Our Homes: NPH Honduras

Honduras COVID-19 Updates

Three weeks ago at Rancho Santo Fe, we already initiated phase two of our coronavirus preparedness plan where we invited all staff who is willing to stay at the Ranch until this is over to do so. Overall, we estimate a core team of 50 individuals who have agreed to stay, and we are hopeful that with locking down the Ranch to the point that very few come and go (some drivers, the security team), we have done all we can to prevent the virus from entering. Our high school and university students can also help out with the work, which is a huge relief. One World Surgery has authorized us to use the Moscati Center as the isolation center in case we have suspected or positive cases and the surgery center overnight unit for more severe cases as it has oxygen connections next to the beds. Dr. Merlin has also offered to join us if it becomes necessary.

The demand of our work still only increases. We were able to bring most Pequeños (high school and university students) home but still need to care for many Hermanos Mayores. Simply getting food or medicines to them is already a challenge. Plus, more and more people living in poverty from our neighboring communities turn to us for food. Last week, we packed another 75 baskets with basic food staples. We will continue to do our best to help those around us, even if it is just a drop in the ocean of hunger.

Honduras Facts

Area:
43,278 square miles – slightly larger than Tennessee

Population:
9,182,766 (July 2018 est.)
Note: estimates take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS

Languages:
Spanish, Amerindian dialects

Issues:
Land degradation and soil erosion; pollution of Lago de Yojoa (the country’s largest source of fresh water)

Discover NPH Honduras

A thriving, bustling community, Rancho Santa Fe is the second oldest of the NPH homes. Over 400 hundred boys and girls make their home in this vast wooded oasis in the hills—a metropolis in
comparison to the surrounding quiet pueblos—while older youths study and live in Tegucigalpa. A new home in Catacamas serves youths transitioning into stable, long-term living environments, including their biological families when possible.

NPH Honduras Facts

Opened:
May 24, 1986

Children/youth fully supported:
462

Total services provided:
12,031 (includes children and youth fully supported, community children, youths and adults who receive support by either attending our onsite schools, receive scholarships, receive in-kind donations and or medical/social services.)

Location:
One hour northeast of Tegucigalpa, the nation’s capital

Features:
School (grades K – 9); vocational workshops; chapel; clinics; surgery center; farms; fully independent water system, including a gravity-fed rainwater catchment system that helps cut electricity pumping costs and boosts food production

Did you know?

About half of the furniture, school uniforms and shoes used by the children are made by pequeños in the vocational workshops.
Approximately 57% of all the food eaten in the home is grown or produced on the ranch, including 25% of meat, 56% of fruit and vegetables, and 99% of the milk and dairy products.
The NPH OneFamily program was launched in 2017 to reintegrate and support youth from the NPH home who are now able to live with their biological families.
Unique to the Honduras family is Casa Eva, a rest home for elderly adults who previously had no one to care for them until coming to NPH. These loved grandparents are included in Ranch activities and add a wonderful balance to our growing family.
Casa de Los Ángeles in Tegucigalpa provides 24-hour care for 16 children with severe disabilities.
Since opening in 2017, the Casa Esperanza home in Catacamas has helped children successfully transition to safe long-term living solutions. Watch this video to learn more (Spanish with English subtitles).
Chicas Poderosas, the girls’ empowerment program, experienced significant growth in its community initiatives in 2018. The program supports approximately 121 young women at the main home and in nearby communities by engaging them in diverse activities meant to build self-confidence and leadership skills.
A soup kitchen in the nearby town of Talanga provides daily food and vitamins to 30 impoverished children who would otherwise go unfed.
Pasos Pequeñitos, a daycare center for single mothers in Tegucigalpa.
The Holy Family Surgery Center provides outpatient services for NPH children and the rural poor as well as medical training.

Learn about the other NPH homes: