Sewing Academy gets new furniture

The students at CEVER have finished the chairs, tables, and whiteboards for use by the Sewing Academy in 7 villages of the indigenous community where NY/HELP has been working for the past 30 years. CEVER is the vocational school in Yoro which is affiliated with our UCC sister church in Honduras. 

       

 Very handsome work, indeed!

  Next, these will be transported to the tribal area and carried by hand or mule-back to the villages

NY/HELP March 2019 Trip to Honduras

NY/HELP had a very successful trip to the mountains of Honduras, where we are working with the Tolupán people around La Laguna, near Yoro in northern Honduras. The group worked with our partners there from March 7 to 17, 2019.

Projects included the Sewing Academy, which is giving new skills to the women of the tribe. Connie Frisbee Houde initiated this program, and we were fortunate to find that one of our friends in La Laguna, Aracely Garcia, was a trained seamstress. Aracely taught 11 women in the first class, and now these women are teaching 34 others in seven of their home villages. To enable this, NY/HELP bought foot-powered sewing machines last December. Aracely is supervising the program, visiting each village to teach and assist.

 
NYHELP has been working with the local schools since our inception 30 years ago. Judy Toner has been instrumental in helping provide supplies to the primary schools in the tribe, A Centro Básico (middle school) for grades 7-9 was constructed in Mataderos several years ago. This served students who lived on the mountain, but students from the valley 1000 feet below had trouble getting to this school. So we are working to build a second Centro Básico in the lower villages. (7th Grade is already being taught there in someone's house!)

This year, Scott Reinhart, a retired middle school principal, gave teacher-training sessions to help improve the teachers' skills (many had no training in how to teach). He found the teachers responded enthusiastically to this program -- showing that teachers all over are the same -- they want to do a better job!

Much work was also done on the Clinic, which had rotting doors and leaks in the roof. Using doors built by students at CEVER, our church-affiliated vocational school in Yoro, the doors were replaced; and new skylights installed to eliminate most leaks. Keith Lyons worked on this project, assisted by our Honduran coordinator Joel Ramirez, NY/HELPers and local community members.

Enabling the success of the trip were are translators, David Makepeace and Shelsea Ochoa. (Communications is vital to any trip!)

Your support of NY/HELP, by prayers, donations, or participation in a trip, has made this a success.

Interview about Sewing Project

June NY/HELP Trip

HONDURAS - June, 2018

When Honduran political unrest forced the cancellation of the winter, 2018 trip, a second trip was scheduled for June, 2018.  

The members of the June team consisted of Connie Frisbee Houde,  Shelsea Ochoa, Judy Toner,  Justo Gonzalez , and Scott Reinhart.  The trip’s objectives primarily focused on gathering information and local input regarding the sewing project and how to support the schools.  Also, and always an important trip objective, seeing and being seen by our Honduran partners.  Everywhere we went we were told repeatedly how important it was for the inhabitants of the mountain to see our faces, walk with us, and work together to make life better on the mountain.

The June 3-10 trip was especially work intensive.  Three members of the team spent the first three days hiking to individual communities/schools that make up the lower villages, while the other two members did some much needed painting at the clinic.  The lower villages crew enjoyed the hospitality of Norma & Jose’s home and also attended a lower villages community meeting (w/Joel).  Throughout the week, Connie and Shelsea spread the light by distributing solar lights to schools and homes.  Judy’s school supplies helped to address a significant need.  Actively utilizing their Spanish fluency, Shelsea and Justo not only translated for those of us who were “uno-lingual”, but immersed themselves into interfacing with our Honduran friends.  A long line of mothers and their children were provided blessings courtesy of Reverend Justo. The entire team attended a community ceremony celebrating the Sewing Program’s first graduation class.  The inspiration and driving force of the sewing project, Connie, spoke at the graduation.  Our team, which was self-referred to as the FOTM (Fellowship of the Mountain), enjoyed our evenings actively engaged with others and ourselves in planning how to continue the great work of NY/Help Honduras. 

WHAT WE LEARNED:

>  The Sewing Project is making progress.  Better communication (US-Honduras) would greatly improve the rate of progress.  Connie’s leadership skills and passion for this project has energized all those involved.  The Sewing Project has the potential to greatly improve the lives of all members of the tribe.

>  After visiting many schools, meeting with teachers, it was agreed that all teachers would benefit from an in-service (lesson design, student assessment, etc.)

> Teachers expressed interest in the creation of school supply accounts at stores in Yoro

>  The lower villages have many needs and are hoping that, with our help, they can begin to address those needs.

 PLAN OF ACTION:

>  Return to Honduras (tentatively February, 2019)

>  Explore Communication Improvements

>  Expand the Sewing Program to more communities

>  Provide a one day in-service at a gathering of the teachers

>  Explore creating school supply accounts for teachers/schools

Thank you to all of you that have provided support to NY/Help.  Please know that your contributions are definitely making a difference.

Scott Reinhart

Getting Ready for June Trip

 

Judy's four duffel bags filled the back of her van on the way to the airport for the June trip to Honduras.  She and her cousin Connie, who had a similar number of duffel bags, made an arrangement with Delta Airlines.  After filling out much paperwork, Delta gave them a discount on taking the extra bags because this is a mission trip! 

The group has now safely arrived in Honduras!

JUNE TRIP TO HONDURAS UNDERWAY ON SUNDAY, JUNE 3!

Scott Reinhart sent this message, as the June NY/HELP mission group leaves for Honduras.

 

“I am feeling confident that we are well-positioned for a productive week in Honduras.  David (Makepeace) answered all the questions, and made all the arrangements that are possible from here. (Our taxi-driver) Mario and his van will be meeting us at the airport at 2 pm.  I am the last to arrive at 1:30 PM.  All of our reservations are set, project plans communicated, and mountain lodging arranged through Joel (our NY/HELP coordinator in Honduras).  We will be meeting with Joel in Yoro and hashing out the details.  Justo and Judy will go directly to the clinic.  ...  Connie, Shelsea, and I will travel to the lower villages, and arrive at the clinic on Wednesday.  …  We will need to spend time some Yoro time planning for our meetings.  

“Ginger sent the shopping list, so we will also need to do that on Monday (Yoro) knowing that the supplies will need to be organized into two portions for separate destinations.”

We will be posting messages received from the group while they are in Honduras.

Honduran Students Getting Ready for NY Visitors

NY/HELP has a group going to La Laguna, Honduras, in early June! The students at the middle school who have received scholarships from NY/HELP are making rememberances.