K....

K... is a fourteen year old girl who is in Grade 9. We noticed that she has been gaining weight and becoming much more reserved. We finally talked with her Friday. She says she was raped by a bus driver in December and has not had her period since then. There is also a step father involved in the picture so it may be something like that as well. She has been unable to talk to her mother so has been shouldering this burden all alone for the past months.

We tried to get a pregnancy test done yesterday but the power was out for the morning and most of the afternoon. This morning, Yeni took her and had the blood test done. The result was positive (although, in this case, I rather think it is very negative).

Manuel, Yeni and I talked to her today and gave her the results. We tried to reassure her that this was not her fault and that she should not ever think it was. We also arranged to visit her home tomorrow and talk with the mother.

The results were, in a way, a bit of a relief for K... Now she can address the situation and work with it ... as much as any 14 year old child can do so.

There are so many children who get pregnant here in Honduras. It is one of the very sad realities. I know of more than one 32 - 35 year old grandmother. When you factor in the damage that will be done to the child/mother as well as the chances that her child will become learning disabled because of malnutrition and inadequate mothering the future for both is very dim.

One small blessing. We have Where There is No Doctor and Where There is No Doctor for Women in digital form. We also have several recently written and translated booklets on the nutritional benefits of green leaves. So, Yeni will work with K... to make sure she reads these materials. She is almost finished Grade 9 and has already achieved a passing grade should she have to drop out.

So, a heavy week so far.

On the brighter side ... and cute picture time. Yeni asked about a school "uniform" for her daughter, Ady. When I went to order the uniforms, there were, of course, none in that size. Manuel and I rushed to a baby store, found a suitable shirt and had it done up with the "uniform" logo. Yesterday, Ady came to school to show it off. I am wearing mine but Ady is blocking the logo. :))

I will be in Canada for 3 weeks so will be off the blog.

TTYL
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School Shirts

Students and staff wanted some sort of school 'uniform'. We have been taking orders for students who wanted them. It was surprising to me how many were interested. Late last week we received the first batch. People are quite proud of them.

A young girl, 18 years old, did her practicum with us last year. During that time, she became pregnant. This week, her story came to our attention again. The struggles for a young mother are very difficult. Her mother is also single and, so, each additional mouth to feed is a real burden. 

José Isaia Lara

How does one react to such news? What are the options? Manuel and I talked at length about how to react to this situation. Can one become involved without creating a permanent dependency or situation? Is there a true moral response that isn't long term? When I prefer the quick, one time only answer am I missing the point?

We talked about the possibility of her coming for one meal a day to my house. It would be good Spanish practice for me. But, what are the proprieties of such an arrangement? Manuel gave an interesting perspective. He said that the local pulperia (a small, in-the-home convenience store) is also the local news source. So, the secret to ensuring cultural correctness is to let the local pulperia know what is happening. They, in turn, let everyone else know. A secondary lesson ensues. Make sure you shop at your local pulperia and keep them within your circle of friends. Phew. Have done that already.

In  the end, we found out from a second source (this time a close neighbour) that the young girl actually had found work and was doing okay. But, we are ready for the next situation.

Maricella, Kenia, Christian, Ariel, Maira, Diana

On Tuesday, I was reminded again how plants protect themselves. We cut some bamboo for planting. The lower sheath leaves (don't know how else to say them without some technical term that I don't know) have a myriad of tiny hairs that can leap tall buildings in a single bound and with the slightest of contacts stick to arms, clothes and hands. They become itchy very quickly as well. Fortunately, a river was nearby so we got most of them off. Soap and water took care of the rest later. This morning, I was giving a new type of Chaya plant to a visitor and was reminded how even a slight touch can bite.

TTYL

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Football - Viva Honduras

Today was the third day of football at the Olympics. Honduras played Japan. A surprise victory over Spain on Sunday gave Honduras a golden opportunity to advance to the quarter-finals ... something no one expected.

I have a TV in my house (left over from the last World Cup) and so I brought it to the school so that we could watch the game at 10.00 a.m. Some switching of internet connections and so forth and we were able to see the game. Most of the boys chose to forgo studying for ninety minutes so that they could watch. A tense time but, fortunately, Japan was already through so they did not field their best squad nor play with any degree of intensity. A 0 - 0 tie was the result. Honduras is through. All the other men's games are today as well so lots of national interest. Honduras will meet Brazil, evidently.

Pre - Harvest - 280 plants

Yesterday we cut a small bed of Moringa. This intensive method of growing Moringa has the trees planted 10 cm apart. They are then cut back to 16 cm (Santiago measured carefully). This method is supposed to yield up to 9 harvests a year. These trees are now 7 weeks old (from seed) so, as you can see in the pictures, the growth rate is phenomenal. The leaves were stripped from the stems and are now drying to make leaf powder ... a super nutritional supplement. There is a great deal of interest in Moringa right now as it is being talked about on TV and in the newspapers. We are a year or two into growing the plant so that is a great benefit. We are the current experts in the area.

Violence is so close to the surface here in Honduras. Yesterday there was a serious staff meeting as we received news that one of our 13 year old girls had been raped. Fortunately for her, it was her mother who had been raped early in the morning as she was going to have her maize ground. But, nevertheless, we will have to see what we can do to ease the pain of our student. (Note:  She was back in school today - 2 days later. I had her come to the office to offer my sympathies. How hard for a tiny little girl to walk each morning in fear. What a helpless feeling ... and what can one say?)

Post Harvest

In a personal note, I have been spending the last couple of days dealing with the logistics and memorial service for my mother who passed away Friday night. Although someone disappearing from life's view is always a surprise it was not unexpected. Still, I have been surprised at how much energy the liturgy and eulogy is taking. The staff have been very kind so that has been a lovely gift.

Off to teach English.

TTYL

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