Tegucigalpa Market Children
Each week we tell our guest speaker that instead of giving him/her a coffee mug or a letter opener, we sponsor a "Market Child" in Honduras, for one year of school.
Who are these kids, and how does the program work?
Typically these kids work Monday through Saturday from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. in the market with their parent or guardian. These kids are from the poorest families in Tegucigalpa.
Honduras has a "free" public education system but, the students must provide a uniform, 2 pairs of shoes, a book bag, books, notebooks and other supplies and materials. The majority of these kids come from a single parent (mother) family.
To participate in this program the mother or sometimes the grandmother must sign a contract that says that they will keep their child in school and not have them working with them in the market. There is over a 90 percent achievement rate since this program started in 1992.
Without schooling, the life ahead for these kids would most certainly include petty theft and prostitution. So, for $80 (USD) we pay for the uniform, shoes and supplies for one child a year per speaker. This money is paid to the Program and Ron & Elaine Ross from the Castlegar Sunrise Club.
What is the Rotary Tegucigalpa Market Children Program?
Rotary Club and their team go over each year in February to deliver the money and take other clothing, toys and things for all of the kids. They then take pictures of each child holding a thank you card with the speaker's name on it. The picture and a Certificate of Appreciation is then sent to the speaker.
Many Rotarians (and some non-Rotarians) throughout District 5080 have been sponsoring this program individually for years. There are currently just over 700 kids enrolled in this program; hundreds more are waiting for funding.
MARKET CHILDREN SYNOPSIS
The Market Children Program started in 1992 with a Rotary 3H (Hunger, Health & Humanity) between Kelowna Sunrise Rotary Club in District 5060 and the Rotary Club of Tegucigalpa, Honduras. District 5080 became aware of the project through Dr. John McKay's (Kimberley Rotary) attendance at the Rotary Fair in Belize.
Through the leadership of Dr. McKay, PDG Ron Ross (Castlegar Sunrise Rotary), his wife Elaine (Castlegar Sunrise Rotary), and Rotarians Gwen Telling (Creston Rotary) and Sandy McCauley Wade (Spokane Valley Sunrise) District 5080 has taken a leading role in the continuance of this vital program.
While Honduras has a "free" public education system the students must provide a Uniform and 2 pairs of shoes, a book bag, books, notebooks and other supplies and materials. For a elementary student this is about $80.00 per year, and for a secondary student about $300.00 per year. The students that can potentially come from the "market" do not have this amount of money available for schooling, thus they would not attend school without outside help.
The Market Children Program is administered through a Honduran NGO called Alternativas y Oportunidades (AYO), with a board of directors in Tegucigalpa, most of who are Rotarians. The overhead costs of the NGO are provided by another NGO from Ireland . In addition to the school program the AYO also provides tutoring to the children, courses on parenting skills, arts and crafts for the children, soccer teams. Funding from the Honduran government to AYO provides money for Anti-smoking campaigns, Drug and Alcohol abuse counseling, AIDS and STD awareness, and personal hygiene. This is done through meetings and an onsite physician.
To participate in the program the parent(s), usually the mother, sometimes the grandmother, must sign a contract with AYO that they will keep their child in school and not have them working with them all the time in the market. There is over a 90% achievement rate in the program.
The parents (mothers) form a committee at each market, with a President, Secretary and Treasurer. These committees stay in contact with AYO and provide volunteer hours in helping with the various programs for the children. They also provide feedback and recommendations to AYO on how things are going and what needs to be changed or improved. Through this involvement with AYO the "mothers" feel ownership of the program.
This school year (February 2006 - November 2007) our district between Rotary Matching Grants, Club funds, and individual sponsorships will sponsor 497 girls and 445 boys, for a total of 942 children who otherwise may not be in school. As the children grow, without schooling, the life ahead could most certainly include petty theft and beyond and prostitution. AYO and the Market Children does provide new alternatives and opportunities for the poor children of Honduras.
