AFE's "Gran Fiesta de Navidad 2011"

There were fond, familiar faces. There were new faces. There were faces we have not seen for a while. Here a few snapshots of AFE's Gran Fiesta de Navidad, 2011....revealing the success of our labor in the garbage dump, and the great deal of work that is left to do.

Reaching Out to the Carias Family

Two years ago they came from the country to the city looking for work. When every hoped for opportunity did not pan out, like many before them, Ana and Norlan Carias found themselves in the garbage dump. On the weekends they would return to their family’s home in the country but then on Monday it was back to Tegucigalpa to sort through trash. On weeknights they would find shelter in the garbage because they had nowhere else to go. The young couple would huddle together amidst the trash and hope that the dangers lurking in that place at nightfall would stay far away.

Soon Alexandro was born and as a baby he joined his mother in the trash dump. This is when AFE met the Carias family. An AFE mother introduced us to Ana and Alexandro because like us, she did not want any baby to grow up in the garbage. We took Alexandro into the nursery where he receives proper nutrition, health care, and thrives in a clean facility and loving care. With the added economic benefit of not having to pay for milk and diapers for Alexandro, Ana and Norlan were able to rent a small shack outside of the garbage dump. Their situation was looking better and better.

Ana and Norlan joined AFE’s church and then AFE’s adult education program in the afternoons. Ana is at the 6th grade level and Norlan the third. It is a courageous move, especially for the father in this culture, to admit that he needs help and wants to learn and grow.

This last week Ridge Point Church in Lakeland, Florida (and Trash Mountain Project) built a new house for the Carias family. The property and the house are in AFE’s name, until Alexandro turns 18. The Carias family finally has stability, and a home of their own. Tears of gratitude cannot even begin to express how thankful Ana especially felt for how God had blessed her family.

In her house there is only one adornment. It is a picture of the Last Supper and it says, “Where there is faith, there is love. Where there is love, there is peace. Where there is peace, there is God. And where there is God, you will never lack for anything.”

In faith Ana put this reminder in her home, and this week she has seen it come to pass.

*Ana and Norlan are still available for sponsorship in AFE’s afterschool program. $36 a month pays for their education at AFE. If you would like to sponsor either of them, please contact elisewhitediaz@gmail.com

To Be Somebody

Each has his or her own obstacles. One man works from 6 am to 7 pm every day in the garbage dump to support his family. One girl flunked first grade three times. One teenager has no one in her life to support her and runs a small business on her own. Yet, they all have something in common….they want to “be somebody someday.”

That was the general consensus when I asked the students in AFE’s after-school program why they sacrifice and give up work to study in the afternoons. Sometimes their heart-felt response was met by laughter by others from the dump community. It takes courage to have vision.

It also takes courage to be the oldest student (fifty-one)in the second grade. And to try again, once you have failed so often.

But I am proud of the students in our afterschool program. When I heard their humble confession of hope, I responded in the only way possible: “Si se puedas.” (Yes you can!)

The reason they can is because they have an advocate in you and me, and in AFE. Their teacher provides an inspiring example of hard work and wise choices. AFE’s church, Amor y Vida, is reaching out to them in discipleship. They have community and they have hope, two ingredients have time and time again changed the world!

*** If you would like to sponsor a student from our after-school program, please contact elisewhitediaz@gmail.com

Adult Education at AFE

By Paul Sloan

One month ago, AFE started an adult education course for the adults of the garbage dump. From 3 to 5 P.M., Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, adults come to AFE’s campus to receive classes. Currently, we have students receiving classes from 1st through 5th grade. Paul Sloan teaches 1st grade, which consists of 5 to 6 students per class period, and Oscar (a young man from the Linda Miller community) teaches 2nd through 5th grade, which also consists of 5 to 6 students per class. They instruct in all the basics, from the alphabet and reading and writing, to counting and mathematics.

One woman in particular is excelling in reading and writing. Almost 4 weeks ago, Marcia Gomez Lopez came to AFE not knowing the alphabet or how to read and write. Currently, every class period she is reciting the alphabet and reading aloud perfectly. She is 51 years old, lives in Buen Samaritano, and is a single mother with 4 children. Two of her children, Victor (15) and Brian (9) attend the classes with her. She has been living in the Buen Samaritano community for 2 years, and working in the dump for approximately 3 years.

When asked why she started coming to classes, she said with a smile, “Just to learn.” At age 51, not being able to read or write or do any sort of math, she is now reading and studying on her own time, doing homework with math problems and writing assignments. She is learning quickly and loves coming and participating in the class. It is people such as Marcia Lopez that AFE is trying to reach out too. She is a living example that God’s work does not stop with the children at the dump, but that His heart is for every one, and that every single person has a purpose, and His hand reaches out to all of them.

Addendum from Elise White Diaz:

Why provide an education for an older adult who will have a small chance of changing her circumstances? Education creates more than just new job opportunities. It also provides self-esteem, identity, and the ability to see beyond one's circumstances and glimpse the possibilities in the larger world. Who knows what effect education will have in the life of Marcia Gomez Lopez. Let's pray and see!