CASA DE ESPERANZA
What We Do
Healing Honduras
Casa de Esperanza is a Christian, faith-based organization created to bring hope through education to Honduras. Translated as “House of Hope,” Casa de Esperanza seeks to promote self-sufficiency and spiritual growth through supportive housing, training, and skills development, to deliver medical and dental care, and to provide basic construction services.
Education and Training
Our education ministry offers training and assistance to children and young adults who need a solid foundation to survive. Consider these staggering statistics about children and education in Honduras.
COMAYAGUA BOYS PROJECT
In 2012, Bill and Lori, through Casa de Esperanza began assisting youth in the transition into their adult lives as they left Honduran orphanages.
Young adults leaving orphanages in Honduras typically do not have any vocational skills, nor have they developed basic life skills, such as banking, balancing a budget, learning to cook, learning proper nutrition, using public transportation, prioritizing their time and finishing their education. Without these life skills many upon leaving an orphanage enter a life of poverty and at times return to the streets selling themselves to prostitution, alcohol and drugs, thus continuing the cycle of poverty. Without family and friends supporting them, they are forced to survive on their own and can meet only their immediate needs. Without at least a secondary education, jobs are difficult to find, especially sustainable jobs that can support a family.
Lori and Bill formed a partnership with local Honduran couple with three boys of their own. Casa de Esperanza helped the couple expand their home to accommodate an additional 12 young men. Serving as house parents, the boys live in their home, forming a family unit. The boys receive a high school education with an additional certificate in a specialized technical skill (such as electricity or metal work). They also help with the day to day operation in the home, planning and preparing three nutritious meals each day, assisting with assigned chores and home maintenance, and balancing the household budget. They also end the day together with a devotional, which the boys are responsible for leading. All of this contributes to fostering a spirit of generosity and compassion.
By learning a skilled trade, they will secure employment opportunities for the rest of their lives. Although attending a university is free in Honduras, the cost of books, fees and finding an apartment in the city makes it virtually impossible to attend without significant financial assistance. The young men are becoming gifted wood workers and carpenters. Through your contributions, we hope to continue to teach them electrical, plumbing and welding skills.
Two of the boys have graduated from the program, and they are encouraged to remain with the host family for another year to mentor the younger boys, leading by example.
Thanks to your generosity, the Comayagua Boys Project continues to thrive.
Health Care
Although Honduras has socialized medicine, few people can afford the treatments the doctor may prescribe. Hospitals keep few supplies on hand; if you were to need to have your gallbladder removed, for example, you would need to purchase all the necessary supplies for the surgery at a local pharmacy.
Medical
When Casa De Esperanza partners with local churches, we work to identify leaders within the community who may be willing to learn and promote disease prevention concepts. We provide these leaders with resources such as written materials, access to online learning programs and audio-visual materials to teach them more about community health.
Dental Services
Imagine a 15-year-old girl whose front teeth are nothing but black stubs. How did she come to such a state? She snacks on sweet sugar cane, and has never brushed her teeth in her life.
Her case is not unusual in Honduras. When youngsters—and adults—visit a Casa de Esperanza dental clinic, it is typically their first time visiting a dentist. Prior to coming to Honduras, Dr. Bill DeWitt DDS had done a week’s worth of dentistry in Jamaica, where all supplies were available, and the need not so great. Honduras proved much different…
After a bit if head-scratching, the team arrived at three goals:
- To provide free dental care in a clean, safe environment in areas not serviced by other dentists.
- The care delivered was to be acceptable to United States standards and sterilization of instruments guaranteed.
- To spread the Word of God through distributing Bibles and study guides, and through partnerships with local pastors.
Thanks to generous donations from dental colleagues, enough was raised to purchase the necessary tools, equipment and supplies—with enough left over to purchase Bibles for our first clinic.
The team’s acceptance was affirmed when the Honduran Board of Dentistry issued temporary Dental Licenses and a Honduran dentist told us that we were the best and most organized clinic she had seen. Working with International Aid, the equipment was shipped to Honduras; and with the help of Drs. Mike and Maria Moore, we were able to get it through customs (another story).
We work with local health officials and pastors in Honduras to schedule visits to mountain villages, so the people are aware of the clinic’s arrival. Whenever the clinic arrives, local Hondurans have been in prayer for its arrival. They help load and unload, interpret, fix lunch and provide with snacks. The local Pastor will pray before the clinic opens, and he stays to hand out Bibles and invites people to worship as they leave the clinic. Upon leaving the clinic, patients are also given oral hygiene kits and instructions for after-care. They are also educated on techniques for preventative care.
To date, over twenty clinics have treated over 7,800 people, providing exams, extractions, cleanings, fillings, and sealants.
We have also handed out over 8,800 copies of the New Testament in Spanish.
Today, nearly 20 years after their first trip, Bill and Lori DeWitt continue to return to Honduras several times a year with teams of volunteers—from professionals and experts to beginners and novice—to work on a variety of construction projects, such as expanding and improving church facilities, housing repair, new home starts, and the construction of a new primary school. Some projects include:
Included in our construction mission is improving—or installing—plumbing, as the water sources in Honduras are very unreliable and bacteria laden, as sewer systems are inadequate, if even present. This makes the water a prime source of gastrointestinal diseases. Little if any precautionary measures are taken to treat the water source before ingestion. Because of this, water improvement has also been a large part of Casa de Esperanza’s work. Fortunately we have a licensed plumber on our board, Mr. Dave Herrema, and with his help we have improved water safety in many of the areas we have worked.
SOME OF OUR
Testimonials
"It’s all about the relationships we build with the people of Honduras. When you clean someone’s teeth, you can’t get much closer than that. When you build a house with someone, it doesn’t get much better than that."
Dr. Bill DeWitt, Director
"This organization not only brings medical and dental care to Honduras, they bring love, educational support, construction projects, more love, relationship building, networking with other agencies, and more love to the people of Honduras, they also bring the gospel of Jesus Christ to a people group who desperately are seeking TRUTH and GOD’S LOVE. Thanks for an Amazing experience Casa de Esperanza 2013 Mission Team!"
