20th September, 2008, Honduras
Today's distribution was based in the Escuelo 21 De Octubre, beside a highway in the community of Amabate. This involved about an hour's drive from Tegucigalpa. This was an elementary school enclosed by a wall/fence, with two armed guards on the main gate while we were there. The children walked in from the surrounding area or were brought in by bus or truck from more distant locations. As we distributed 432 bedkits, often to children of six or seven tears old, you can imagine that this was a considerable logistic exercise. With family, friends, and helpers, this involved thousands of people.
You have to be there to get a sense of the excitement and energy of children who have waited for hours and of the patient involvement of adults who, unlike the kids, realize the opportunity that this is for their families. Actually giving out the bedkits is a much-sought-after task on the SCAW team. You get to see the smile and body language of a child who suddenly realizes what the exciting, long, day was all about. But, in fact, every phase of the distribution is most rewarding. Receiving new clothes, watching their friends have their photos taken, and then having their own photo taken: each of these steps is a new and exciting experience for every child. You can almost see them storing up the day's images for the folks at home.
Those of us on the SCAW distribution teams are fortunate to have the privilege of making sure that your bedkits reach children in need. We thank you all for this.
Having taken a wrong turn into the real countryside today, we saw people travelling between their homesteads on foot (with heavy bundles) and on horseback.
Tomorrow is another day.
Peter Adams
for the SCAW Honduras team
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