Easter-weekend: When angels travel...
In Honduras, people usually travel during the Semana Santa (Easter-week). We also happily packed our things and we were looking forward to spend this special week in the “Chalet” in Santa Rosa de Copan. We started our journey full of emotions and anticipation…
After a one-hour bus ride, the good atmosphere was heavily interrupted! The fuse of the steering wheel came loose and Edwing wasn’t able to control the bus anymore. Our bus got out of control, smashed against a tree and came to a stop in a sand dune. The impact was really heavy; some seats became loose, two windows shattered into a thousand pieces and the children were thrown around. We evacuated the children through the windows, and luckily, most of the children only escaped with small cuts, bruises, crushes and with a nasty shock. Everybody was aided on the scene and three people had to go to the hospital; Carlitos broke his hand, Carlos broke his collar bone and Jhonson had a big wound that needed stitches.
A couple of our acquaintance sent us another bus, so that we could continue our drive to Santa Rosa. During this holiday, everybody was able to recover from the shock and we were highly thankful that nobody was badly hurt and everybody was still alive. We now enjoyed the clean air even more, the freedom, freshly picked corn on the cob and, of course, also cooling down in the pool.
We also had the chance to welcome our new volunteer David Böhler from Wetzikon. During three months, he will support the children in their daily lives and he will help us in all the areas where the aid is most needed.
Consequences of the accident
After three weeks, the bus was roadworthy again. Only the windows are not yet on stock, so that currently, we drive with a draft. During this time, the children had to walk to school. Now, the children really appreciate the fact that they have a bus to go to school.
Carlitos’ broken hand was still not cured after two weeks, so an ambulant surgery was conducted. He was a really brave patient and now his hand is as it used to be!
Swimming season is on
In Honduras, the months of April and May are the hottest, with the thermometer climbing up to 40°C. That’s why we bought a small swimming pool for our smallest children, so that they can cool off in the afternoon.
First intermediate testing
Our hard-working children passed the first intermediate testing with bravery. They know exactly that “Nothing comes from nothing…“, so that they are constantly studying during the examination week. The hard work was worth it, since everybody passed the first quarter of the year with good to very good grades. The overall average grade from all kids is a 5,2, whereat Maria, our excellent fourth grader, had a 5,9.
TOMS-Shoes
“With every pair you purchase, TOMS will give a pair of new shoes to a child in need. One for one.”
Thanks to this great campaign, the founder of Tom and some of his co-workers visited us at the end of April. Every single child received a new pair of shoes. The joy was huge on both sides; everybody was dancing with the new shoes and the children quickly became friends with the Americans. The Feedback was very positive and a female TOMS-Shoes co-worker complimented our children’s home as the most affectionate children’s home, with very open, affable, smiling and happy children.