The common tie among them was Kelly Van Unen, a friend to each and a trustee of the Universal Outreach Foundation, a family-based humanitarian organization with roots in West Vancouver, according to a written statement. Dedicated to improving the lives of children in Honduras, Van Unen assembled a team to continue to support El Hogar de Amory Esperanza, a boarding school in the Honduran capital of Tegucigalpa. Funds raised through the organization were being dedicated to the construction of a new eating hall at El Hogar, as well as the completion of work on a new girls high school residence in Santa Lucia.
The first trip for nine of the women, upon arrival at El Hogar, they were overwhelmed with emotion as they were greeted by 101 happy children laughing and playing, ready to jump rope with anyone who would turn the ends for them. Many expressed it was hard to believe these children came from extremely poor situations, rescued from living and begging on the streets, in jails with mentally ill or criminal parents, or remote villages devoid of electricity and running water.
The week spent with the children included one-on-one reading in English and Spanish classrooms, making pinatas in art class, writing Flat Stanley letters back to students in West Vancouver and teaching them all about Canadian maple syrup.
Away from the children, the work team joined an on-site Honduran construction group in shovelling and hauling dirt for the new floor of the eating hall. The fresh new concrete was even christened with a shiny lucky loonie. As well, the women visited the two vocational schools associated with El Hogar - the Technical Institute and Agricultural School.
Translated, El Hogar de Amory Esperanza means the home of love and hope. The love comes from the directors, the teachers and the children themselves, and the hope is provided by organizations like Universal Outreach Foundation, which are providing safe environments for children to learn and improve their lives. According to this work team, the name fits perfectly. Every one of them left in tears and with a little piece of their heart at El Hogar and hope to visit the 101 children again in the future.
For more information on the Universal Outreach Foundation, visit www.universaloutreachfoundation.org.
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