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"True Charity is helping those you have every reason to believe could not help you."
Rodger Harrison |
| Long before the horrors of Hurricane Mitch. I discovered Honduras. How little did I know
it would change my life!..On my second trip to Honduras,
I decided to study Spanish in the quaint little town of Copan Ruinas, high in the mountains of Copan. During my
month tenure in Spanish school, I couldn't help but notice the people and their needs. Never had I experienced
such a proud people who were so very poor. The children of Honduras touched me the most. In their eyes, I saw something.
Perhaps it was the hopefulness, expectation, or trust, or maybe even the future of Honduras itself, but whatever
I saw in those little eyes, it changed my life. I knew right then and there, I was bound in my heart to help them.
After all it takes so little, some beans, a little rice, a few notebooks, some crayons, or children's books, a
few pencils, and the next thing you know, you realize that one person really can make a difference. Now almost
two years later, "Paramedics For Children" is ready to make that difference. |
| Athough Honduras offers public education for it's people, the state only furnishes the
building, and teachers. Families must pay for the children's books, and supplies. In a country where the average
daily wage is only $3.00 per day, you can understand why so few children get to attend school. Many families can
only send one of their children at a time, and even that is at a great sacrifice. |
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| My approach has been to set up a Scholarship fund at the Mayatan Bilingual School, as
well as, supply some of the small public schools, high in the surrounding mountains, with much needed school supplies.
With some of the cash donations and my own money, I have been able to sponsor two very promising young children
in the Mayatan Bilingual School. This is the finest school
in the region and teaches the children English. The Scholarship program is one where a child from one of the poorer
families is selected to attend the Mayatan Bilingual School. For a poor child, this is a dream come true. |
| On one of my first trips I helped assist Dr. Delmy Castillo Madrid a local Honduran doctor
stitch up a little girl's foot. We operated on her foot in a one room mud shack on the outskirts of Copan Ruinas,
at night, by candlelight. Since we did not have any numbing agents, family members had to hold the little girl
down while we sutured her foot. To this day I can still hear her screams |
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Dr. Delmy was so low on supplies that she had to use sewing thread that had been boiled
in water and a regular sewing needle. That night, I vowed that when I returned, I would bring her an ample supply
of medical supplies, and I did. Some of the supplies I carried down, and some I had to buy. Bandages and suture
materials are light, and easy to pack, but some of the necessary drugs have to be purchased in country. Pictured
here, is Dr. Delmy in her new clinic, examining one of the local children in the town. She is a native of Copan
and seldom charges for her services. On the rare occasions when she does get paid, it is usually in livestock,
such as pigs or chickens. Oh yes! this Doctor makes house calls!
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Honduras has many problems. A big one for me is finding the right people to help me get
these supplies into the country, and into the actual hands of the children. The children in the high mountains
are the ones who suffer the most. The remoteness of their homes makes it very hard for our teams to reach them. |
| Because of this many of the supplies would never reach these children, if we didn't take
them into the mountains ourselves. Due to some of the remote locations many of the children who need these supplies
can only be reached by horseback. |
Small but growing.
Right now Paramedics for Children consists only a few volunteers. Besides supplies
and cash donations We always need help. If you are in pretty good physical shape, and can ride a horse, you can
help. Some of the schools we visit can only be reached by horseback, and this often involves riding as far
as 15 miles into the mountains. It is a wonderful ride up into the mountains. The views are fantastic and the joy
of these children will soften even the hardest heart. Up in the high mountains of Honduras, you will find that
one person can make a difference. Who knows, you may even find yourself. One thing is for sure. It will change
your life.
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Help Me to help the children of Honduras. Please take the time to make a small contribution.
A lot of hungry kids are depending on us.
Rodger Harrison |
Contributions can be sent to:
Paramedics For Children
5000 Nations Crossing (suite 222)
Charlotte, N.C. 28217
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