Creation of the Home for Orphaned and Abandoned Children in Honduras
The main objective of this cause is to provide support and care to children aged 0 to 10 who are in situations of orphanhood and abandonment. Learn all the details.
An orphan, as defined by the dictionary of the Royal Academy, is someone who has lost one or both parents physically, but the loss can also be emotional, and consequently, someone can be an orphan if they lack the protection or love of their parents.
In Honduras, the number of orphaned children exceeds 200,000, and the numbers are on the rise. This orphanhood is due, for example, to the death of parents from illnesses and crime, as well as abandonment due to poverty or migration in search of better life opportunities, among many other reasons.
In response to this situation, Lamp of Hope Ministries aims to construct a children’s home in the short term, providing them with shelter, food, training, and spiritual guidance, a project that will be outlined below.
Honduras is one of the poorest countries in Central America. Despite improvements in the situation of children in Honduras in recent years, there are still growing problems stemming from low living standards and an atmosphere of insecurity.
According to the Multiple Purpose Household Survey conducted in May 2008, Honduras had approximately 3.5 million boys and girls; of these, about 200,547 are orphans; that is, 6% of boys and girls in Honduras are orphaned by one or both parents, and some by both.
It was found that out of the 200,547 orphans, around 8,531 (4%) have neither a father nor a mother. On the other hand, the vast majority (73%) are fatherless orphans.
Orphanhood, according to these results, is more of a rural problem than an urban one, as 60% of orphaned boys and girls in Honduras reside in rural areas. There is a ratio of 1.5 orphans in rural areas for every one in urban areas.
Out of the estimated 200,000 orphans, 101,000 are boys, and 99,000 are girls, in the age ranges of 0 to 17 years.
The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated orphanhood rates in Honduras, according to data from Casa Alianza. Before the pandemic, which started in Honduras in March 2020, the country counted around 200,000 orphaned boys and girls, as mentioned earlier. By July 2021, Casa Alianza recorded that around 1,500 children were left without the support of one or both of their parents. Most of them ended up under the care of close relatives, such as grandparents, aunts, and uncles.
And by the end of 2021, the Imperial College of London counted approximately 4,700 children and young people in orphanhood in Honduras.
This means that the pandemic increased the number of orphaned children by 2.35 percent.
The gravity of the situation of orphaned and abandoned children is evident in the alarming figures of child deaths. A documentary published in the La Prensa newspaper of Honduras on June 6, 2022, titled “Decade of Death for 2,646 Honduran Children,” indicates that from January 2013 to December 2021, there were more than 2,600 violent deaths of minors.
According to the article, the police believe that children and youth begin to take on adult responsibilities at an early age, and this is when they are drawn into criminal organizations that operate in various neighborhoods and colonies across Honduras.
In 2021, the Lamp of Hope Ministries organization acquired a 5-acre plot of land located in the La Esperancita Santa Rosa De Copan area. This is where they plan to construct the Home for Orphaned and Abandoned Children, which will initially accommodate 100 children between the ages of 0 to 10. They will be provided with shelter, food, clothing, academic and spiritual education, and practical skills to develop knowledge and abilities for their future. Adoption procedures will also be facilitated.
General Objective
The project to build the “Home for Orphaned and Abandoned Children in Honduras” has the following objective:
To provide support and care to children aged 0 to 10 in situations of orphanhood and abandonment, addressing their material, emotional, and spiritual needs in an environment of warmth and love to offer them a stable life and a secure future.
Specific Objectives
- All activities will focus on meeting the basic needs of a human being across five levels:
- Physiological: shelter, food, clothing, health.
- Safety: protection, attention, and care.
- Social: belonging, love, and living in a family-like environment.
- Esteem: respect, recognition.
- Self-actualization: technical training.
- Contribute to the growth of Christian, ethical, and human values.
- Conduct creative, artistic, and cultural activities to develop skills and talents.
- Provide technical training with the aim that the learned skills can be applied in future employment.
- Teach teamwork and the value of things through the cultivation and harvest of food.
- Facilitate the adoption of the children living in the home by families who can provide them with a loving home and ensure proper follow-up.
Project Benefits
- A secure life.
- Providing support and care to children in situations of orphanhood and abandonment will prevent them from being exposed to hunger, cold, violence, and becoming victims of crimes.
- A future with goals.
- Great benefits for society.
- Training of capable individuals.
- Creation of employment opportunities.
We are currently conducting various fundraising activities to make this project a reality. With your help, we can make it possible.
To learn all the details of the project, download the complete information below: