Roatan, Honduras

THE HERNANDEZ FAMILY

Interviewed by Lilian Pavón

This is Ana and Carlos Hernández. Carlos is a bricklayer. Currently, he has a temp job making about $18 a day, (when he gets to work). Ana takes care of her two adorable grandchildren Jair and Waldin. She gets paid by her daughter around $25 every month. Ana has 4 children: Karen (Mom of Jair and Waldin); she is 22 years old. Karen works as a salesperson at a souvenir shop and makes around $20 a day. Walter is 18 years old; he's in 10th grade, Arnold is 16 years old; he is in 7th grade and works to pay for his school expenses, (he works as a bricklayer’s helper). Luis is 13 years old; he is in 8th grade. Carlos is the step-father of Ana's children. Ana and Carlos have been living together for more than 5 years. They all work hard to support each other. In spite of the difficulties in their lives, they all have worked very hard to get a piece of land to build a nice and strong house for their family. Ana was only 9 years old when her mom was killed. She was not able to study, and thus can barely read and write. Since then, she has always worked to provide for her brothers and her own family. Let's work together to help this family. Let's plan to build a home for them!  

THE HERNÁNDEZ ZAMBRANO FAMILY

Interviewed by Lilian Pavón

Yamileth, (34) is married to Wilmer, (25). Yamileth has three beautiful young boys: Carlos, (17) is in the 8th grade and works with his step father as a bricklayer helper. He has stopped attending school due to the cost.  Kevin, (14) is also not currently studying. He helps his mom at the small convenience store they have in their house. Alex (9) is in the 4th grade. Yamileth and her three siblings grew up with their grandparents. She started working as a housekeeper to support her siblings when she was only 9 years old. Yamileth moved to Roatán when she was 11 looking for better opportunities. She met her first husband when she was 14. After 11 years of living with her alcoholic husband, she decided to divorce. Yamileth does a little bit of everything to support her family. Besides having a small convenience store, she sells Avon products. Wilmer works as a bricklayer. Wilmer was 15 years old when he started working. He studied and worked at the same time. The Hernández Zambrano family are a very hardworking family. Daily, they work and support each other. Wilmer and Yamileth are paying for piece of land, so they can build a nice, comfortable and strong home for their family.

THE Gutierrez Zelaya FAMILY

Interviewed by Lilian Pavón

Freddy is 43 years old. He works as a mechanic and does not have a permanent salary. He receives commissions from the repairs he performs. Freddy also works as a taxi driver when he is not working as a mechanic and makes about $18 - $20. Hilda is 33 years old. Hilda did not have the opportunity to study. Hilda grew up with her mom and her step - father. Since she was a little girl, Hilda had to work out in the streets selling oranges, tortillas and any other item her parents asked her to sell. Hilda comes from a family of 13 siblings. Her parents worked as farmers and did not earn enough money to send their children to school. Hilda and Freddy have three beautiful children: Ricardo is 17 years old and in 8th grade. Yereni is 10 years old and in 3rd grade. Isaac is 6 years old and in 1st grade. Currently Hilda does not have a job outside the home. Freddy and Hilda have been paying for a piece of land for the last couple years. Their biggest dream is to someday provide a strong and comfortable home for their children.

THE Martínez FAMILY

Interviewed by Lilian Pavón

Francisco is 33 years old. His father passed away when he was just a baby. Sadly, Francisco’s mom abandoned him when he was 12 years old and he ended up living with his aunt. As a child Francisco worked and studied at the same time and was able to finish up to the 11th grade. Francisco used to go to school in the morning and the afternoon and work  at a supermarket in the packing area in between sessions. In addition, he worked at a lumberyard during the day, and at night he studied in high school. Francisco works selling bread and candies. He makes about $17 - $20 when he sells bread and around $35 weekly when selling candy.  Francisco and Samanta have been married for 4 years. Samanta, (age 18) stays at home taking care of her two babies. Before she was married, she studied in the morning, and cared for her 5 siblings in the afternoon while her mom was working. Currently, Samanta takes care of one of her siblings as well.

THE LOPEZ FAMILY

Interviewed by Lilian Pavón

Angel, 34 and Gregoria, 38, have been married for 13 years. They have been living in the island for almost 8 years. They have two lovely children; Angel Junior, 13, is in 7th grade and Angelica, 11, is in the 6th grade. Angel and Gregoria work as hard as they can to provide for their family. Angel works at a lumberyard loading trucks. He grew up with both of his parents. However, they couldn’t afford to send Angel to school. Angel’s parents had a farm. They grew corn, beans, banana, etc. Unfortunately, the money they got from selling their crops  was not enough to give Angel an education. Angel left his home at the age of 13 years old. He moved to Roatán to look for a job to support his parents and sibblings. Angel was able to finish 6th grade a few years ago. Gregoria also grew up with both of her parents. She did have the opportunity to get her dregree in sewing. She worked for three years at a clothing manufacturing business before moving to Roatán to look for a better life and to support her parents. Currently, Gregoria has a little convinience store. She sells products such as: chips, sodas, water, candies, etc. Together they have dreamed of giving their children a more stable life than the one they both had as children. Let’s bless this family and build a home for them.

THE ENAMORADO FAMILY

Interviewed by Lilian Pavón

Mirna is 42 years old and has 6 children. She sells fruits and vegetables in front of her house. Mirna’s 2 middle children ive with her, but the 2 youngest  live with their grandparents in the mainland, because the house where they are currently living is too small. Licci is 24 years old and works as bus driver. Her salary depends on comission and tips from tourists. She has two cute children named Genesis, (10 yrs) and Angelo, (1 yr). Licci has a relationship with Jeffrey who helps Mirna sell fruits and vegetables as well. Keyla is 22 years old and has one more year of high school to finish. She stopped studying because she coulnd’t afford it. She helps her mom to sell fruits and vegetables. She has two beautiful children named Natalia, (4 yrs) and Marvin, (2 yrs). She has a relationship with Carlos who also helps Mirna to sell fruits and vegetables. Mirna has a relationship with Entimo and they have been living together for 7 years. Entimo is 47 years old and helps in the family’s small business. The Enamorado family needs a nice, strong and comfortable home. Will you be the one to help?

THE AGUILAR MONTOYA FAMILY

Interviewed by Lilian Pavón

Arturo and Alma have been living together for more than 7 years. Arturo works as a truck driver in a lumberyard. Alma works in a hotel in the laundry area. Alma has five children. Gina is 22 years old, she is in her 1st year of college and she also works at a bank to pay for her studies. Henry is 17 years old and is in 10th grade. Carmen, is 16 years old and is in 11th grade. Alma has been helping out her niece Esther and her nephew Elder for the last 5 years. Esther, studies and works in a super market and Elder works at a purified water company. Elder is married to Kelin. Together they have a child named Elder Jr. who is 8 years old. Kelin and Elder Jr. currently live in the main land. Elder decided to move to Roatán to earn more money to support his family.  Even though Arturo is not Alma’s children father, he has raised him as his own children. Daily they all work very hard to support each other. Let’s give a hand to the Aguilar Montoya family. The Aguilar Montoya family needs our help with a home.

THE Canales García FAMILY 

Interviewed by Lilian Pavón

This is the Canales García family. Hector and Martha have been married for over 16 years and have three beautiful daughters: Esmeralda (15) Ingrid (12) & Genesis (6). Hector works at a mall in the maintenance area, he makes about $15 a day. Hector grew up with his grandparents because he was abandoned by his dad and his mom when he was just a little boy. As a teenager, Hector started working in fishing boats and construction. Martha sells food. She rents a small place where people come to eat and buy food. She makes about $8-10 a day. She also washes other people's clothes so she can earn some extra money to pay for her daughters’ education. Hector's mother and grandfather live with them as well. Daily, this family works as hard as they can to support each other. Let’s bring joy and happiness to this hardworking family. You can do this!

The Lawarence Family

Interviewed by Lilian Pavón

Cheslee Emerson Aquirre Lawarence (30) is married to Isela, (21). They have a beautiful daughter named Glenda, (3). Cheslee and Isela have been living together for 4 years. Cheslee moved to the island with his mom and his sibblings when he was very little. Cheslee’s mom passed away a few years ago. His dad abandoned them when they were very young. Cheslee works in the municipality in the department of boat cleaning. He makes around $300 monthly. His brother moved to the States to look for better opportunities to support his family. Cheslee takes care of his brother’s son, Orestes Lawarence. Orestes is 13 years old and in the 7th grade. Isela does not work outside the home and takes care of her daughter Glenda. Their biggest desire and dream is to own a strong and comfortable home for their sweet family.

The Fúnez Alvarado Family

Interviewed by Lilian Pavón

Kenia and Ramón met in Roatan 9 years ago. Kenia is 27 years old and Ramón is 31 years old. Kenia works at a supermarket in the kitchen area. As a child Kenia had to study and work at the same time, so she could finish her studies. Kenia has 12 siblings who all had to study and work at the same time to support each other. Kenia’s mom cooked tamales, pastelitos, barbacoas, tortillas to sell out in the streets. Kenia and her 12 siblings were  able to finish their studies because of their hardworking mom and their unity as a family. Ramón grew up with both of his parents and his 4 siblings. As a child, Ramón had to study and work at the same time. Ramón was able to finish the 6th grade, but couldn’t afford to go to high school. Ramón sold vegetables and newspapers during the school year. During his school break, Ramón and his siblings helped his dad sell clothes, shoes and other items. Currently, Ramón works as a bricklayer, and makes around $22 a day. Even though Kenia and Ramón don’t make a lot of money they have been saving to buy a piece of land to build a home for their lovely family. They have two beautiful daughters: Leilani, (12) is in in 7th  grade and Alison (10) is in 6th grade.

The Trochez Family

Interviewed by Lilian Pavón

Day by day Norman works as hard as he can to provide for his family. Norman is 43 years old. Growing up, he had to study and work at the same time. Norman’s parents worked as farmers. Norman used to study in the morning and work in the afternoon with his parents. Currently, Norman works as a taxi driver. He has to make money to pay both for the rent of the taxi and to feed his family. Daily he makes about $20 - $25. Norman married Blanca 12 years ago. Norman and Blanca have 4 lovely children. Carlos (16) is in 12th grade. Crihsney (11)  is in 6th grade. Dahsly is 4 and Abing is 1. Blanca (30) works as a housekeeper. She and Norman come from very hardworking families and they also would love to give their children a better life than the one they had. Even though they do not make a lot of money, they have been saving to pay for a piece of land. Their biggest dream is to someday build a strong and comfortable home for their children.

The Lopéz Valladares Family

Interviewed by Lilian Pavón

Kenia and Danilo have been married for almost 18 years. They moved to Roatán 10 years ago looking for better opportunities for their family. Together they have three children. Danilo works as a bricklayer and makes $17 a day. Currently he can’t apply for a better job because he was unable to finish school. Danilo’s father abandoned him when he was very young. Danilo’s mom worked washing and ironing clothes to support Danilo and his siblings. The money that Danilo’s mom earned barely cover the expenses of their food. Kenia also grew up with her mom and four siblings as they were abandoned by their father when she was only 2. Kenia never went to school and is unable to read or write. Her mom worked cleaning other people’s houses to feed her and her siblings. Danilo and Kenia desire to give their three lovely children a better life than the life they had growing up.

Interviewed by Lilian Pavón

Evelyn (38) grew up with her aunt and uncle as her mom moved to the United States looking for a better life when she was only 8 months old. At the age of 15 she moved to Roatan where she attended school all the way up to high school. She is currently working at the airport in the area of validating documents for passengers. Evelyn ́s monthly salary is about $430. Freddy (36) grew up with his mom. He is the second oldest child in his family of 6 siblings. Since he was 8 years old, he worked in his neighbor’s farm to support his family. He moved to Roatan when he was 16 years old. Evelyn and Freddy have been living together for 15 years. They have a son named Diego (8) in the 3rd grade. Evelyn has another son named Daniel. Daniel is not Freddy ́s son, but Freddy has raised him as his own. Daniel is 18 years old and in the 11th grade. Daniel studies at night and works during the day. Freddy also has a son named Luis. Luis is not Evelyn ́s son, and he has never lived with her. Freddy has always supported Luis economically. Luis has always lived with his grandma (Freddy ́s mom) . He is 15, and in 9th grade. Luis would absolutely love to live with his dad. One of the main reasons Luis does not live with his dad is because they haven’t had enough space for him. Evelyn and Freddy have expressed that one of their greatest desire is to reunite their family. Evelyn’s mom is living with her again. However the space is getting smaller and smaller.  Building this family a home would provide an opportunity for their family to come together.

The Lopéz Rivera Family

Interviewed by Lilian Pavón

Paula (29) and Rolando (54) have been living together for almost 5 years. Paula’s father abandoned her when she was very little. She only completed up to the 6th grade as her mom could not afford to pay for her education. Paula had to work her last 2 years of school as a housekeeper. She was able to finish her last 2 years with the help of the family that she worked for. Once she finished her school studies, she decided to start working to support her mom and her other siblings. Paula has 3 beautiful children: Andrea, (9) is in 3rd grade; Briani, (3) and Iker, (2). Andrea is her daughter from her first marriage. Sadly, Paula’s first husband passed away a couple of years ago. Rolando grew up with both of his parents. His father worked at a lumber yard and his mom worked as a teacher. As a teenager Rolando worked at a brick store. However, the money he earned was not enough to complete his studies. Currently, Rolando is working as a bus driver. Paula and Rolando work as hard as they can to provide a decent life to their children.

The Lopéz Salinas Family

Interviewed by Lilian Pavón

Noheli and Johny moved to Roatan at a very young age. Noheli grew up with both of her parents. Her dad worked as a security guard and her mom worked as a housekeeper. Noheli is 28 years old and works as a teacher. She had to work full time while finishing her studies in order to support her parents and her siblings. Johny is 29 years old. He was not able to finish his studies because his parents couldn’t afford to pay for it. Once Johny finished the 6th grade, he decided to start working so he could save some money to continue his studies. Currently, Johny works and studies at the same time. Johny works as a mechanic and studies at njght. Noheli and Jonhny have 3 beautiful children: Jafet, 6), Alison (4) and Abigail (2). Noheli and Johny’s biggest dream is to provide a decent and strong home for their children. Let’s be part of their dream!

The Hernández Lopéz Family

Interviewed by Lilian Pavón

Nectalí is 34 years old. As a little boy he had to study in the mornings and work in the afternoons with his parents who were farmers. Nectalí was able to finish only up to 7th grade. Currently, he works at the airport and makes about $13 a day. Narcisa is 30 years old. She works at the airport in the kitchen area. She makes about $10 a day. Narcisa, just like Nectalí, had to study in the mornings and work in the afternoons with her parents growing corn and beans. However, Narcisa didn’t have the opportunity to finish her primary studies. Nectalī and Narcisa have been married for almost 16 years. They have three lovely boys: Bryan (14), Axel (7), and Keylor (4). Nectalí and Narcisa’s biggest dream and desire is to work as hard as they can to give their children not only a better life but also a good education that will open them many doors to opportunities that neither of them had growing up. Let’s be part of Nectali and Narcisa’s biggest dream and desire.

The Munguía Mejía Family

Interviewed by Lilian Pavón

Jeny and David have three children: Paola, the oldest, (23) has already finished college. Paola had to work and study at the same time because her parents could not afford to pay for her studies. Currently, Paola works at the airport as customer service to support her family. She only works during the days of international flights. Emely (11) is in 5th grade and Junior (7) s in 1st grade. Jeny and David have been married for almost 19 years. Jeny is 40 years old; she comes from a home of 4 siblings and a single mom. Jeny didn’t have the opportunity to finish her studies. Her mom, María lives with her. María raised her children working as a housekeeper. She also worked in a company planting palm trees. Currently Jeny works as a housekeeper and every other weekend she sells food out in the street such as hamburgers, tamales or pastelitos. Jeny, just like her mom, works hard in order to feed her family. David works as a water taxi driver; he makes about $12 a day. He doesn’t have a day off; the more he works, the more he earns. Even though Jeny and David don’t make a lot of money, they both have been paying for a piece of land for many years, so they can build a nice and comfortable home for their family.

The wild cane school

The Wild Cane Community is located on the north side of the island of Roatan, in between the towns of Coxen Hole and Sandy Bay. This small bilingual community was home to much of the islands wild sugar cane, thus the areas name. Currently there is a small kinder and preschool here that hosts a large number of students. However, there is no government sponsored elementary school, which means families here must transport their children to nearby towns for their education. This is a costly endeavor and many students simply leave school as their families cannot afford to send them. Sheila Henry, (pictured on front cover, far right) does not believe this is right and has dedicated her life to seeing that these children received a quality education. For years she has operated a small, one room schoolhouse in the community. Today that house is home to a classroom which provides an education for more than 90 students each and every day. Shiela believes she can do more. Click here to download the Wild Cane School Proposal