Dear Friend,
My name is Yolanda Rodas. I have been the country director of Compassion Honduras for six years, and I have been part of Compassion for 13 years. By the grace of God, I have been able to see different stages of Compassion’s ministry as I took different roles at the office. This has been very useful in my current position, since I can understand at a closer level what happens in the field with the children and the churches.
Our office in Honduras began in 1999, although work had begun in some regions in 1974 with the support of the Guatemala and El Salvador offices. Currently, we are working with about 200 child development centers and more than 57,000 children.
During these years, I have been able to see many lives transformed through the dynamic that exists among sponsors, children, churches and Compassion. I want to thank you for all the support that you bring daily to Honduran children, expressed through your sponsorship and prayers. I am convinced that the sponsorship you provide really does work, for I have seen it throughout all these years.
I have seen homes being transformed as the cycle of poverty has been broken, thanks to the work of the child development centers and the support sponsors offer. Many of our youth have been the first in their families to complete high school or university education or have the opportunity to learn a trade to sustain themselves and their families. Many children have been diagnosed quickly with an illness that could have taken their lives, but instead they received adequate treatment. Most importantly, I have seen entire households changed with the transforming power of Jesus. Each church that ministers in the lives of children is giving hope to families through the gospel.
In our country, we fight each day against poverty, violence and corruption, which are the main challenges before us. Many of our children live in the most violent and poverty-stricken regions of our country. Each day, these young people and children suffer pressures to join a gang, for there they are offered money or a semblance of family. Some of them live in constant fear of having a family member murdered or losing their own lives.
Access to the public health system is also a challenge. Even though there are hospitals and community health centers available, they lack qualified personnel and supplies. Education has improved during the last years, but there are still obstacles to overcome, for the system has not yet reached an adequate educational level for our children.
In each of these challenge areas, centers are making their best efforts in counterattacking the effects of such overwhelming poverty. They have become an oasis in the desert for these children and youth.
My vision is that we, as Compassion Honduras, can support the churches even more, so they can effectively implement ministry for children and youth. If each church is well equipped, the impact will be even greater on each child and family. We are also working to improve communications between sponsors and children so these can be more effective and help strengthen their relationships.
Please write to your child as much as you can. I wish you could see children’s smiling and radiant faces when they receive a sponsor letter. Even though most of them do not know their sponsors personally, it is so important to them to know that someone loves them selflessly and demonstrates a genuine interest in their well-being through letters.
Thank you for being part of this movement that is changing generations in our beloved Honduras. You are sowing in good soil by sponsoring a child in Honduras, and we appreciate all your prayers.
Yours truly,
Yolanda Rodas de Núñez
If you would like to sponsor a child from Honduras, please consider sponsoring
