Belinda’s Hens

Belinda is a 29 year old woman, with a husband and 3 daughters.  Her husband works as a laborer on a neighbor’s small plot of land.  For each day he works, he receives pay of $5.  But, the work is not steady…..there is only work for him about when the neighbor needs him. There are no other jobs available.

Belinda wanted to help the family, so she was excited when she heard about Shoulder to Shoulder’s “Hens Hatching Hope: Un Huevo Cada Dia” project.  StS provided Belinda with a $200 micro-loan, and she used the money to purchase 30 hens and build a wire enclosure to keep the hens contained.  With these hens, she provides 30 eggs per month to 20 children in the program.  Belinda is not selling eggs to anyone else.  Any eggs not purchased by StS (for the children enrolled in the program), are eaten by Belinda’s family.

Dear Donorfirst,

Belinda is a 29 year old woman, with a husband and 3 daughters.  Her husband works as a laborer on a neighbor’s small plot of land.  For each day he works, he receives pay of $5.  But, the work is not steady…..there is only work for him about when the neighbor needs him. There are no other jobs available.

Belinda wanted to help the family, so she was excited when she heard about Shoulder to Shoulder’s “Hens Hatching Hope: Un Huevo Cada Dia” project.  StS provided Belinda with a $200 micro-loan, and she used the money to purchase 30 hens and build a wire enclosure to keep the hens contained.  With these hens, she provides 30 eggs per month to 20 children in the program.  Belinda is not selling eggs to anyone else.  Any eggs not purchased by StS (for the children enrolled in the program), are eaten by Belinda’s family.

If Belinda could purchase more hens, she could sell more eggs.  This would be a great help to her family.

Meet the Smiling Faces of StS

On my trip to Honduras at the beginning of December, I was struck once again by the SMILES I encountered.  I don’t just mean that the Hondurans are smiling at me.  I mean folks are just generally friendly, to everyone they meet.  Paul used to always say “Life is all about relationships.”  I often did not understand what he meant.  In my “super busy, get it all done now, life” I hardly could find time for relationships.  And yet, in Honduras, it seems that people do realize the importance of relationships.
Why is this important?  Because at the end of the day, when we reflect upon our lives, the thing that is going to stand out will be:  what were your relationships like?  Were you genuine?  Did  you give of your time?  Did you take the time to really see people? Did you smile?
I love this line:  “The one who dies with the most money is not the winner.”  Well, then, who is the winner?  In my humble opinion, it is the one who has made a difference in the world, through their relationships with others.
As we watch 2020 come to a close, maybe it is a good time to ask:  Have we made a difference?  Are we paying attention to our relationships?  Is there more that we can do?
To celebrate the end of 2020, I thought it might be nice to show the SMILES of our Honduran staff.  See photo above.  These are the folks who actually do the work, to make Honduras a better place.
Laura Manship
Executive Director