Winter 2004

The school year for El Hogar ends in November, and begins in February. Usually, we think of the months of "summer vacation" as being down time, but I am finding that this period is very busy and in some ways difficult at El Hogar.

November, of course, brings graduation. All the students need to pass exams before they graduate. It is a law in Honduras that, if a student fails the exam, he or she is entitled to a second chance. So, for those students who are not academic whizzes, November brings extra classes and tutoring to strengthen them in the weak areas.

The graduation ceremonies themselves are elaborate events. Each site has a graduation that suits its own unique personality. Speeches are made, of course, and each student is introduced and personal words are said. Diplomas are handed out. Visiting dignitaries take part. Special music is presented. Everything is decorated. There is, in addition, a Eucharist for the graduates before the graduation ceremony. Proud families attend. Nothing is rushed!

Afterward, each place has a party. At the Agricultural School, tables were set on the porches in front of the living quarters, and lots of good food was served. The Technical Institute graduation was special, because it will be the last at Santa Maria, as the Institute is moving. There was, again, a feast, but the boys had transformed one of the workshops into a dance hall, full of special lighting effects. At El Hogar, tables were set outside, and there was a buffet offered inside the dining room. A group played music, and many people danced. Altogether, the graduation experience was lovely.

The week after graduation does not bring the lull I expected. Both the Agricultural School and the Technical Institute have trial weeks, in which those boys who would like to attend get a chance to see what it is like, and the staff get a chance to evaluate the boys. We had many more boys than we can accept participate this year, so quite a few will not be able to carry through on their dreams and attend. The staff evaluate the boys on many different levels, and those who score highest get the chance to come. Depending, that is, on the home visits. Boys from El Hogar de Amor y Esperanza are automatically accepted, but there are other boys that enter the two higher schools without that experience. The staff have visited most of their homes, and these visits are still ongoing. As with the younger boys, we are looking for young people who are in extreme poverty, and have no other resource. We are also looking for backgrounds that will allow the boys to participate without undue pressure from uncooperative relatives, gang associations, or other disruptive factors.

After this time, the staff members get a chance for vacation. That means, however, that those who remain are looking after more boys, and working longer hours. For the boys, it is a period of transition, and normal routines are disrupted. Those boys who have safe homes spend some time visiting there. The boys that remain do not have that advantage, and this time reminds them of that fact. Fewer staff; change in routine, holiday blues, uncertainty about the future, and things like that end up giving the staff who remain lots of crises to resolve.

Meanwhile, the directors are busy working on the budgets for next year, and hiring new staff when necessary, and scheduling next year's work groups, and trying to get a little respite themselves.

Still, there is a lot to be thankful for, and much joy present here. The boys are on a more relaxed schedule, and enjoy the extra playtime. Those who can, appreciate visits with family. We are able to do special activities, like riding the lighted Kobbs Ice Cream train through the city. And Tegucigalpa itself is lighted with all sorts of Christmas decorations, some beautiful, and some way beyond tacky!

I was hoping in moving here to get away from some of the commercialization of Christmas. That is not the way things have worked out. But there is a difference in scale here. Children do not generally talk about that they want for Christmas. For many, it is not even part of their awareness. One teenage girl did venture wistfully that her dream would be to receive a whole bag of apples. A young woman who works at Sbarro volunteered to Doctora McCune, one of the missioners working in Tegus, that she was looking forward to Christmas. This young woman works full time, and goes to school at night, and is renting a single room. "I will have an entire day to spend with my baby! I think I will make some soup, and if it's nice, we will go outside together!" Apparently it is traditional here, like Easter in the US, to wear something new on Christmas Eve. For many of the women, this means having a new hair ornament for the occasion. Most people cannot afford a tree. But what they do have will be shared generously with others.

Please remember the El Hogar boys and staff in your prayers during this holiday period. These are God's much loved children, and they are thankful for your continuing support and love for them.

The Rev. Rich Kunz
Executive Director
El Hogar Projects