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CHARITIES
THE TIERRA SANTA HOME FOR ABANDONED GIRLS
Supported by donations from the Latin American
Culture Café
The Tierra Santa Home in Honduras, situated in a small town sixty
miles from the capital city, Tegucigalpa, was officially opened
in 1986 by its founding director Santiago Martínez. Santiago was
until that time working for a boy's orphanage in Tegucigalpa, but
became increasingly worried about the number of girls in need of
care, either due to abandonment, abuse or through being orphaned.
Many girls are abandoned by their parents for economic reasons,
as they are more of a burden than boys. The girls come to the orphanage
through the social services or the family courts and some are brought
by their parents.
Santiago Martínez has a wonderful vision for the children in the Home - that each
one be well educated and rise up to serve their community and country. He does
not believe that they should only be recipients of charity, but rather should
be serving members of society. One of their service projects, for example, is
to run a regular soup kitchen in the village. Some of the girls, after completing
high school, have obtained scholarships to study overseas, and many do typing,
textile and computer courses etc., to learn skills that will help them become
financially independent. Further funding would help the orphanage develop its
educational facilities and capacity, for example by paying the salaries of a full-time
special needs teacher and a social worker, as well as to improve the presently
very high ratio of children to staff.
All who visit the Home quickly become aware of the loving atmosphere.When the
wife of the British Ambassador visited, she remarked that she had never seen such
bright eyes in an orphanage. Emphasis is placed on reward for good behaviour rather
than punishment for poor behaviour. Each older girl has a younger one to care
for and they all participate in the daily tasks around the Home which increases
their sense of being useful members of society. Creativity is considered very
important, particularly dance and drama, and the orphanage has its own traditional
dance troupe.
The number of children ranges from 120 to 200 (following Hurricane Mitch). After
Hurricane Mitch, several boys were also given a new home. The children are only
very rarely given for adoption, since the idea is to give them a loving home,
and not promote 'international baby business'. All children are supposed to leave
the Home at the age of 18, but such is their love for the Home that many of them
build houses around the perimeter so they remain part of the Tierra Santa community.
The Home is totally dependent on funds from outside the country; there
is no support from the state and most people in Honduras are too poor to contribute
to a project of this nature. Present basic maintenance costs (food, school and
medicines) for one child are approx. £35 per month. Our aim is to find many people
who will make a regular monthly donation, however small. This will guarantee the
regular income that can remove the present stress of not knowing whether there
will be enough money to provide for the basic daily needs of the children.
All cheques should be make payable to BASED-UK and earmarked for the TSO and sent to the Secretary together with requests for further information.
Bahá'í Agency for Social and Economic Development (BASED-UK)
22 East Saint Helen Street, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, OX14 5EB, UK
Tel: 01235 524 857 Fax: 01235 533 278 E-mail: bosed@bahai.org.uk
Website: www.TierraSantaSupport.org
Tierra Santa Home for Abandoned Children, Honduras
"Hola! My name is Saira Yaneth Barahona Mendez and I'm 6 years old. My brother
Marco and I came to Tierra Santa in 1998. Since coming here I have a whole new
family and have made lots of new friends."
Saira and Marco came to the Tierra Santa Home in Honduras because their mother
couldn't look after them on her own after their father abandoned the family. They
were standing in a row of small expectant faces flanking the entrance of the Home
as our car approached. We, 6 visitors from the UK, were greeted as if we were
close family.
During our visit we felt that Tierra Santa is so much more than 'just' a Home.
For these 120 children, mainly girls, it is:
- a refuge from violence and uncertainty.
- a haven of safety and tranquillity, where each child can sleep in their own bed
secure in the knowledge that no harm will come to them.
- a place to acquire the skills necessary for independent living and becoming participative
citizens of the Honduras of the future.
For Santiago Martinez, the director of the Home, Tierra Santa is about giving
these children the opportunity to become a someone, not just a statistic - a caring
loving individual with options. They come helpless; they leave strong, ready to
give.
These children are the seeds of a country whose economic needs are almost overwhelming
— for clean water, for a safe and continuous supply of electricity, for sustainable
growth and development.
But the Home is too small. There is no tap water. There are no luxuries. What
the Home offers is support, love, stability, and enough food, just. For a few
precious days we were part of this little enclave buzzing with friendship, chatter
and activities as these children live together, supporting and helping each other
and the wider community around them.
But nobody is disheartened, for they have a clear vision, new land and plenty
of ideas to become independent adults and to be of service. Already the older
girls provide a daily lunch for 25 malnourished children from the town. Fulfilling
this vision is only possible through education and the support that others more
fortunate can give.
What the Home needs is money. Your contribution can make the difference; a child
suffering from semi-starvation and neglectful abuse can become a child with an
optimistic future.
Santiago has faith that his work will not be in vain. Will you enable that work
and that faith to become a reality? You may think that what you have to offer
is very little. If you could see, as we did, the difference that a couple of pounds
can make, you would know that you are giving much more than you believe.
These children are entitled to the same opportunities as children in this country.
All they lack is a change. This is something you can help provide. Please give
today, make the difference, support these children. Thank you.
BASED-UK
Secretary, Mrs. Susie Howard
22 East Saint Helen Street, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 5EB
tel: 01235 524857
email: secretariat@baseduk.org.uk
website: www.baseduk.org.uk
Donations to BASED-UK can be earmarked for BASED-UK, Bayan, or the Tierra Santa
Home.
Every penny donated for the Tierra Santa Home will be used by the Home to provide
food, education and medical care for each child. Donations are also spent on improving
material facilities, providing more opportunities for education, vocational training
and recreational facilities, as well as employing more staff.
The approximate cost of food, education and care for each child is £35 a month.
Please support the Tierra Santa Home by:
a) a single donation of £...............
b) sponsoring a child for £........... a month (the secretary
will send you a standing order form)
Name:..............................................................
Address:...........................................................
Post Code:.......................
Tel:............................. Email............................
All cheques should be made payable to BASED-UK and returned to the address above.
If you are a tax payer, your donation can be increased by 33% by completing a
Gift Aid form. Please contact the secretary of BASED-UK.
THANK YOU
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