Communities engaging for the purpose of healthy change through learning, practicing, and partnering.
This project falls under the mission of Jewell’s Center for Justice and Sustainability. Our goals are to act thoughtfully and responsibly as we address societal, economic, and ecological challenges as we encounter them. Through this project we have broadened and re-defined what it means to “Serve Abroad.”
Students step outside of their own cultural experience, and engage in community led projects designed to meet specific needs for the Honduran village. Students and faculty will dialogue and reflect, enhancing the students’ academic and practical grasp of the challenges faced by developing communities. This project is becoming a model for campus-wide initiatives engaging global cultures.
Immersed in Rural Honduras
This year we will take two trips to Honduras. The first will be in January and the second during Spring Break. Participants will stay in the small village of Embarcadero, Honduras. Lodging will be in the school house, and each student will be adopted by a family in the village. We will share meals together and learn from our hosts.
As a community the residents have set priorities to improve the health and well being of their village. The first issues to be addressed include improving the water supply (wells) and providing healthy, sustainable waste systems.
To those ends, this year’s effort will be to work alongside the residents to build a latrine for each family in the village (19 families). Last year’s group did education work and completed the first two latrines. Since that visit a third latrine has been completed.
Matthew 25 Project: Lending a hand, where a hand is needed most...
In Kansas City’s urban core, one zip code was dubbed “The Murder Factory” in a January 2009 series of articles in the Kansas City Star.
Author Tony Rizzo writes, “No other ZIP code in Kansas City, St. Louis or any other part of the state comes close. Though its 26,000 residents make up about 6 percent of the cities population, it accounts for
20 percent of Kansas Citians in prison for murder or voluntary manslaughter.” In the midst of this neighborhood, WIlliam Jewell College has forged a strong partnership with the staff and volunteers at the Palestine Neighborhood Development Center. Among many of the good things they do for their neighbors, once a year they partner with Jewell, selecting homes to be painted during the Matthew 25 Project.
A qualifying home owner receives paint donated through the Kansas City Paint Program and Jewell provides the volunteers by inviting churches, schools, and other civic groups from all across the metro area. Volunteer groups sign up to serve for one day during the week. This year because of the extreme heat, crews started pretty early, around 7:00 am, and worked until noon or 1:00pm. In four days, 17 crews completed four homes, and by Friday, as we were gathering equipment and cleaning up supplies, homeowners were ecstatic about the facelift their homes received.
One of the residents of a street where we were painting 2 homes, told DeWayne how much she appreciated the work that was being done. She shared how a year ago, family members on that same block had been arguing and fighting with one another and the situation had escalated to some minor violence involving calls to the authorities. She told DeWayne that over the course of the week those same quarreling family members determined to work together to do some yard work and made plans to make some long past due minor maintenance projects on their own homes.
Each day new groups would arrive at the homes ready to get as much done as they could before the scorching heat sent their weary, sweaty bodies home at mid-day. Equipped with paintbrushes, scrapers, ladders and water bottles they worked in the morning sun and whatever shade they could find to beautify the resident’s home. In many instances they also made some minor repairs and yard work to help spruce up the finished product. One homeowner complimented a group, telling them they were “Angels” because of the work they had done.
One of the key partners in this effort is Major Gene Bresino and his summer ROTC Cadet program of Central High School. This summer Gene is coordinating five crews of 10-12 students each. His teams and their sponsors will work most of the summer painting other homes that qualified for the program. Each week they also spend a day in class learning about character development and receiving leadership training. Many of the Cadets live nearby and know the residents whose homes they are painting.
BEFORE & AFTER shots of one of the houses...
We arrived on Saturday in Embarcadero at about 11 am. We drove two vehicles, a Hyundai Santa Fe and a Toyota four wheel drive pick up. When we got to the river, it was not much more than a mud puddle, but the folks in the Toyota convinced us to leave the rental car behind and climb into the pick up to cross the muddy depression. During the rainy season (December & January) the water flows nearly as deep as the wooden footbridge on the left. Access by vehicles is often limited to the village because of this unpredictable drainage. 
FRIDAY
Our day started at 4 am traveling to KCI where we would board a 6am flight to Houston, and on to San Pedro Sula Honduras by 11 am local time (Noon CST) Our driver, WJC Chaplain, Dr. Andy Pratt, braved the early morning hours to take Campus Minister, Jeff Buscher, Chemistry Professor, Dr. Lori Wetmore, and Alumni Mark Buhlig to the Continental gate and send us on our way.
( Photo - Latrines built by our group in January )
Our flights were both early, in fact the pilot on one flight joked, “So the next time you are delayed you owe us 20 minutes before you can start complaining!” Upon arrival something totally unexpected occurred – 2 out 3 bags arrived – somehow mine did not make it. They knew it was missing before we got to the counter. Mmm? Anyway we submitted a claim and they indicated it would be delivered to our hotel the next day? We’ll see how that goes. I was truly surprised because over the last 5 years we have never lost a bag on this leg of the trip. As I write this I realize that our video camera and my medicine is in that bag… I’m sure it will arrive tomorrow… Now that I'm posting this note - Everything arrived just fine. In fact the good folks of Continental delivered my bag to our hotel in La Masica - Three hours away from the airport. Thank goodness, another day in those clothes would have been challenging.
Renting a car was an adventure: Avis said their car was not working, so she took it on herself to send us next door to “Econo-Car” Where they rented us a Hyundai Santa Fe for the same price we were quoted by our friends at AVIS. We signed some papers and we were pleasantly surprised with a shiny new Hyundai. It had a few dings and scratches, but it will be ideal for touring this part of northern Honduras. The important thing is that the AC worked just fine. We then exchanged our cash and made our way to La Masica.
Following Thursday’s earthquake the drive was not too bad. There were back ups at the Bridges. The bridge near El Progresso was the worst damage we saw. As we approached the bridge there were some cracks in the highway. We crossed on the good bridge and made our way toward San Juan Pueblo where we would stop in and pay a visit in the colonia where we have built homes and a church over the last 5 years. It was great to see the families that we have worked with over the years, including the high school student – Rosita, who our CSM group sponsors by sending funds for her school supplies each year.
From there we drove another 15 minutes into La Masica where our base of operations… Hotel Media Luna (Half Moon Hotel) stood waiting for our arrival. After a few minutes of tracking folks down at Senior Antunez Hardware Store, we finally found a fellow that could hook us up with keys for the rooms. And we got settled in for the night. I have to stay up and wait for Donette, Tono, and Dani to arrive from Guatemala. They finally arrived around midnight.
Some of the things we will work through on this trip: How do we appropriately assure that our partnership with the village folk of Embarcadero is intentionally reciprocal and can we ask our partners to be vulnerable with us by telling us their story. And then how do we communicate the big picture of our Village Partners Project? I look forward to re-connecting with the folks in Embarcadero tomorrow – For now I think our friends have arrived, I’ve got to give them their room keys.
More Manyana - Jeff
