Project Manuelito

Hanging out with one of the Pacheco twins. He also has two more siblings currently in the transition house in Teguc.

When I was first interested in coming to Honduras, one of the ministries that caught my attention was Project Manueltio. If you know me, you know that I am passionate about kids. I just love their innocence and their boldness to say whatever is on their mind. After learning that this ministry was dedicated to helping street kids, I knew that I wanted to be involved. What I didn't know however, was how much my heart would be broken during my time there. The kids who are a part of Project Manuelito have been through more pain and suffering than any kid should ever have to endure. They lived on the streets, spending their days begging for money and food and their nights sleeping on sidewalks. Many of them developed an addiction to sniffing glue, a habit which can severely damage brain cells.
Jorge Pinto, pastor of Amor y Vida church in Tegucigalpa saw the desperate situation of the kids on the streets and decided to begin to meet that need. He started by giving the street kids food, slowly building their trust, and then inviting them to stay at the church for the night. As the program developed, the church became the transition home for the kids who came directly from the streets. After the kids would spend an adequate amount of time in the home, adapting to a scheduled environment with authority figures in their lives, they would move out to the main location in Telanga. That is where I spent my time last week.
In Telanga, the kids all attend school during the day and come back to the project in the afternoon. There is plenty of room on the property for the kids to run around and play and really just have the freedom to be kids. When we arrived on Monday, the kids were so excited to see us, and many of them immediately ran up and gave us hugs and wanted to know who we were. Since independence day for Honduras was on Tuesday, the kids were all out of school for the week, so we really had an unlimited amount of time to get to know them and spend quality time with them. That day I started interviewing some of the kids, asking them to share their stories with me. The first girl I spoke with told me about her life on the street as a four year old who would spend her day begging for money. Although I knew that these kids came from rough situations, it was a complete shock to hear the stories coming directly from them. It made my previous knowledge of their hardship a harsh reality in my mind. I could feel my heart getting heavier with each story that unfolded before me. Finally, I just had to stop my interviews for a while so I could process the information. In spite of the obvious hardships these kids have endured, there current situation is so much better. The kids told me that they like being at Manuelito because they don't have to sleep on the streets anymore. One of the young boys told me that he liked being in the project because he could take a shower. When I asked him if he was ever able to take a shower when he lived on the streets he looked at me like I was crazy and simply said, "no."
It's hard to imagine any little boy or girl living on the streets, desperate to find food, money, anything to help them survive. It's even harder to know their story and have a connection with them, knowing all that they have been through. It hurts my heart to think about their situations, but at the same time it's comforting to know that they are now in a safe place where their needs are met and they are able to get an education. A majority of their parents never visit, but many of the kids are in the program with their siblings, so they have some of their family around. When I think about those kids, my heart is heavy because I want to go back there and spend time with them, to be able to laugh with them and just pour some love into their lives. As you read this post today, please take the time to pray for the kids involved in the program and also for the kids who are still on the streets. Also, pray for the ministry, that funding will continue to come in so that more hurting children can have their lives changed.