El Verbo is a ministry of Ministerios Cristianos de Mayordomía (MCM). It is located in Nueva Suyapa which is a slum considered by most to be the worst in Tegucigalpa. Nueva Suyapa started in the 1960’s as an extension of Aldea de Suyapa. It got its name because it was a place of pilgrimage for Catholic’s who honored the Virgin of Suyapa whose statue is believed to have been found there centuries ago. The area had about 2,000 residents until hurricane Fifi in 1974 when the government allowed displaced people from the hurricane to build there. The population quickly grew to 30,000 with little infrastructure to support the residents. It was in the midst of this crisis that MCM started to work. In 1994 they started El Verbo Christian School.
El Verbo Christian School has approximately 750 students from kindergarten to 12th grade. They had their first graduating class May 2007 and many of the students went on to college. Orphan Outreach has provided school supplies, vitamins, a new play ground, and educational supplies. We are in the process of evaluating other projects to collaborate.
WaYfm Team Ministers in Honduras [June 2008]
Thirty WaYfm listeners and staff ministered to the children at El Verbo Christian School through medical missions, crafts, a carnival and the construction of a new playground.
The carnival, held at the end of the week, included face painting, tug-o-war, jump rope and the opening of the new community playground. The team also distributed backpacks, carnival prizes, Bibles and lambs to all 750 children attending the school.
Your commitment to travel with Orphan Outreach allows the children we serve to know they are not forgotten. In ministering to these children you become the hands and feet of Christ and profoundly impact their lives as well as your own.
Your financial gifts to Orphan Outreach will help meet the physical, spiritual, and educational needs of children living in orphanages and substandard situations around the world.
Infant Mortality Rate total: 25.21 deaths/1,000 live births
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Population below poverty line: 50.7% (2004)
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Est. # people living with HIV/AIDS: 63,000; 1.5% adult (15-49) prevalence rate (2005)
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Unemployment rate: 27.8% (2007)
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Literacy Rate (age 15 + can read & write): 80% total population (2001)
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Estimated 180,000 children (0-17) orphaned (2005)
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Type of Government: Democratic Constitutional Republic
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Language(s): Spanish; indigenous languages
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Religion: Roman Catholic (97%), Protestant (3%)
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Honduras is located in Central America, and is bordered by Guatemala, El Salvador, and Nicaragua and has Caribbean and Pacific coasts.
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Honduran society is rife with economic inequality. Malnutrition, poor housing and infant diseases are widespread.
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UNICEF estimates that there are more than 180,000 orphans in Honduras.
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Only 43 percent of children enrolled in public schools complete the primary level. Of all children entering the first grade, only 30 percent go on to secondary school, and only 8 percent continue to the university.
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Figures cited by the Ministry of Education suggest that Honduras suffers from widespread illiteracy (more than 40 percent of the total population and more than 80 percent in rural areas).
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Honduras is the second poorest country in Central America, and one of the poorest in Western Hemisphere with 53% of the population living below the poverty line.
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Honduras was devastated by Hurricane Mitch in 1998. At least 10,000 people were killed and millions were left destitute. The damage was estimated at $3 billion, setting development back by decades.
Orphan Outreach is a 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization Orphan Outreach • 2001 West Plano Parkway, Suite 3700 • Plano, TX 75075 • 972.941.4440
