Families carrying the food donations back to whatever
is left of their homes.
Location of a home that was swept away by the rising
creek. Nothing was left except for a wheel that belong
to a wheelchair that belonged to a 9 year old little girl.
Manos Team distributing food baskets to families inthe colonia de Acasias.
Manos de Dios Team Trip to Danli, Honduras
September 3-7, 2010
Three members from the Manos Team (Cesareo Guadarrama, Fr. Allan Conkling and Patricia Perea) just got back from Danli, Honduras. We wanted to evaluate the situation in Danli after the flood that displaced hundreds of families. We visited several neighborhoods and talked directly with the families affected. It did not take us long to realize that the pictures that we had seen only showed a glimpse of the reality of what these people are living.
Unfortunately, Honduras does not have an entity like FEMA that would provide relief by means of alternative housing or rebuilding efforts. There are some talks of some non-profit organizatios like Food for the Poor that might donate some houses, but nothing has materialized yet. Many families are staying in shelters, others are staying with family members and many others have returned to their homes even though tehre is very little left and they are at risk of more flooding.
One of the first things that we did was purchased food in large quantities. We made food and toiletries baskets for the flood victims. Specifically, we bought the following items: 250 lbs rice, 250 lbs beans, 250 lbs flour, 250 0lbs sugar, 300 lbs coffee, spaghetti, pasta sauce, bar soup, detergent, toilet paper, mats and blankets.
We took the baskets of food to Acacias, a small neighborhood with approximately 50 families. This is one of the areas that was hit the hardest.
We visited with the principal of the Instituto Pedro Nufio, which is the school that we have partnered with since 2002 for our scholarship program. When we learned that there had been 15 of the students' families that lost their homes, we decided to make a donation to the school to help these families with clothing, food, books, school supplies and anthing else needed.
A family of seven with a handicap child used to live in the location shown in the picture below. You can see the wheels of the little girl's wheelchair. We are donating this family a new wheelchair.
In terms of next steps, we are looking to buy property to relocate some families away from the flood prone creek. We are trying to partner with Anglidesh, a non-profit organization from the Episcopal Church in Honduras. We are hoping that they will donate the construction materials to build two-room houses.
The Manos Team would like to thank you for your prompt response and generous contributions. We can assure you that your kind heart is making a big difference in some very unfortunate families in Danli, Honduras.
Very greateful,
The Manos Team
