I've written about our Strong Families or "Familias Fuertes" program and Strong Mothers, "Madres Fuertes", within Impacto Juvenil. The organization where I serve also has a program called Strong Communities ("Comunidades Fuertes").
I have never served with Comunidades Fuertes. They go into the communities and assess schools, health care systems and the area's resources. Then they give an evaluation to the community leaders with suggestions as to how the community could be better.
I learned a lot about Villa Nueva today.
Villa Nueva is made of 8 sectors. Some sectors are so big they are subdivided into two or three parts. There are more than 75,000 people in Villa Nueva. It is one of the most densely populated parts of Tegucigalpa. It was founded in 1980.
Through the years more families from rural areas have moved into Villa Nueva in hopes of finding work. The majority of people who live here work as housekeepers, masons, carpenters, gardeners, fixing shoes, making tortillas, selling small meals (like fried chicken), or washing clothes for wealthier people.
Because VN is so large, the people who live there are not always aware of the resources they have within their community. It is the largest colonia in Tegucigalpa and listed as the largest colonia in all of Central America!
It has a market on Fridays and Saturdays where people from all over the country come to buy and sell. (The market is only a mile from my house, but the area is dangerous so I've never been although I drive by it all of the time.)
They did a survey asking the people to identify what they believe is the biggest problem Villa Nueva faces. 28 percent of the people within the community report that the sale and use of drugs is the worst problem they face. 21% say domestic violence is the worst problem. 17% say robbery is worst. !5% identified extortion, 11% said gangs and 8% identified the disintegration of families as the worst problem within their communities. I was surprised the people don't see gangs as a bigger problem. But they would know better than I.
There were teachers, doctors, nurses, pharmacists and the local people. All said even if they don't live within Villa Nueva, they are invested in bettering the community since they are already spending a lot of time there.
Some of the people from the health clinic were not happy with the evaluation. They have a lot of areas where they need to improve. One thing I found interesting was that if you divide the number of bathrooms in public schools by the number of kids the have to serve, between 80-170 kids have to share one bathroom in the schools in VN. No wonder the bathrooms are always gross!
We watched a short movie about Christ's birth and sang some fun Christmas carols I had never heard before. One was about the fish drinking, drinking, drinking because Jesus was born. I didn't understand the significance of that one, but it had a catchy rhythm.
Then we received a calendar (with one photo that I took!) and a coffee mug full of candy. We were served a huge pork dinner and a tres leches cupcakes for dessert.
Afterward some coworkers and I slipped away to try on dresses that one of them is making and selling to earn extra money. They were so pretty! I don't have any event where I will need to wear a dress. Still, it was fun to have some relaxed time with the girls, playing dress up. We didn't have a mirror so we took photos of each other to see how we looked.
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On the way home I was telling my boss's assistant how much I enjoy my new role over the past couple of weeks. I've always loved what I do, but I feel so happy right now. In fact, I think this is the happiest I've ever been in my five years of serving in Honduras. Sure, I wish I could go home for Christmas and I wish I could afford a newer car, but I really love being in Villa Nueva. She was happy to hear that. She said that everyone likes to work with me because it is clear that I like what I do and it's always fun to work with someone who enjoys their work.
She said she was telling my boss that I came to them "undercover". She said, "You were quiet. You never called attention to yourself or made a lot of "noise"." The truth is, when I first started working with them my self esteem had taken a beating. I was really intimidated by them! They do such great things and work so hard, I didn't know if I could keep up with them. But as I've healed and regained my confidence, we are able to see that my gifts match well with the needs of Impacto Juvenil.
She said, "Mary Lynn, in the little time you've been here, you have done more than any volunteer has ever done before. You have affected more lives in this little time than any other volunteer."
I was silent. Those were some powerful words! I thought about the fact that all of my coworkers started as volunteers. Many spent a 5-10 years as volunteers and they did a lot of great work. Is it possible that I have affected more lives?
At the very least, I know I am appreciated. Praise God for leading me to serve at Impacto Juvenil and now specifically within Villa Nueva. There's nowhere else I'd rather be.
We have a retreat next Monday specifically for the volunteers. I asked if I should bring my camera to take photos, since they are always wanting photos of big events. My boss's assistant laughed and said, "No Mary Lynn. This retreat is for you! It's for you to relax and enjoy. If you would like to take photos for yourself, you can."
