El Hogar de Amor Y Esperanza in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, is The Home of Love and Hope for orphaned and abandoned children. The Honduras/El Hogar Mission is an international mission of the congregation of Kingsway-Lambton.

The mission of El Hogar Projects is to provide a loving home and education in a Christian environment for abandoned, orphaned and hopelessly poor boys and girls, enabling them to fulfill their ultimate potential as productive human beings in Honduras. Because boys are abandoned more frequently than girls (indicative of numerous cultural mores), the founders initiated the program to serve only boys. In 2007, the program was expanded to include girls. El Hogar continues to serve the most destitute children in and around the city of Tegucigalpa, Honduras. To qualify for the El Hogar program, a boy or girl must have no other resources available to him or her.

Social and Economic Background
Honduras is the second poorest country in the Americas. With an illiteracy rate of 25%, an unemployment rate hovering at 30%, and more than half the population living below the poverty line, it is difficult for Hondurans to even imagine a better life, much less create one.

Many children literally live “on the streets.” In the face of desperate poverty … where the average annual income is under $1,000, children who should be in school are on the streets. The families they come from can no longer feed, clothe, or educate them. Their homes, little more than cardboard and tin pieced together, offer no space, no running water, and little hope of a future. Sniffing glue relieves their hunger pangs, while simultaneously destroying brain cells. Begging and stealing become the means to survive. Teenage gangs offer a sense of belonging. This is childhood for many in Honduras. This is the face of poverty.

El Hogar was founded over 30 years ago to break this cycle and offer a ray of hope for the future of Honduras. We began by providing 5 boys with housing and food. Since then we have grown to providing for 230 boys and 19 girls at our three boarding schools. We have close to 70 dedicated staff members at our three locations in Honduras who work closely with our students to give them not only a rich education, but also a sense of pride in themselves and caring for others.

To read more about the El Hogar Ministries visit: http://www.elhogar.org/about.htm

How You Can Help -

1. Help Fundraise:
Support the children by letting your friends and family know of the wonderful work being done at El Hogar. A pledge form is attached to assist in recording pledges and donations that will be made by cheque. Alternatively, simply forward this email, along with your own personal message, and suggest using the link to CanadaHelps where donations can be made on-line. It’s a quick, simple and secure process used by thousands of charitable organizations.

2. Donate:
If this Mission appeals to you personally, your donation by one of the methods indicated would be gratefully received.

Donations may be made by cheque, or on-line at CanadaHelps by using this link http://www.canadahelps.org/GivingPages/GivingPage.aspx?gpID=12599

Cheques should be made payable to Kingsway-Lambton United Church and indicate “Honduras Mission” on the memo line. They should be delivered to the church office at 85 The Kingsway, Toronto, Ontario M8X 2T6, by June 30th 2011. Tax receipts will be provided for all walkathon sponsorships of $25 and over. For on-line donations tax receipts will be issued by CanadaHelps and sent by email.

Please note that all donations are directed to El Hogar. The project team covers their own costs for the mission.

2012 Honduras Project Team Orientation Meeting
Are you interested in participating on the next El Hogar Project Team? We will be holding an Orientation Meeting on Sunday, January 22nd at 11:30 am following our regular service. This meeting will provide interested parties with an outline of the goals of the project team and the expectations of each participant. This is open to members of our church who are sixteen years of age and older. Any questions in advance, please contact Gary Huggins. Come and learn about the good work that our congregation does for El Hogar and what El Hogar does to help the impoverished children of Honduras.

Thank You!
The Honduras Committee would like to thank all who generously donated to the Christmas Adopt-a-Child event for El Hogar Projects. Together we raised $5,500. The children of El Hogar are always grateful for the love and kindness shown by our Kingsway-Lambton family.

More Information
For more information about the El Hogar Orphanage,
Go to the El Hogar website now.