HELPING HAND- NOV 2011-JUAN LINAREZ

PREPARED BY ISIS

HELPING HAND RECIPIENT: At 60 years old, Juan Linarez and his wife Leonor have stepped up for their family in a big way, they are raising their 3 grandchildren (Daniel, Alex and Joel) after the lost their daughter in a car accident. Six months ago Juan was diagnosed with Chagas disease, also known as Trypanosomiasis in the US.  Trypanosomiasis is a tropical parasitic disease in vertebrates. Chagas is typically transmitted to humans by an insect vector, the blood-sucking insects of the subfamily Triatominae mainly in Latin America. The disease is responsible for 21,000+ deaths a year.  Although some symptoms and conditions can be treated, 20% of the people with this disease will eventually develop life-threatening heart and digestive system disorders. Juan has been affected with an enlarged heart and other heart related problems that have affected his energy and work ability. He was laid off at his job because he was just not able to work as hard due to the strains of the disease.

HELPING HAND NEED:  Juan came to us with his concerns and shared his worry for his family and their money needs. Juan needed an opportunity to work from home to provide for his family but did not have the means to start his home business. We helped Juan start a small grocery store within his home where

THOUGHTS FROM JUAN: “With this help i will be able to provide income to the house, in addition to my wife selling tortillas. This is a help that I am so grateful for. God bless all of you for this humble and enormous labor. I will pray that this foundation continues to help people in need.

HELPING HAND-OCT2011-JUAN ORTIZ

HELPING HAND RECIPIENT:   Juan Ortiz is a 40 year old man living in Choluteca, Honduras.  At age 14 Juan was accidentally stuck by a bullet in his home while his father was cleaning a gun that he thought was empty. The tragic accident left Juan paralyzed and in a wheelchair. Juan is involved in a Honduran Association and additional programs that reach out to the people of Honduras to provide for his needs but Juan still needs additional income.

HELPING HAND NEED:  Juan is skilled at appliance repairs but has struggled to make it a full time career because he lacked the tools necessary to do the repairs. Juan just needed a little help acquiring the tools necessary to keep steady work and we were happy to help. Juan was given many tools including value tester, seal burners, etc. to make his work profitable and consistent.

THOUGHTS FROM JUAN: “For me it is so important to have all this tools because this is the only way that I can support myself and help my mother out. This is a gift you have given me, to know that my mother and I will have everything we need. God bless all of you”

HELPING HAND- SEPT 2011- BLANCA LINARES

Prepared by Isis

HELPING HAND RECIPIENT: Blanca Rosa Linares is a single mother with 3 children. Blanca works hard selling tortillas to provide for her children and to make sure that they have an education.

HELPING HAND NEED:
Blanca came asking for help after hearing of Helping Hands. Blanca has a piece of land near the river and recently starting building a house. Her funds are meager so she has built that house out of cardboard and plastic, because of the severe weather near the river this was not holding up properly for her family.






The helping hands team in Honduras assisted by reinforcing the Linares family home with sturdier walls that could protect her family from the conditions. The Linares family also was lacking a bathroom, so a bathroom was added as well.

THOUGHTS FROM BLANCA: “I am so impressed on how different my house looks. I am so happy and thankful for Helping Hands. My income goes to support my children, their education and our food so I never thought I would be able to fix my house. You do not know how much this help means to me and my family, we are greatly appreciative.”

HELPING HAND- AUG 2011- CARMEN GAMEZ and DANNIS ZEPEDA

*NOTE- This month we were able to fulfill two requests and share two stories. The people of Honduras live humble lifestyles and their requests often seem so simple but they make impact on their lives and we are always happy to help.
(1)HELPING HAND RECIPIENT: Carmen Gamez is a hard working woman who has been dedicated to her two boys and to her job in order to provide for them alone.

HELPING HAND NEED: Carmen has been able to provide for her family by selling mango's, banana slices, donuts, juice, etc from a cart. The cart Carmen relies on to sell these goods has proven to be a burden for her. The tires are constantly going flat, often leaving her stranded late at night as she is unable to move the cart. Carmen's request was simple and we were happy to help her by purchasing tires of a higher quality that do not require air so she can continue to provide for her family. We also were able to do some other small repairs to her cart including helping her with some protection from the rain when the weather turns on her.

THOUGHTS FROM CARMEN: “For me it was so hard to work with my cart because of the tire and weather difficulties. This cart is what helps me bring food to my home and for that I am so grateful for this help.”

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(2)HELPING HAND RECIPIENT: Dannis Annet Zepeda is a 27 years man who works at the factory in Honduras. He is an extremely dedicated employee and a hard worker. Dannis and his wife are expecting a baby and she has been unable to work, making it difficult for them to survive off one income.

HELPING HAND NEED: Dannis has worked hard in the hopes of providing a home for his family. He was able to get a loan from the bank to go ahead and make that dream come true. Dannis has now finished the building of the house but has been unable to afford the electricity in their home. It is very difficult to get electricity in Honduras because of the expensive equipment necessary to have the electricity. We were able to buy the necessary meter and help with the connection in order for the Zepeda family to enjoy electricity in their new home.

THOUGHTS FROM DANNIS'S WIFE: "We are a happy family and we are waiting for our first child and we were so worrieed about the electricity, we were thinking about our son. It would be so hard to give him the things he needs as a newborn with no electricity. Thank you for the help, for us it is a big help that you have given."

HELPING HAND- JULY2011- JEFFRY REYES

Prepared by Isis

HELPING HAND RECIPIENT:Jeffry Reyes is a 5 year old boy. He lives in Choluteca Honduras with his mother, Aminta Avila, father, Gilberto Reyes and his 12 year old sister, Yilda. At 5 months old Jeffry was diagnosed with Werdnig-Hoffmann disease. Werdnig-Hoffman disease is a spinal muscular deterioration which leads to muscle weakness. A person with Werdnig-Hoffman disease has a lack of motor development and poor muscle tone.

HELPING HAND NEED: A local Telethon Foundation in Honduras provided Jeffry with an opportunity to receive physical therapy which has helped him to have more movement in his body and his extremities. Because of his muscle weakness Jeffry is carried by his mother to the bus stop which is 2 ½ miles from the family’s home. Jeffry is getting older, taller and heavier each year and this has become an increasing difficulty for his mother and Jeffry to get to their destinations. Jeffry has very week muscle control in his ankles and feet and an AFO Dynamic which is a brace that helps with ankle and foot movement and stabilization would help Jeffry in his physical therapy to achieve the goal to walk. We provided Jeffry with the AFO Dynamic brace as well as a stroller so that Jeffry and his mother can get to where they need with ease and less worry.

THOUGHTS FROM JEFFRY'S MOTHER:“I am so thankful with this help for my son. You are angels sent by God. My son is my life and I worried about him but God has helped me every moment that I needed. Now with therapy and the AFO brace, I know that he is going to walk."

HELPING HAND- JUNE 2011- CORRALES ESPINO FAMILY

Prepared by Isis

HELPING HAND RECIPIENT:
The Corrales Espino family is a wonderful family that lives just south of Choluteca Honduras. There are 7 members of their family; the father, 37 year old Santos, the mother, 35 year old Vilma and their 5 children: Katy 12, Evelin 10, Michelle 8, Viviam 3 and a new baby. Santos works as a guard and his wife, before she had the baby, cleaned homes. With 3 of their children going to school it often they have financial difficulties, paying for school, their home and other of life’s necessities.

HELPING HAND NEED:
About a year ago during the winter season all of the Correles Espino’s children got sick. The home in which the family lives was in bad shape and the walls were falling apart and they had holes in the aluminum sheets, which is what is used as the walls at their home. In Honduras during the winter, they receive a lot of rain and when it would rain there would be a river of water that ran through the family home. It was a very hard winter for the family because the children were so sick, due to the cold and wet from the rain. The family didn’t have the money available to pay for the medicine that was needed or to fix the walls to prevent future illness. We purchased some wood and supplies, a local church helped with the labor and we were able to make the walls of the home solid so the water from the winter rains would no longer enter the home and the family could stay warm and healthy.

THOUGHTS FROM SANTOS:
“When I saw you coming I was looking at the sky thinking the winter is here and my kids will get sick again. I didn’t have any idea what you were coming for but when you told me that you were going to help my family, I felt so happy and the first word that came to my mind was Thanks God. Now that my house has new walls, I will sleep well without thinking about my kids getting sick. Thank you for your help; I don’t know how to pay you back, God Bless You.”

HELPING HAND- FERNANDO- MAY 2011

Prepared by Isis

HELPING HAND RECIPIENT:
Fernando Diaz is a 43 year old man living in Choluteca. He and his lovely wife Jobita have 6 children together, ranging in age from 10-21. Fernando has a small field he works on near the river in Choluteca. He plants corn, beans and bananas that he can sell in order to provide for his family and home. A few years ago Fernando’s field was devastated by a hurricane causing Fernando to have to start fresh. He is an extremely hard worker that is committed to paying for his children’s education and supporting their future.

HELPING HAND NEED:
On a daily basis Fernando can be seen walking around the neighborhood and around the city selling the beans, corn and banana’s he has so carefully grown. After speaking to him, Fernando expressed his need for quicker transportation in order to sell his items and would love to eventually have a bike of his own. That was an easy request and we were happy to help Fernando get that bike to ease the task of selling and hauling his items around. Fernando and his family were extremely grateful for the bike and were excited to use it for some other tasks to make life a little easier.

THOUGHTS FROM FERNANDO:
“It was a great surprise when they told me that they were going to give me a bike. My children were so excited they started jumping up and down. I thank you for all your help and believe me, this bike will be so important to me so I can sell my good quickly. Thanks and God bless you.”