How Child Champions Helped Children in Honduras Thrive in 2022

Hope Centers give kids a safe place to play.

Honduras is a beautiful country with wide-ranging landscapes, from tropical forests to rugged mountains to sandy beaches – a land of rich culture and history.

What is life like for children in Honduras? For some it’s a lot like life for our own kids, filled with school, friends, family and dreams for the future.

It’s heartbreaking, however, to know that more than half the people here live in poverty. And many fear violent gangs. Kids living in poverty, especially, have a rough time. They don’t have enough food to eat, they can’t get safely to school, and they get sick a lot because there aren’t enough sanitary bathrooms and ways to get clean water.

Those are just some of the problems that Child Champions in Honduras are tackling. They’re working tirelessly to reduce poverty in Honduras by helping kids thrive and become agents of change in their communities when they grow up. Hand in hand with sponsors, they are working toward lasting change.

Kids can look forward to a nutritious meal at their Hope Center.

We asked David Garcia, our Country Director in Honduras, to share how our partners and Child Champions helped children in Honduras in 2022. We were inspired to hear about all they are doing, including:

• Persevering to serve all their kids despite a surge in regional gang violence.
• Staying in constant contact with the kids to check on their health and welfare.
• Ensuring that kids thrive by teaching them to take care of themselves and making sure they can continue in their education.
• Allowing children to have a voice in how workshops and activities are conducted so that they learn valuable skills.
• Committing to improving efficiency, empowering partners, and improving how Hope Centers implement their programs.

We’re excited to share this recap of David’s top five insights for 2022:

What were some of the most difficult things your community faced in 2022?

Our kids, Child Champions, and partners faced especially difficult situations due to an uptick in [gang] violence. The violence limited children and their families from moving freely in their communities and prevented Child Champions from visiting children in some areas. However, the churches and Hope Centers remained committed to serving all children in their communities amid these challenges.

A Child Champion visits a girl in her community.

How were Child Champions able to support children and families in their struggles?

In these challenging times, the Child Champions visited children and their families as much as they were able and accompanied them to different events. They maintained constant contact with the children through home visits or by telephone when it was not safe to travel to their neighborhoods. In addition, the Child Champions were trained in child health and protection issues to promote and protect the comprehensive health of children and their families.

When were the times you saw children thriving the most?

We saw children thrive when they regularly attended and participated in a local church. We also saw it when they successfully attended and completed school, learned to take care of themselves and be healthy, and had their basic needs met. Children thrived when they were provided with lifelong learning opportunities, allowing them to restore and develop their abilities to relate to God, themselves, their families, and their communities.

Isai, a Hope Center director, walks with one of his students.

We know how necessary and valuable it is for our Field Ministry Partners, Child Champions, and children to have a voice in what programming looks like. When did you see this happen?

It is important because the staff and volunteers are the people who know their communities and their needs the best. Some of the children shaped the way their workshops and programs were done. In the southern, more rural part of Honduras, Child Champions shared that the best way to teach children is through hands-on experiences. They practiced different agricultural methods and were introduced to trades like barbering, jewelry making, cooking, etc.

What do you hope to see happen in the program in Honduras for 2023?

First, we want to strengthen and seek efficiency in our country office. Second, we want to empower and equip our partner churches in their work with children. Third, we want to improve how the Hope Centers implement the program in the church.

Learn more about Honduras and how you can pray for our dedicated Child Champions and the beautiful families and kids there.

Help David Garcia and others in Latin America help more kids. Sponsor a child today.