Do you remember how you felt when you receive your new school supplies?

Were you like me and lay out everything so neatly on the kitchen table and write your name in pen on all the items because you were so proud to have them.

What excited me more was getting new sneakers for gym. Oh! how I love the smell of newness and knowing they were for in-school only meant that they would stay clean.

Then with great anticipation you wait for school to start so you could use them.

The new school year started almost 3 weeks ago here in Honduras. Did you know that here, students need to wear a uniform. They need to buy their school supplies and in some schools they have to pay an entry fee. The fee goes towards paying for security guards at the school.

Last year I met a 11 year old girl in April that lives in one of the areas that Manos Extendidas ministry in. I asked her why she wasn’t in school. She said that she lived with her mom and brother. Her mom didn’t have the money to enrol her. Her brother was in school because he had a sponsor through Manos Extendidas. I told her that Gordon and I will help her to get in and buy whatever she needed.  She was so excited that the following day she went to school and talked to the principle. The principle told her it was too late to start and she will have to wait till the next year. We were all sad. This girl wanted so bad to be in school. She wanted to learn. She wanted to be with her friends.

Wow! What was a 11year old to do if she wasn’t in school? My first thought was if she had low self-esteem and was a follower she would end making bad decisions. So quickly I invited her to help out in one of the kindergarten schools which Manos Extendidas runs.

I have watched this girl for almost a year as she worked along with the teacher. For a youth she had gain the respect of the children and their parents. I am happy to say that we found a sponsor for her and she is now able to embrace her dream.

I want to thank all the sponsors that gave hope to the hopeless. This year was my first time to help hand out over 50 bookbags of school supplies and their uniform with some of the team from Manos Extendidas.

My dream is to see the youth stay in school. To become that special person he wants to be. Each child that is sponsored has that opportunity to reach his goal