Your gift really can change a life!
Whether it is for Christmas, a birthday, anniversary or any other special occasion, the Carpenteros and Friends invite you to consider some alternative gift ideas that can have a powerful and lasting impact on communities in Honduras and El Salvador.
From equipping primitive homes with latrines and concrete floors, to providing communities with medical kits, and offering students the opportunity to receive a high school education, your gift can become the answer to many prayers.
When you are trying to think of the right gift for the person who seems to have everything, perhaps the most meaningful expression of love is to give on their behalf – to a family that has very little.
YOUR GIFT CAN HELP TO TRANSFORM A FAMILY OR A COMMUNITY
{mosimage}BUENA VISTA
The remote and at times inaccessible village of Buena Vista sits atop the the mountains of eastern Honduras. Many of the inhabitants of Buena Vista are the poor who were displaced from their homes in the valley because of the ever-expanding pineapple and banana plantations. A micro-credit cooperative, established by our Honduran partner agency ALFALIT with funding from the Carpenteros, is in its infancy but quickly showing results. Access to Buena Vista is by an extremely rough dirt trail. It is a one and a half hour journey, by foot, to the nearest high school – there is no transportation. The community does have a single room schoolhouse, where a lone teacher educates Grades 1-3 in the morning and Grades 4-6 in the afternoon. This school is completely lacking in supplies for students and the teacher. To encourage attendance and to provide for the nutrition of students, the community greatly desires to have a small outdoor kitchen constructed adjacent to the school. The Honduran government will provide basic food items for the students, but currently there are no facilities for preparing the food. Homes in Buena Vista are scattered along a series of rough roads and trails. Most of the water is drawn from mountain springs, however there is a serious lack of sanitation services. The Carpenteros have committed to helping the community through the construction of 48 latrines (46 homes, plus boys and girls latrines at the school).
School Supplies for Buena Vista - $410 (1 available)
Outdoor Kitchen and Supplies/Utensils - $600 (1 available)
Latrines - $170 each (48 available)
{mosimage}TIGRE ISLAND
Concrete Floors
At first it may seem surprising, but for a family living in a house made of sticks and stones, the top priority is often for a concrete floor. With animals often running loose, and a prolonged tropical rainy season, dirt floors quickly turn to mud and are a major source of bacteria and disease. The Carpenteros have already helped to pour 24 concrete floors in the villages of Islitas and Tiguilotada, and there are many more families waiting to receive a concrete floor. While a few of these floors are poured by visiting teams of Carpenteros, most of the work is carried out by hiring local masons, thus further stimulating the local economy.
Concrete floors - $300 each (30 available)
Latrines
Many homes on Tigre Island, and even the community centre/Kindergarten, do not have proper latrines. This poses a serious sanitation and health problem in a number of villages. Through funding from the Carpenteros, a number of latrines have already been constructed, and we hope to do more during 2009 and 2010. Because of the proximity to the ocean, latrines are more costly to build here – but for sanitary and environmental reasons they are extremely important.
Latrines - $300 each (20 available)
{mosimage}SEND A STUDENT TO SCHOOL
Education is the most effective means to bring about a lasting solution to the cycle of poverty. Students in Honduras receive government-funded education in Grades 1-6. While a high school education is also available through government-funded schools, students and their families are responsible for providing books, uniforms and transportation. These costs total approximately $600 per year, which for many families may be the equivalent of one-quarter, one-third or even more of their annual income.
Through the Carpenteros Education Fund, families contribute approximately $250 per year to send their child to high school, with the balance coming from supporters such as you. To date, students who have been attending classes through this program, have been excelling in their grades and have also taken on youth leadership roles in their community and their churches, and are serving as tutors to local elementary school students.
Sponsor one child for one year - $342 (many opportunities available)
HEALTH AND MEDICAL KIT
When illness strikes, it is the young, the old and the poor who tend to suffer the most. In many of the communities that the Carpenteros are assisting, access to medical clinics is quite limited and can require many hours of travel. Medicine can also be extremely costly for families who are often living on $4-6/day.
One very effective solution has been to provide basic medical training to interested community members, and then to place a ‘community-owned’ medical kit, often left in the care of the micro-credit cooperative, the local church, school or a community leader. Emergency medical and first aid supplies are then readily available, and if medication is required it can be dispensed immediately with repayment made over a time period that takes the family’s finances into account.
Medical Kit - $325 (5 currently available)
I would like to contribute toward:
_____ School supplies - Buena Vista $410
_____ Outdoor Kitchen & Utensils - Buena Vista $600
_____ Latrine - Buena Vista $170
_____ Concrete Floor - Tigre Island $410
_____ Latrine - Tigre Island $300
_____ Medical Kit $325
or apply my contribution of $ _________ to the highest priority item.
Please make cheques payable to ‘Calvary Christian Reformed Church’ with ‘Carpenteros’ on the subject line. All contributions are fully tax deductible. If your contribution is being given as a Christmas gift, please check one of the following options:
_____ Please send the card of appreciation to my address, and I will forward it.
_____ Please send the card of appreciation, on my behalf, to (name and address):
________________________________________________________________________.
Please send this form, along with your name, mailing address and cheque, to:
Carpenteros and Friends
c/o Calvary Christian Reformed Church
Box 23, R.R. 1, Dundas, Ontario L9H 5E1
or send this information via e-mail to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
You can also download our Gift Guide in PDF format HERE
