Casa Hogar Vida

Since 1986, the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Africa has also repeated itself in Honduras (Central America). The majority of HIV infections occur in the middle age group 25-40 year olds, but the fortunate survivors often live in poverty due to their inability to work. A large proportion of those infected fail to take any medication because their poverty inhibits them from making the 2 hour journey to the nearest clinic. The inevitable deaths force children to live with elderly grandparents; or they are forced into a life on the streets and the horror it entails. According to US-AID, there are close to 99,000 infected people in Honduras, and in 2006 AVERT reported 3,700 deaths due to HIV/AIDS. At least 2,500 children under 14 lost one parent, and as many as 1,000 were left orphans. We do not want to become just an orphanage but a center that will provide comprehensive services and support to victims and families to keep children with their closest relatives, help grandmothers sustain the children, and be a vehicle to administer the desperately needed retrovirals, education and Christian counseling.

Not just a House, But a Home for Life!

Casa Hogar is a project based in Choluteca, Honduras ran by the Gran Commission Church, Choluteca. A huge part of Casa Hogar is the creation of a Community just outside of Choluteca, Honduras. It will feature housing for local people with around 150 homes being planned, some of which will be given away by the to those who will never be able to obtain their own house and are living in very poor conditions. Others will be sold at a reasonable price to local professionals and workers.

Another part of the Project is a Children’s Home for Children affected or infected with/by HIV/AIDS. Many children whose parents pass away from AIDS have no where to go left to fend for themselves. Casa Hogar aims to house these children with aunts known as ‘tias’. Casa Hogar aims to have a high ratio of supervision to each child to ensure that the health needs of the children are met. The Children’s home will also feature areas for the children to play and learn. It will be fully secure for the protection of the children and also feature a store where the ‘Tias’ can purchase food for the children from their budgets.

The project is also to feature a Clinic to serve the local community and produce low cost treatments such as X-Rays to those who would otherwise be unable to afford them.

In addition to the Community Housing and Children’s Home there are plans for Agriculture and Forestry on the remaining land. This will provide jobs and give local people the ability to learn a trade and help them work to improve their lives through positive change. After much research, study and consultation, we have come to understand that considering the effects of the HIV/Aids epidemic and the amount of children who could be orphaned in the next 10 years the solution is:

  1. Educate the youth, and children to understand the effects and consequences of HIV/AIDS.
  2. Train relatives, work places, schools how to respond to the pandemic by alleviating stigma and discrimination.
  3. Be a depository and administrate retrovirals now available to underdeveloped countries at low cost.
  4. Help infected children recuperate, by giving health treatment and nutrition.
  5. Use every effort to connect orphan children with their closest relative.
  6. Support those relatives in case their financial situation impedes them from helping their loved one.
  7. Find foster families for orphan children with no relatives.
  8. As a last resort provide a home in our center for children, under a family atmosphere.
  9. Create a farm that will offer the children vocational skills for the future.
  10. Make sure the children receive education at local schools.