Update 2/3: AFE

AFE:
Amore Fe y Esperanza (Love, Faith and Hope): http://afehonduras.drupalgardens.com/

 

Handing out a gift and a hug to a young boy. 

In November we were able to bless the children who attend the AFE school. These students come from the shanty towns surrounding the dump outside of Tegucigalpa, known as the dump community.
A teacher from Pinares coordinated with AFE the names and ages of the students and we each chose a name and filled up shoe boxes with gifts, (a towel, soap, school supplies, a few fun things) much like what Operation Christmas Child does.
We loaded up a bus Saturday morning and headed to AFE. When we arrived, the children were all waiting for us, seated in a large multi-purpose room. We gave them each a plate of snacks and then handed out the gifts. They were so happy to be receiving a present and almost all of them gave each of us a hug as they left.

The children excitedly opening their gifts.
Hardened faces were transformed with smiles!

A little about AFE: AFE teaches children up to 11^th grade, has a nursery for small children, and a small health clinic as well. The harsh reality of where these children come from is absolutely stunning. Standing on the grounds of AFE you can look up and see the ominous ridge on the hill above us that constitutes the way of life for too many people. These people, adults and children alike, sort through the dump day after day in hopes of finding enough garbage to sell to recyclers in order to possibly make a few dollars each day. There is no shade from the heat of the day, food is scavenged from the garbage and most of the “good” garbage has already been taken by the dump truck drivers who scrounge through the garbage even before it is taken up to the dump. You may think that students would be lined up to get into this school, but that is not the case. These people don’t want to leave the “comfort” of the dump for the unknown of the school, and families need the meager income that each child can bring in. Those students who do make it until graduation are not supported by their family or community because they are thought of as lazy for not having a job. The cycle of poverty is certainly not one easily broken.

This website shows some pictures and a little information on dump workers’ lives:  http://www.micahcentral.org/dumplife.htm

This is the view of the dump from AFE. It extends a long ways along this ridge.
The buzzards show where the fresh dump of the day is at. 

"No, this is the kind of fasting I [the Lord] want: Free those who are wrongly imprisoned; lighten the burden of those who work for you. Let the oppressed go free, and remove the chains that bind people. Share your food with the hungry and give shelter to the homeless. Give clothes to those who need them, and do not hide from relatives who need your help." ~Isaiah 58:6-7 nlt