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Daily life in HondurasPatsy Leamon — Claremont, ON There were a million questions bouncing around in my brain when I headed out on a journey to deliver comforts to needy children. Understanding the prerequisites set by SCAW, I better understood why parameters were needed. No one organization can help all children, but one can make life better for many. I observed some customs regarding food and clothing while I was there. Food for the volunteers was plentiful and varied. I could choose from Honduran tamales, enchiladas, fried beans, or catrachas. Or I could chow down on scrambled eggs, toast, chicken, or pasta. Poor children here, like anywhere, don't have access to all those choices. They eat meals made with beans, eggs, corn flour and combinations thereof. It was interesting to note that Manuel Bonilla school participated in the Healthy Schools Program. The program enabled the school to prepare tortillas made of corn flour, topped with beans and grated cheese for the students to begin their day. When I visited a grocery store, I saw that Hondurans can purchase a variety of products similar to those in Canada, but many cannot afford to shop there.
Other vendors sell their products along the roadside, in and outside the city, and this is where many families would make their purchases. Many of the restaurant chains are here, but so are the Honduran street vendors who make traditional pork and other dishes. Clothing surprised me a little. Adults and children dressed in North American styles. Other than in some shops, one did not see traditional dress. The children we saw wore what we would expect our kids to wear. Again, as everywhere in the world, lack of funds meant their clothes were possibly not new or the correct size, but their clothes were less important to them than their new bedkit. No matter what they eat or wear, our recipient children are wonderful kids reacting to life as best they can. Instead of questions bouncing in my head, my heart was jumping with joy watching their genuine smiles that said "thank you" from their hearts. |
