Monday, January 7, 2013
New Pictures of Special Needs House
Got a an email today from Ross Egge, Deputy National Director of Nuestros Pequenos Hermanos Honduras. They are making great progress on the new special needs house we are building at NPH! Below are pictures of the construction. When finished it will be home to up to 16 special needs orphans.
Saturday, January 5, 2013
Why I Couldn't Fall Asleep Last Night
This is my sixth trip to Emmanuel. We've seen seventeen orphanages now in Guatemala and Honduras over the past two years. We've met incredible people doing amazing things for damaged children. We've heard tragic stories before, -- often directly from the children, and for the most part in this blog I've chosen to focus on the positive. But for some reason, more than any other trip, we learned the awful backstory on how so many ended up in the orphanages we visit.
Last night, as I was trying to get to sleep their stories ran through my head.
The child I met whose mother who sold her when she was under five years old to a man who used her for sex.
The children we met who were born of orphans who became pregnant because guards at the government orphanage took bribes to let gang members enter and rape them.
The child named Francisco, who at 14 months looked like a newborn - suffering fetal alcohol syndrome.
Lupita, whose mother made her sniff glue as an infant to quiet her cries for food. The doctors said she would never walk or talk.
Or the 18 year-old boy who came from a government orphanage weighing only 50 pounds, bedsores down the bone and two weeks to live.
He died on New Years Eve.
When we're tired, or we have our doubts about what we're doing they drive us. Motivate us. They ignite our need to do everything possible to help the caregivers - ones like those here at Emmanuel who love them and help them begin to heal.
They are God's children. And they deserve everything we can do for them.
Last night, as I was trying to get to sleep their stories ran through my head.
The child I met whose mother who sold her when she was under five years old to a man who used her for sex.
The children we met who were born of orphans who became pregnant because guards at the government orphanage took bribes to let gang members enter and rape them.
The child named Francisco, who at 14 months looked like a newborn - suffering fetal alcohol syndrome.
Lupita, whose mother made her sniff glue as an infant to quiet her cries for food. The doctors said she would never walk or talk.
Or the 18 year-old boy who came from a government orphanage weighing only 50 pounds, bedsores down the bone and two weeks to live.
He died on New Years Eve.
When we're tired, or we have our doubts about what we're doing they drive us. Motivate us. They ignite our need to do everything possible to help the caregivers - ones like those here at Emmanuel who love them and help them begin to heal.
They are God's children. And they deserve everything we can do for them.
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
Madre Anna Vitiello Orphanage
We didn't know what to expect on our first visit to Madre Anna Vitiello. The missionary traveling in Guatemala with us to make introductions and translate told us it was an orphanage for HIV positive children, and that it was run by a Catholic order of Nuns in Sacatepéquez, Guatemala.
We were greeted by Sister Anna Marina who runs it and we sadly learned that they had just lost an 18 month old child the night before. It was the second chid in a week.
We began by explaining our reason for being there. We simply wanted to build a deeper relationship with them. We wanted to get to know them, who they are, how they came to be, and most importantly how we could be a part of it. Most of these children have been abandoned because their parents’ cannot afford the medication needed for their condition. Other children live there temporarily until their parents’ learn how to care for their child and how to treat them with the proper medication.
The first children we met were infants, and we decided not to hold the babies because we thought some of us might have colds. With compromised immune systems we didn't want to take the risks of getting a any child sick. Complications from other infections and viruses are often the biggest threats.
The orphanage is warm and inviting. The group of 15 sisters who belong to an order known as Small Congregation of Redemption Apostles, go about the business of caring for the children with a calm love that is palpable. They live on-site to care for the 63 children.
Medications are a big ticket item for the orphanage and some medications are donated from samples obtained from doctors in Guatemala. As you scan the shelves you immediately notice the medications are organized and labeled by child.
The home was built in 2005 with many additions and improvements over the past 7 years. Their stated mission is to care for children is to provide housing, balanced diet, clothing, medicine, academic education (K-6 at the orphanage), recreation, moral and spiritual and warmth of a home. They have all areas covered in spades.
I happened to come across the video below. It's a beautiful slide show of children at the orphanage in 2010.
The Sisters at Madre Anna Vitiello reminded me what religion ought to be -- love in action.
We were greeted by Sister Anna Marina who runs it and we sadly learned that they had just lost an 18 month old child the night before. It was the second chid in a week.
We began by explaining our reason for being there. We simply wanted to build a deeper relationship with them. We wanted to get to know them, who they are, how they came to be, and most importantly how we could be a part of it. Most of these children have been abandoned because their parents’ cannot afford the medication needed for their condition. Other children live there temporarily until their parents’ learn how to care for their child and how to treat them with the proper medication.
The first children we met were infants, and we decided not to hold the babies because we thought some of us might have colds. With compromised immune systems we didn't want to take the risks of getting a any child sick. Complications from other infections and viruses are often the biggest threats.
The orphanage is warm and inviting. The group of 15 sisters who belong to an order known as Small Congregation of Redemption Apostles, go about the business of caring for the children with a calm love that is palpable. They live on-site to care for the 63 children.
Medications are a big ticket item for the orphanage and some medications are donated from samples obtained from doctors in Guatemala. As you scan the shelves you immediately notice the medications are organized and labeled by child.
 |
| Shelves of Medication Labeled for Each Child |
 |
| Donated Samples |
The home was built in 2005 with many additions and improvements over the past 7 years. Their stated mission is to care for children is to provide housing, balanced diet, clothing, medicine, academic education (K-6 at the orphanage), recreation, moral and spiritual and warmth of a home. They have all areas covered in spades.
 |
| Primary School |
I happened to come across the video below. It's a beautiful slide show of children at the orphanage in 2010.
The Sisters at Madre Anna Vitiello reminded me what religion ought to be -- love in action.
 |
| World Orphan Fund Team with Sister Anna Marina |
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