Driving through the streets of Honduras, you will spot beaten and partially destroyed kites hanging from the power lines. One day I decided to ask the boys about them. The response I got was more like enthusiasm at the opportunity to show me how those kites were made. A group of boys took off running to find plastic bags and string. Another few went to pick some large thick stemmed leaves. In a very short time, they were all seated quietly working on their kites. They worked with such dedication to the task at hand; carefully pealing the leaves down to the stem, measuring and cutting them as accurately as possible, crossing the sticks at the center to make the ideal shape, and then using the string to secure their creation. The bag was wrapped around the stick formation and, as a final touch, a long plastic tail was attached. I sat there watching, simply amazed by the creativity and skill involved in their work. As they finished, one child after another ran down the mountain to the soccer field. They went running across the field, kite in hand, hoping to send it flying on a swift breeze. As one achieved his goal, he would turn and shout to be sure the rest were watching as his hand made creation; formed from sticks and trash, took flight and soared into the sky. It seemed to be a beautiful reflection of themselves; previously viewed by so many as worthless street children, now working so hard to prove that they could be more. They reveal each day their ability to grow and rise up as stronger, more confident and educated young men, proving that their beginnings will not determine who they will become or how far they will go.
Alle posts voor September 2009
The Kite
28 September 2009, by Kevin under Volunteers in actionFall letter from our President
15 September 2009, by Bas under From the President
President’s Fall 2009 Newsletter
Dear reader of this letter,
The Homeless Child committee and its director have had a hot summer. The skies above our projects have cleared, and the future looks brighter than ever, so we think the time has come to fully inform you on the events of the last few months, in the spirit of our usual transparency. However, I will not – and do not want to – overwhelm you with details.
Our director and I are of course at your disposition for answers to your questions. Please contact me at 0544-372817 or cwduijne(at)planet.nl (email address has been formatted to avoid spam)
I would like to stress that the basic principle of all our actions and decision making has been that the interests of the children that need care should not be endangered.
The organizations we support, Hogar Suyapa – dietary centre and orphanage – and AHMF – education of women in the fields of sexuality, birth control and health – are running smoothly. Problems have arisen in Proniño, but luckily only in La Montana, the permanent housing unit.
What was the nature of these problems?
Because of the fast growth and professionalization of these centers (partly thanks to our efforts) the management in charge was not able to go along adequately with these developments. This led to gross mismanagement, which was covered up by the management in a less than decent manner; think intimidation of staff members, unjustified dismissals, abuse of local influence, lack of reporting, and destruction of unfortunate reports.
During May it came to our attention that a number of things did not quite add up. Our director, Bas Wiersma, who had just arrived in Honduras for his annual period of a couple of months of volunteer work, started to investigate thoroughly and diligently what we feared was going wrong. Bas encountered some heavy resistance and obstinacy from the management, and found some cautious support in dismissed ex-staff members and local authorities – the magistrate of the juvenile court, among others.
Consider the fact that the management consisted of husband and wife George and Betty Mealer, who founded these centers and who ran them for years in good conscience.
We always appreciated the emotion the married couple showed for not losing their brainchild. However, our director Bas has always had, and still has, strong emotional ties to our projects as well. What we feared was indeed true. There was some gross mismanagement. Together with our American sister organization ‘Proniño USA’ we declared that a great number of things should be improved within a determined timeframe.
We also declared that there was no more room for George and Betty on an institutional and/or managerial level. We used the suspension of our support – 70 per cent of the total income – after the determined period of time as leverage.
George and Betty declared not to resign and started a smear campaign against our director. They tried to apply their influence in several networks to keep their position.
It became clear to us that unveiling the truth on a local level was going to be very difficult.
Yet the evidence stacked up steadily, through testimonies of a growing number of experts and parties involved. These testimonies all have been captured in writing.
In the mean time, the local committee of the Proniño foundation had called in the Public Prosecutor, who relieved the management in charge of its duties posthaste, removed George and Betty, and confiscated the administration.
Furthermore, immediate action was taken to establish a temporary committee, in which the contributors would reside. This committee consists of five people, among which is our own Bas Wiersma. The temporary committee will appoint a new permanent committee, composed in a way that knowledge, authority, and independence are clearly discernible. The temporary committee is now appointing the new management and executives.
The future committee will comply with all wishes of the biggest contributors, being Homeless Child, Proniño USA, HIMS, and NOTS.
This has already been accomplished as we speak:
- Appointment of a full-time psychologist.
- Daily support for the management by INHFA (Honduran child protection service).
- More counselors for the children.
- An increased number of activities for the children, such as more sports and homework counseling.
You can clearly see that the care we offer has greatly improved.
I would like to compliment Bas Wiersma on the way in which he brought all this to a favorable conclusion in a calm and evenly manner. Well done, Bas.
I am happy and proud to inform you on these developments. The interests of the children have been guaranteed. The new composition of the committee and the management allows us to incorporate our interests better on the level of local projects.
In short, we have a much stronger position than before.
I hope your confidence in us will remain or increase after reading this letter.
I hope you will understand that the increasing quality of the care also implies that our costs will increase. I will come back to that in the future. We need your support as much as we always did.
Our – and your – Honduran children deserve this. Give them a chance.
I salute you, with gratitude,
Homeless Child
Charles W. Duijne
Future Sailing Champions Born!
15 September 2009, by Kevin under Volunteers in action
This weekend we just got back from an amazing event: Pronino kids making history in Honduras! We are the first sailing team recognized here in the country, and the pride and confidence in the boys is evident in their every movement. A few capsized boats aside, the progess has been phenomenal. If I was not there to witness it from day one, when the boys were not sure of themselves, or for that matter what I meant by “we’re going sailing!”, I would not believe it. They wake me up before half-past 5 in the morning to get moving, and are so energetic and enthused, it makes me feel double my 32 years for the effort I require to keep up.
The “regatta” we hosted this last weekend, while not recognized by Guatemala, because of our size and the current political crisis in Honduras, was a blast. The kids agree that payback will be coming when we go to their regattas and give them a beating on the water. With the progess I have seen, the determination in their eyes, I wouldn’t doubt them. The federation director has commented several times to me about their eagerness to learn, how hard they try, and how good they listen and behave.
How much they have learned and more importantly retain was evident Sunday afternoon. I was caught off guard when over my shoulder I heard one of the boys yell at me “derecho de estribor!!!” (meaning he had the starboard right of way- and I should get the heck out of his way). I nearly dropped the tiller and fell overboard from shock! I sailed since I was a boy and checking right of way still involves me taking a moment to look at my sail and the wind direction.
The car ride home was full of excited chatter about how the weekend went, what they were going to do next time, and most endearing for me to hear: talking about how they were going to be pro-sailors one day, work as coaches, compete in Europe and around the world, and so on. Its really awe-inspiring to watch 5 children take to a new sport.
To see the twinkle in their eye when they talk about their possibilites with sailing, a chance to do something different with a real and tangible future for them, makes those 5:00am wake-up calls worth it.
Kevin Cestra, Proniño Employee
Homeless Child is looking for people, companies, sailing clubs, anyone who is willing and able to sponsor this sailing team. Please contact us if you wish to read more and help out !
