“Hope is necessary in every condition. The miseries of poverty, sickness and captivity would, without this comfort, be insupportable.”
Samuel Johnson, The Book of Positive Quotations
Hope is what the Honduran people grasp through the efforts of the volunteers at Cristo Salva. Hope in changing circumstances. Hope in changing medical conditions. Hope in changing the difficulties of life. But most of all HOPE in transformed lives one person at a time through the power of coming to know the Lord Jesus Christ as personal Savior. This hope we have in Christ propels us forth to share the good news and to touch others with the life changing hope that we have so that they too may grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ and to know this love that surpasses knowledge-that they may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. (Ephesians 3:18)
Honduras is the 2nd poorest country in the Western Hemisphere
We serve the area with one of the greatest concentrations of poverty
Poverty is extreme and pervasive
For every 25,000 people over 15,000 live in extreme poverty
The malnutrition rate is 42%
People born into poverty seldom escape a live of poverty
There is no public assistance available no matter how dire the need
The unemployment rate is 65% but much higher in our service area
There are too few jobs keeping wages depressed.
It's almost impossible to find a job-industry is 100's of years behind
Many men go off to work in the fields harvesting sugar cane & coffee
Farmers raise cattle for milk and beef
These men fortunate to have a job with a local coffee bean company
The fathers are missing in over 2/3 of the homes
Poverty is closely associated with gender
The poorest households in rural areas are headed by women
Many of the women provide for their family on less than $1 a day
This mom picks the dump to try to provide for her children
Many young women become pregnant by the age of 15
Malnutrition results in diminished mental development for many babies
The birth rate for the average Honduran woman is 3.59 births
Almost half of the population is under the age of 15
The leading cause of death for newborns is diarrhea
The under 5 mortality rate is 47 per 1000 children
Honduras ranks 5th among countries with the lowest human development
Malnutrition leads to stunted growth and blindness
There is a distant look of sadness due to hunger
There is only 8 doctors per 10,000 people-less in the area we serve
47% have no water in or at their homes to drink or wash in
There is virtually no clean water available for the poorest Hondurans
The contaminated river is the only source of water for many
They bathe, do laundry and carry water from contaminated rivers
These children live in extreme poverty with no running water
The lady has an ulcer due to unsantitary living conditions
This is the water supply for a cluster of homes.
Food is prepared with contaminated water
The children play in the contaminated soil around their homes
They pick up parasites from the soil and contaminated water
There are too few homes-about 35% of the population have no home
Wood fires in the house contribute to respiratory diseases
Respiratory diseases are the 2nd leading cause of death in children <5
Typical meal preparation on a outdoor fire
A cardboard and tin house
A mud house
Laundry hanging out to dry at a house
Property is passed down from generation to generation
Ten people sleep in this one room house
Inside a home
34% have no outhouse or basic sanitation
A bedroom
Multiple generations live together in tiny homes
The schools are 35-50 years behind the rest of Central America
The literacy rate is 40%
There are too few schools and too few children attending them
This mom gives her baby a bath in the window of her house
To be born into poverty is to live and die in poverty
Despite their living conditions joy abounds
Lolita and Adelaida-Adelaida is the 90 year old youth director!
A little girl praying in Sunday School
The children love Sunday School
The children learn about Jesus at an early age
The children are encouraged to participate in church
The children are very inquisitive!
Older children tend to younger children
Due to lack of food-vitamins provide nutrients for healthy children
The children love dulces!
Cristo Salva shared the gospel with this man now he shares the gospel
A young family outside their home
The children love to have their picture taken!
Where there's a road there are families to visit
The children love to follow us wherever we go!
Soccer is a national pass time!
Hope for the future is provided through the efforts of Cristo Salva
