yolanda and I got a fire going in the back of the kitchen and put some water in a huge kettle to boil. After the pasta was done, Holly showed some kids how to make the cheese sauce over the same wood fire. It was amazing to watch and impressive to see that it all worked out, that we were able to make a meal for so many children.
The meal was received really well by the kids. We had an assembly line in the kitchen plating up then serving the food to the kids. Mirian and a friend helped with the beans and putting hot dogs in buns, Tita helped with the plates and the chips, and Ingrid was the ketchup girl spreading ketchup on all the hotdogs.
During the dinner we also had a local band come and play for us. This was a huge treat and the kids loved it. They played in the main courtyard of the Hogar and most of us got up and danced the entire time. I dance with Nahin, Yogenis, Maria and Zonia, among others. It was great. Do I need to say it one more time? It was a perfect day at the Hogar!!!
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