Day 7
Today there was a chill in the air and grey skies, but it is not the 4°C temperature that I heard Toronto has had in the last little while. We have been spoilt with glorious days of sunshine.
A young woman helping from the First Lady's Healthy Schools programme today wore layers and gloves. We wondered how she would handle a Canadian February.
We spent today's distribution of 680 bedkits at the Escuela Cerro Grande not too far away. Twenty-five schools came through for this second last day of our distribution. We are close to our target of 5,000 having reached 4,526.
The days have literally whizzed by. Donald, one of our Rotarian partners, is a wealth of information. A day hasn't gone by when I haven't learned something new.
Apparently Cerro Grande is a model school of 800 students being that it includes a computer lab and a well-established garden that also has 300 tyres used for growing vegetables. Tables were stacked with cabbages and carrots for sale at the entrance.
The school in the morning -- from 7:15 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. -- is an elementary one. In the afternoon -- from 12:15 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. -- it is used as a High School. It is always a pleasure to meet our Rotarian partners each day and have the opportunity to get to know them more, what they do, and find out about their lives. There are some great cooks among the women as evidenced by the lovely lunches provided this past while.
We've all gotten into a smooth pattern of working in the varied areas involved in a distribution. I was pulling labels of our donors after children were photographed for these 680 bedkits. I especially love mingling, playing, and having great fun with the children. They are like little sponges. Their giggles, joyfulness, and sense of humour is contagious.
They do so like being entertained with high fives, puppets, bubbles, balls, and plain old silliness. The spontaneity is a breath of fresh air. We tidy up hair that needs it, straighten out clothes, tuck in sleeves, and draw out
sonrias (smiles) for the camera shoot. It is great to have a serious looking child break out in a smile.
Mid morning Irene and I were briefly interviewed for Channel 42 news. My question was centred around what a bedkit means for the child and family. A brief response was that this simple gift can make life a little easier and give some relief for them in what is otherwise difficult and challenging living conditions. A mother told us of how her boy had never received a gift, and the thrill of receiving this.
Mid afternoon Ramon, the president of our Rotary group, drove us to buy Honduran souvenirs to the
Valle de Angeles (Valley of Angels) about an hour in rush hour from the city. The area is full of artisan shops, but being a Monday it was not busy.
We had an evening meeting with the Rotarian Committee members for a post-distribution assessment, and suggestions. Each of our team had the opportunity to speak on a specific angle pertaining to the distribution - a summary of the parent interviews, the importance of home visits and the mattress factory tour, and special thanks to every one of the parties involved in the distributions. The evening concluded with another scrumptuous meal hosted by one of our great Rotarian members and his wife.
Jan Fine
for the Honduras 2011 Travelling Team
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