The merry dentists
On a casual November Sunday did three dentist visit us with a proper mission; why do we need to brush our teeth on a regular basis and how do we do it best way? It was an easy task, on one hand because our three ladies brought along fun tools and pictures and on the other hand were the kids curious and aware of the importance mouth hygiene has.
After the educational part did every child go through a check-up and received the necessary treatment. After six long hours was it time for the souvenir photo and plenty bright smiles
were facing the camera.
The birthday-month
At the end of each month do we organize a small birthday party for all the children who have their birthdays during this month. The month of November counts eight birthday-kids with whom we enjoyed some delicious pizza at a nearby pizzeria, including a mouthwatering birthday cake and last but not least our infamous Piñata. For the five Antúnez-siblings was it the very first time in their young ages to celebrate birthday. Doubtlessly was this the annual highlight for them. It was very touching to see how they enjoyed every bite of the birthday cake and to see how special they felt during the celebration.
First holy communion
Here at the children’s home “yo quiero ser…” are the children raised with catholic values, which means they are baptized and also receive their first holy communion. This is though only possible if they have a birth certificate and a bunch doesn’t have one which means they can ultimately not be baptized. To receive the first holy communion, the children have to pass an „entry exam“. Some didn’t take the preparation course serious enough which meant that out of our five only Mabel and Kimberly were allowed to accept the holy sacrament.
Fort he two was it a very meaningful event and they are utterly proud to participate fully at the church service.
End of school term
Our five pre-scholars, Mayte, Elvin, Yoac, Brayan und Yaxel, were very happy to receive their pre-school diploma which enables them to move on to elementary school. All of them know the numbers and the ABC. Even Brayan made huge progress despite of his difficulties due to his past. Until this year he was very poorly stimulated and had a lot to catch up with, compared to his age group. We organized some private classes for him during the afternoon with one of our educators to make sure that he can make up for the loss during his
childhood in poverty. He develops wonderfully and we are hopeful that he continues on like this also during elementary school. Nine of our children passed grade six which means they successfully managed their first stage of education. This success was thoroughly celebrated with a church service and a festive lunch on the school court. The change which they are approaching is not only a challenge for them, also for us. High school costs approximately ten times the amount of primary school. Thanks to the donation of each godfather and godmother all of our children can continue on with the education at a private school. For us it is essential to enable our children this privilege, than only proper education can allow them to break through the negative circle of poverty.
Staff training
We built a very important partnership with the university UCRISH (Universidad Cristiana de Hondruas). The students are allowed to complete their internship for their sociology classes at our children’s home, in return did they agree on providing our employees with some extra training in regards of working with street children. The first class was a psychological first aid course. All employees participated with a lot of attention and showed appreciation for the newly gained knowledge. We hope they are able to put it in use in their daily
work.
Christmas decoration
Christmas is around the corner and also we decorated our home with some kitsch. We divided the children in to four teams and each had the task to decorate a entrance door. They showed off their most creative sides and really got into the mood. At the end, the children turned into the jury and had to nominate the best decorated door. The winning team went out for a cooling ice cream. At the home we have two advent calendars which means that each child has one window to open where it finds a small present. It is a fun way to get them all excited for Christmas eve, they all enjoy it very much.
Volunteers
Our two new volunteers, Silke Ramsch from Germany und Fabienne Lüthi from Bern, have been welcomed with open arms. The children have from the beginning of November until the beginning of February school holidays. That is the reason why Silke’s and Fabienne’s help is wonderful. They help with organizing leisure activities, they give English lessons
in small groups and pay them a lot of attention, show affection and keep them busy.
It is a true enrichment for our home to have so many young, well spirited volunteers with utterly sunny dispositions. We are very lucky and know, that they make a huge difference in our children’s lives.
Newsletter November 2014
