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Sweet dreams — Dulces suenosBud Adams — Waterloo, ON It's dark in the capital of Honduras, Tegucigalpa, at 6 am as we hurry to finish breakfast and secure everything we require prior to our previously-planned pickup at our hotel at 7 am sharp. Traffic is hectic in this city of narrow, poorly maintained hilly streets where every size of vehicle — cars, trucks, motorcycles, pickups, and former school buses from the USA — along with newspaper vendors, women, children, and dogs, fight for a space on the roadway. Our driver, a Rotary member, has nerves of steel and deposits us at our appointed destination with both smiles and thanks. We have come with our OVO, the Rotary Club of Tegucigalpa, along with El Programa Escuelas Saludables, (The Healthy Schools Program) sponsored by the First Lady of Honduras, to provide sweet dreams to 5,000 very needy children. The school has a solid 8-foot by 10-foot brick wall with barbed-wire in some sections and very large steel doors, guarded by two heavily-armed soldiers keeping the crowd from rushing inside. It is the smiling faces of the children that greet us inside. Their wait is almost over and it warms our hearts and encourages us to get to the task at hand. The team gathers in the centre courtyard of the school to discuss the potential picture site, always mindful of the flow of the children and the hot burning sun. We check names against a master list and mark the number from the list on the back of the children's hands.
Next the package with t-shirt and shorts is given to the child by copying the number from the back of their hands onto the plastic bag. Boys and girls have separate dressing rooms where they quickly change from their school uniforms into their new t-shirt and shorts. They line up for their pictures, boys in one line, girls in the other. It's difficult for them to stand still because of the excitement in the air. You sense it. You feel it. Now it's time for their picture, taken behind the label of the donor of the great gift they are about to receive. This done, a volunteer checks the back of the hand with the assigned number and two different-coloured marks: one checking for the number and the second showing they have had their pictures taken. It is most important that we always keep track of the number of children processed. They now move to the final position where we, on your behalf, give this child your donated bedkit. The joy and happiness expressed by the children here is explosive. They leave knowing a good night's sleep and many dulces suenos (sweet dreams) are to follow.
The day passes quickly and we find ourselves checking and re-checking our records, verifying our daily total. Then we quickly pack up, have a quick lunch, and head back to our Rotarian's vehicle for the ride home. How very fortunate we are to have had this education in compassion and social awareness. We return physically and emotionally drained, but spiritually uplifted. Good night and sweet dreams. |
